MTF Biologics Appoints New Board of Directors Members
Edison, NJ, September 1, 2021 – MTF Biologics, a global nonprofit organization that saves and heals lives by honoring donated gifts, serving patients, and advancing the science of tissue transplantation has announced the appointment of Sharon Gabrielson, Symeria Hudson and David McAllister, MD, to the MTF Biologics Board of Directors.
“We are honored to welcome these impressive professionals to the MTF Board,” said William W. Tomford, MD, Chairman of the MTF Board of Directors. “Their executive management experience in healthcare, their business acumen and their scientific and medical knowledge bring added depth to our Board. As MTF’s business becomes increasingly complex, their expertise will be of critical importance to the future of the Foundation.”
“Sharon, Symeria and David are proven leaders who will bring outstanding expertise to the MTF Board as it continues to oversee our organization’s mission of saving and healing lives,” said Joe Yaccarino, MTF’s President and CEO.
Sharon Gabrielson was most recently Corporate Chair, Global Business Solutions for the Mayo Clinic, the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit medical group practice worldwide. She has over 30 years of experience across the product and services industry, delivering a successful track record in general management of highly regulated businesses, strategy development, M&A, integration, and scaling for growth. As Vice Chair for the Mayo Clinic Health System Administration, Sharon directed administrative operations of 12 corporate entities and 72 clinics across 3 states, while leading M&As, divestitures, and closures of Health System sites. She led the new governance and operating structure for Mayo Clinic in the Midwest, integrating community based primary care with mental health delivery and destination specialty care. Sharon led the delivery of telemedicine, virtual visits, e-icu, and remote monitoring at home into the Mayo Clinic Health System community practices. She has direct experience with organ and tissue donation, having served as Director of Hospital Development at LifeSource before joining the executive team at Mayo Clinic.
Sharon has extensive experience with public and private boards of directors including Chairman of the Board and on the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committees for Sharps Compliance, a medical waste company, as the first woman appointed to the board. Previously, Sharon served as Board Director of Catasys, a health care AI and technology company, where she also served on the Audit and Compensation Committees. Sharon also serves as an Independent Director for Ethos Veterinary Health, a national veterinary health company. Sharon earned an MA in Health Administration and an MA in Management from Saint Mary’s University and a BS in Nursing from Winona State University.
Symeria Hudson currently serves as President and CEO of a non-profit mission-based organization, Chapman Partnership based in Miami FL. Symeria has overall responsibility for two homeless assistance centers serving over 3,000 homeless yearly including oversight for160 employees. Symeria Hudson’s corporate experiences include President of Global Franchises for ConvaTec, a Medical Technology Company where she was based in London, England. In her role, she led Global Strategy and Marketing, Research; Development and Commercial Operations across three of the company’s four business segments: Advanced Wound, Ostomy Care and Continence and Critical Care, managing staff across US, Latin America and Europe. Symeria managed external manufacturing and development partnerships in support of the company’s innovation pipeline. Prior to ConvaTec, she was the Global Franchise Head of Renal Home Therapies at Baxter Corporation where she was responsible for home dialysis products- devices, solutions, sets and ancillaries, driving strategy and new product development from concept to commercialization. Symeria served as a leader in many aspects at Baxter, including Chairman of the Baxter’s Diversity Committee, to improve awareness, recruitment and overall results for attracting and retaining diverse talent.
She served on the Baxter Foundation Board, an approximately $40 million fund, driving strategies and leadership to increase access to healthcare for the disadvantaged and underserved communities. Symeria’s accomplishments have been recognized by Chicago United Organization, being named 2015 Top 50 Business Leader of Color. She supports her community by serving in various roles; Board Member – Kohl Children’s Museum, Board Member - Baxter Healthcare Foundation and Board Member - Big Brothers, Big Sisters - Miami Dade County.
David R. McAllister, MD is Chief of the Sports Medicine Service, Professor and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. McAllister also serves as the program director of the sports medicine fellowship at UCLA.
Dr. McAllister provides care to athletes of all skill levels including professional, collegiate, high school, and recreational athletes. He is the Head Team Physician for the UCLA Athletic Department. He has extensive experience caring for athletes in a variety of sports including football, basketball, soccer, gymnastics, volleyball and track.
He specializes in all areas of orthopedic sports medicine and has special expertise in knee ligament injuries, meniscus injuries and articular cartilage problems. He has lectured extensively on these topics both nationally and internationally. In addition, he has published multiple original manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. McAllister has held leadership positions/committee positions in the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS), and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS). He also serves on the editorial board of numerous orthopedic publications. He was awarded the prestigious AAOS Kappa Delta Award in 2019.
Dr. McAllister has represented UCLA on MTF Biologics’ Medical Board of Trustees since 2005 and has served in various leadership positions including Chair of the Education Committee and Nominations/Membership Committee. He is currently the Vice-Chair of the Medical Board of Trustees.
About MTF Biologics:
MTF Biologics is a global nonprofit organization that saves and heals lives by honoring donated gifts, serving patients and advancing science. They provide unmatched service, resources, and expertise to donors and their loved ones who give the gift of donation, people who depend on tissue and organ transplants, healthcare providers, and clinicians and scientists.
The International Institute for the Advancement of Medicine (IIAM), a Division of MTF Biologics, honors donors of non-transplantable organs by providing their gifts to the medical research community to combat and cure diseases. Statline, also a Division of MTF Biologics, provides specialized communications and technology expertise to organ, tissue, and eye procurement organizations, as well as the hospitals and patients that they serve. Its sister organization, Deutsches Institute for Zell-und Gewebeersatz – DIZG (The German Institute for Cell and Tissue Transplantation) expands its reach to patients across the globe. For more information, visit www.mtfbiologics.org.
MTF Biologics is a registered trademark of the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation.