Elizabeth J. Shpall

Dr. Elizabeth J. Shpall is the Howard and Lee Smith Professor of Cancer Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC). Dr. Shpall is the Director of the GMP and Core Cell Therapy Laboratories, Director of the Cord Blood Bank and Chair ad interim of the Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Department. She is an internationally recognized expert and leader in the field of stem cell biology, hematology, and clinical hematopoietic transplantation for the treatment of cancer. Dr. Shpall pioneered development of strategies for ex-vivo expansion of stem cells and novel strategies addressing obstacles of successful cord blood transplantation, improving outcomes for patients. As the founding president of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cell Therapy (FACT), her visionary translational research has advanced the field and set international standards for stem cell and cord blood transplantation and more recently immune effector cell therapy. She founded and grew to prominence the MD Anderson Cord Blood Bank. This vital resource provides cord blood stem cells for transplantation and cellular therapy for cancer and neurologic diseases, collecting over 130,000 units and providing stem cells for transplantation and cellular therapy for other diseases to more than 2,500 patients in need worldwide.