WHO WE ARE
Rh disease is not a mystery; it is a solvable problem.
No one should lose a child to a disease we already know how to prevent. Our mission is to eliminate Rh disease as a cause of preventable newborn death and suffering everywhere.
Values
Equity
Every woman deserves a safe pregnancy, no matter where she lives. We work to close global gaps (Rh) in access to maternal and newborn care by supporting life-saving efforts that reach those most in need.
Partnership
We build with, not for. Sustainable change happens locally. We collaborate with communities and healthcare workers, equipping them with the tools and guidance to protect mothers and babies from Rh disease.
Integrity
We act with transparency and care, grounded in science and lived experience, to make a commitment to lasting impact. Every Rh-negative mother deserves access to the essential information and care that can save her child’s life.
Our Approach
At WIRhE, we know that ending Rh disease requires more than just medicine. It demands a holistic, equity-driven approach that strengthens local systems and supports those working on the ground.
We focus on:
Community-Centered Solutions
We work directly with healthcare professionals and local organisations to increase access to lifesaving testing and care to prevent Rh disease.
Knowledge Sharing
We connect healthcare workers across regions to share data, resources, and best practices - helping building capacity and improving outcomes for mothers and babies.
Awareness and Advocacy
We raise awareness among communities, healthcare workers, and policymakers to highlight the impact of Rh disease and the urgent need for action. By sharing stories and evidence, we drive progress locally and globally.
HISTORY OF WIRhE
WIRhE'S Board of Directors
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North America Chair
Steven L. Spitalnik, MD
Professor and Executive Vice-Chair of the Department of Pathology & Cell Biology at Columbia University.
In addition to serving as the Medical Director of the Clinical Laboratories at Columbia University Irving Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital, he is an attending physician in Transfusion Medicine and is Co-Director of the Laboratory of Transfusion Biology, which pursues basic and translational research in red blood cell biology.
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Foundation Chair
Ellen van der Schoot MD, PhD
Professor of Experimental Immunohematology at the University of Amsterdam, and Head of the Department of Immunohematology at Sanquin Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Her research focuses on alloimmunization against blood group antigens, with the aim of developing new preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches towards hemolytic transfusion reactions and Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn. She has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles.
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Foundation Coordinator
Gaia Mori
Advancing Maternal Health & Women’s Empowerment, Foundation Coordinator, NGO Consultant
Gaia is a project coordinator with over a decade of experience in international development, specializing in women’s and girls’ empowerment, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and global health. Throughout her career, she have worked with NGOs and civil society organizations across Africa and Europe, supporting strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building to drive impactful and sustainable change.
Gaia is passionate about advancing human rights, gender equality, and health equity, and is committed to building cross-sector collaborations and strengthening systems that ensure every mother can experience a safe pregnancy and every baby has the chance to thrive.
Members
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Gian Carlo Di Renzo MD, PhD
Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Perugia in Italy.
He is Director of both the Reproductive and Perinatal Medicine Center in Perugia and founder of the Permanent International and European School of Perinatal and Reproductive Medicine (PREIS) in Florence. He is also Coordinator of the Educational Platform “Glowm” of FIGO after being General Secretary (2012-2018).
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Isaac Odame, MB ChB, MRCP (UK), FRCPath, FRCPC
Professor and Alexandra Yeo Chair in Haematology in the Departments of Medicine and Paediatrics, and the Director Division of Haematology, all at the University of Toronto, in Toronto, Canada.
In addition, he is the Head of the Haematology Section in the Division of Haematology/Oncology at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He is also the Medical Director of The Global Sickle Cell Disease Network, Centre for Global Child Health.
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Hua Shan MD, PhD
Professor and Medical Director of the Transfusion Medicine Service at Stanford University Medical Center.
She has led multiple, large education and research programs on blood safety and clinical transfusion practice, particularly focusing on improving the practice of transfusion medicine in China.
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Brie A. Stotler, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Pathology & Cell Biology at Columbia University.
In addition to serving as the Medical Director of the Clinical Laboratories at the Allen Hospital-New York Presbyterian Hospital, she is an attending physician in Transfusion Medicine at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital. She pursues translational and clinical research in transfusion medicine and has an interest in global health
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Gerard H.A. Visser MD, PhD
Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
He is the past President of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine and a member and immediate past Chair of FIGO’s Committee on Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health.
From the latter position, he became one of the initiators of their Rh eradication program.
Honorary Members
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Marcela Contreras, MD
Born in Chile and trained there in medicine but spent the majority of her career in the United Kingdom focusing on immunohematology and transfusion medicine at the National Blood Service for more than 20 years and serving as a Professor of Transfusion Medicine at the Royal Free Hospital Medical School in London.
She is an internationally-recognized in immunohematology and widely known as the co-author of the important text book “Blood Transfusion in Clinical Medicine.” In 2007, she was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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John Gorman, MD
Born in Australia, went to medical school there, and then traveled to the United States for his postgraduate training.
While a young faculty member at Columbia University, he collaborated with fellow faculty member, Vincent Freda, MD, and with a protein chemist at Ortho Pharmaceutical, William Pollack, PhD, to develop both the theory underlying immunoprophylaxis for Rh disease and the first Rh immune globulin licensed for human use (i.e., RhoGAM). In recognition of their accomplishments, Drs. Gorman, Freda, and Pollack, along with their British colleagues (Drs. Cyril Clarke and Ronald Finn), received the 1980 Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award.
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Alvin Zipursky, MD
Born in Canada, received his medical training there, and pursued his long academic career, primarily in Toronto, where he is now Professor Emeritus at The Hospital for Sick Children.
He has a long-standing interest in global health, particularly as related to Rh disease; to this end, he founded the Program for Global Pediatric Research in 2004. In addition, he identified the transplacental passage of fetal red blood cells into the maternal circulation, thereby establishing the rationale for the use of antenatal Rh immune globulin to assist in preventing maternal sensitization during pregnancy.
OUR PARTNERS
