Blood Centers honor D. Michael Strong

Strong

Dr. D. Michael Strong, UW research professor of orthopaedics and surgery and operations director of the Puget Sound Blood Center, has received a lifetime achievement award from America’s Blood Centers. Strong shares the award with Sally Cagliotti, vice president of Blood Systems in Arizona, for implementing nucleic acid testing for half the nation’s blood supply.

Nucleic acid testing is more sensitive than current screening tests. It reduces the window of infectivity by as much as 60 days for the hepatitis C virus and 11 days for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It can detect the presence of HIV before the body has time to produce antibodies against the infection.

Strong and Cagliotti oversaw the Food and Drug Administration’s effort - the largest research protocol ever undertaken by the FDA - in implementing nucleic acid testing in the nation’s blood centers.

Strong has been the Puget Sound Blood Center’s operations director since 1994. ¶