Dr Yuyun Maryuningsih receives the 2023 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 2023 IPFA Award was presented to Dr Yuyun Maryuningsih:
- Dr Yuyun Maryuningsih is Team Lead for Blood and other Products of Human Origin, Technical Standard and Specifications Unit, Health Products Policy and Standards Department, at the World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarter in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Dr Yuyun Maryuningsih has received the IPFA Award in recognition of her exceptional contribution to improve the safety of blood components, improve transfusion medicine worldwide, and to increase access to plasma-derived medicines especially in low- and middle-income countries.
- Under her leadership and coordination, WHO has drafted important documents such as ‘Guidance on ensuring sufficient blood and blood components during emergency situations”, “Tool to identify barriers in blood services and implementation of the action frame work for blood”, “White Paper on “Increasing Supplies of Plasma Derived Medicinal Products in Low- and Middle- Income Countries Through Fractionation of Domestic Plasma”.
“Dr Yuyun and her predecessors Dr Ana Padilla and Dr Micha Nübling are very committed to Voluntary Non-Remunerated Blood Donation (VNRBD), plasma donation and plasma fractionation for Low and Medium Income Countries (LMIC). Their great efforts and important proposals have been endorsed by the WHO Expert Committee of Biological Standardisation. During their term, WHO has placed Plasma Derived Medicinal Products (PDMPs) on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, and recently also submitted an application for Pathogen Reduced Cryoprecipitate to be given this status.
With the support of the German Paul Ehrlich Institute, Workshops were organised in South Africa and Indonesia to promote the WHO Achilles Project which aims at reducing in LMIC the waste of plasma which should be used for manufacturing of PDMPs and to support local authorities in the supervision and implementation of regulations and guidelines.
Dr Yuyun was also very helpful and supportive in the organisation of the 2nd IPFA Asia Workshop on Plasma Quality and Supply in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2017. This meeting was attended by approximately 180 delegates from 29 countries – both from the Asia region and the wider international community.
I am very pleased that, with this Award, IPFA wishes to honour Dr Yuyun and I want to thank her for her kind, diplomatic and determined commitment to improve transfusion medicine worldwide and to promote the increased collection of qualified plasma and the supply of PDMPs in LMICs for the benefit of the many patients in need.”