Dr Jeh-Han Omarjee receives the 2024 IPFA Award
At its 30th IPFA/PEI International Workshop in Aarhus, Denmark the annual IPFA Award was presented by Stuart Chesneau, IPFA President.
The 2024 IPFA Award was presented to Dr Jeh-Han Omarjee, Manager: Microbiological Sciences and Quality Active Raw Materials at the National Bioproducts Institute (NBI).
Dr Omarjee has received the IPFA award for her highly professional and enthusiastic engagement with a wide spectrum of organisations and professionals in the plasma field, focused primarily but not exclusively on the African continent, thereby improving access to the much-needed human plasma and plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMPs).
About Jeh-Han Omarjee
Jeh-Han, the “go to” person for organisations wishing to embark on supplying plasma for PDMPs
- Dr Omarjee, obtained her PhD from the University Claude Bernard – Lyon in 2007, specialising in Microbiology and Molecular Biology. Since then, Jeh-han has worked for NBI running the Microbiological Sciences department which focuses predominantly on plasma, intermediates and finished PDMPs providing analytical services both to NBI and, where possible, to other organisations. She is also the programme co-manager for the in-house development of new products which gives some indication to the width and breadth of Jeh-han’s knowledge and commitment. In 2015, Jeh-han was a member of the team which won a national engineering design award (CESA) for her microbiological laboratory at NBI.
- She has played a significant role in developing the region’s approach to improving access to plasma from many African and other developing countries. She actively engages with blood services to not only audit facilities but to share her insights into how to best achieve resolution to issues potentially obstructing the development of GMP practices within their service or region. Jeh-han interacts and partners with many institutions and organisations to impart her knowledge and experience through lectures, webinars, meetings as well as in a number of peer-reviewed publications.
Team Leader for the Plasma from Africa for Africans programme
In 2022, Jeh-Han was elected as one of the team leaders for the Plasma from Africa for Africans programme. This programme was established by NBI to collaborate with blood establishments across the African continent who are part of the African Society for Blood Transfusion (AfSBT) Step Wise Accreditation Programme (SWAP) or accredited by other recognised regulatory standards. The objective of the Plasma from Africa for Africans programme is to assist blood establishments in Africa and other low-middle income countries to improve their quality management systems to a level of being able to produce quality plasma that meets GMP requirements for fractionation at NBI and where NBI can return PDMPs manufactured from the collected plasma back to these countries.
As a Team Leader, Jeh-han is deeply involved in assisting several blood establishments in Africa and other low-middle income countries to improve GMP, blood safety and production efficiencies with the goal of improving the quality of plasma for fractionation and minimising plasma wastage. She contributed to the WHO publication “Guidance on increasing supplies of plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMPs), WHO 2021” which provides a strategic framework to assist countries in increasing their volume of quality plasma for fractionation. Jeh-han has presented at several conferences and webinars on improving access to PDMPs in Africa and low-middle income countries.
Her contributory and influential discussions with key stakeholders at the Ministry of Health and at the National Drug Authority in the various countries in Africa has led to successful outcomes for the export of plasma for fractionation and the return of PDMPs back to country to address the unmet needs of patients in Africa.
Jeh-Han´s vision: “Empower Blood Establishments and Access to PDMPs”
Jeh-Han´s own vision statement is to empower blood establishments through education about GMP, blood safety, improving quality of plasma for fractionation and to improve access to PDMPs in Africa and other low-middle income countries.
About the IPFA award
With this Award, IPFA wants to recognise a person who has made exceptional contributions to the field of plasma collection, plasma fractionation, the manufacturing and provision of plasma derived medicinal products, patient care, safety and transfusion medicine.
The IPFA award has been granted since 2018. For previous award winners, please visit: https://ipfa.nl/ipfa-awards/