NMDP Council

The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Council consists of individuals from participating donor centers, cord blood banks, transplant centers, apheresis centers, collection centers and recruitment groups.  The role of the council is to provide a formal mechanism for input from members of the NMDP Network, to promote direct communications among the participants in the NMDP network and the NMDP board of directors and staff, as well as to provide input and support for NMDP policies and procedures. 

Council President

Gregory Hale, M.D.

Dr. Gregory Hale, president of the NMDP Council, is a transplant physician who has served at both a transplant and collection collection center. Working directly with transplant patients, their families and donors has provided Hale with a thorough understanding of the clinical, financial, social and administrative issues that are part of hematopoietic cell transplantation. His clinical research is aimed at improving outcomes by investigating novel methods of graft-enhancement that also reduce transplant-related complications. Hale received his Doctor of Medicine from Marshall University and completed his pediatric residency at Children's Hospital of Pittsburg.

Council President-Elect

Colleen R. Chapleau, B.B.A., CHTC

Colleen R. Chapleau began her career in marrow transplantation in 1985 by recruiting volunteers to be donors and coordinating donor searches for patients in need of an unrelated transplant. Today she is the associate director of the Iowa Marrow Donor Program and the Blood & Marrow Transplantation Program at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. She has been affiliated with the NMDP since its beginning and has served on various committees over the years. She is a business graduate of the University of Wisconsin and is currently working on her executive Master of Business Administration at the Henry B. Tippie College of Business in the University of Iowa.

Council Vice President

Marcos de Lima, M.D.

Dr. de Lima is a stem cell transplanter who became the director of the MD Anderson unrelated donor program in 2004. His position, in one of the busiest transplant programs in the world, has allowed him to observe up close NMDP's great success story in providing bone marrow/peripheral blood transplantation and more recently in the burgeoning arena of cord blood transplantation. There remain, however, obstacles that need to be overcome for us to extend transplantation to all those in need. The globalization of our society and of health issues is a fact that is reflected in the genetic heterogeneity of patients we treat. He is committed to partnering with NMDP to increase the availability of donors/cord blood units world-wide, and to improving the barriers to procuring those allografts for those who need them.

Dr. de Lima envisions a future where all patients will have access to a donor. The NMDP is the key player for such a goal to be achieved, and he will be honored to be part of it.