A Letter from FWGBD Board President, Dr. Sarah H. O’Brien

Dear FWGBD Community,

As those of you who attended our conference last weekend will have heard, I have officially begun my term as the new Board President of the Foundation for Women & Girls with Blood Disorders (FWGBD), following in the footsteps of one of our esteemed “founding mothers,” Dr. Andra H. James.

I want to thank the board for selecting me for this opportunity, and extend a special thank you to Andi for trusting me with the preservation and continued growth of the organization. It has been a pleasure serving alongside you on the board these last two years and I look forward to our ongoing collaboration in your new capacity as Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee.

To the FWGBD community, thank you for the warm welcome. There are many aspects of this role I am looking forward to, but chief among them is getting to know all of you. There is tremendous talent and passion among the members of this organization, and I am confident that together with our vast network of dedicated providers, members, donors and patients, we can fulfill our mission and improve the diagnosis, care and outcomes for women and girls with blood disorders.

While I may be new to this role, I have been active within the FWGBD community for over 10 years and am deeply committed to the mission and vision Andi and her fellow co-founders set when they established the organization. I will be steadfast in ensuring our focus remains on supplying physicians and healthcare providers with the information they need to correctly diagnose and treat blood disorders in women, while prioritizing areas of greatest need within these patient populations. I look forward to personally connecting with many of you and finding ways to strengthen our partnerships in 2024 and beyond.

Sarah H. O’Brien

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