Specialty Division

Transfusion Medicine & Therapeutic Pathology

Clinical Expertise

Transfusion medicine, apheresis, blood banking, hematopoietic stem cell and immune effector cell collection/processing, sickle cell disease

Education

BS (Cellular and Molecular Biology), University of Maryland College Park, 1996
MD (Medicine), University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 2001

Specialty Certification

Clinical Pathology, American Board of Pathology, 2004

Postgraduate Training

Student Fellow, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 1999-2000
Resident, Clinical Pathology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 2001-04
Fellow, Patient Oriented Training Program, University of Pennsylvania, 2003-04
Fellow, Division of Transfusion Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 2004-05
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, 2005-06

Awards and Honors

Medical Student Award for Leadership & Community Service, Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1999
American Association of University Women Selected Professions Fellowship, 2000
Helen O. Dickens Award, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 2001
Charles Drew Award, University of Pennsylvania, 2001
American Association of Blood Banks-Baxter Transfusion Medicine Fellow Award, 2004
Fellow's Award, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 2004-05
Best Abstract, International Society for Cellular Therapy Annual Meeting, 2009
Gift of Life Award, Ree Wynn Foundation, 2015
Philadelphia Living Legend, Council of the City of Philadelphia, 2016
Academy of Master Clinicians, Penn Medicine, 2020
David Goodman, MD, PhD Award for University Service, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Penn Medicine, 2023

Memberships and Professional Organizations

College of American Pathologists, 2001-10
International Society of Cellular Therapy, 2003-present
AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks), 2004-present
American Society for Hematology, 2007-present
International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer, 2009-12
American Society for Apheresis, 2010-present
American Red Cross, Penn-Jersey Blood Services Region, 2016-present
Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy, 2017-present
Society of Black Pathologists, 2021-present
American Red Cross, 2021-present

Web Links

Selected Publications

Guidelines on the Use of Therapeutic Apheresis in Clinical Practice - Evidence-Based Approach from the Writing Committee of the American Society for Apheresis: The Ninth Special Issue 
Connelly-Smith L, Alquist CR, Aqui NA, Hofmann JC, Klingel R, Onwuemene OA, Patriquin CJ, Pham HP, Sanchez AP, Schneiderman J, Witt V, Zantek ND, Dunbar NM. J Clin Apher 38(2):77-278, Apr 2023. doi: 10.1002/jca.22043. PMID: 37017433.  
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Considerations for immune effector cell therapy collections: a white paper from the American Society for Apheresis 
Liu HD, Su L, Winters JL, Thibodeaux SR, Park YA, Wu Y, Schwartz J, Zubair AC, Schneiderman J, Gupta GK, Ramakrishnan S, Aqui NA. Cytotherapy 24(9): 916-922, Sep 2022. PMID:35398001.  
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Lack of defined apheresis collection criteria in publicly available CAR-T cell clinical trial descriptions: Comprehensive review of over 600 studies. 
Thibodeaux SR, Aqui NA, Park YA, Schneiderman J, Su LL, Winters JL, Zubair AC, Schwartz J, Liu HD; Immune Effector Cell Therapy Subcommittee, Clinical Applications Committee, American Society for Apheresis. J Clin Apher 37(3): 223-236, Jun 2022. PMID:35085413.  
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A randomized controlled study of convalescent plasma for individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia 
Bar KJ, Shaw PA, Choi GH, Aqui N, Fesnak A, Yang JB, Soto-Calderon H, Grajales L, Starr J, Andronov M, Mastellone M, Amonu C, Feret G, DeMarshall M, Buchanan M, Caturla M, Gordon J, Wanicur A, Monroy MA, Mampe F, Lindemuth E, Gouma S, Mullin AM, Barilla H, Pronina A, Irwin L, Thomas R, Eichinger RA, Demuth F, Luning Prak ET, Pascual JL, Short WR, Elovitz MA, Baron J, Meyer NJ, Degnan KO, Frank I, Hensley SE, Siegel DL, Tebas P. J Clin Invest 131(24): e155114, Dec 2021. PMID:34788233. 
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The report from ASFA COVID-19 taskforce: Considerations and prioritization on apheresis procedures during the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic 
Yamada C, Hofmann JC, Witt V, Gupta GK, Winters JL; ASFA COVID-19 Taskforce. J Clin Apher 36(6): 878-881, Dec 2021. PMID:34510542. 
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Update to the ASFA guidelines on the use of therapeutic apheresis in ANCA-associated vasculitis 
Balogun RA, Sanchez AP, Klingel R, Witt V, Aqui N, Meyer E, Padmanabhan A, Pham HP, Schneiderman J, Schwartz J, Wu Y, Zantek ND, Connelly-Smith L, Dunbar NM. J Clin Apher 35(5): 493-499, Sep 2020. PMID:32770558. 
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Risk of bleeding with transplant kidney biopsy followed by apheresis - A single center's experience 
Wong T, Aqui N, Geara AS. Clin Nephrol 93(6): 305-306, Jun 2020. PMID:32213282. 
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Plasma Exchange and Glucocorticoids in Severe ANCA-Associated Vasculitis 
Walsh M, Merkel PA, Peh CA, Szpirt WM, Puéchal X, Fujimoto S, Hawley CM, Khalidi N, Floßmann O, Wald R, Girard LP, Levin A, Gregorini G, Harper L, Clark WF, Pagnoux C, Specks U, Smyth L, Tesar V, Ito-Ihara T, de Zoysa JR, Szczeklik W, Flores-Suárez LF, Carette S, Guillevin L, Pusey CD, Casian AL, Brezina B, Mazzetti A, McAlear CA, Broadhurst E, Reidlinger D, Mehta S, Ives N, Jayne DRW; PEXIVAS Investigators. N Engl J Med 382(7): 622-631, Feb 2020. PMID:32053298. 
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Guidelines on the Use of Therapeutic Apheresis in Clinical Practice - Evidence-Based Approach from the Writing Committee of the American Society for Apheresis: The Eighth Special Issue 
Padmanabhan A, Connelly-Smith L, Aqui N, Balogun RA, Klingel R, Meyer E, Pham HP, Schneiderman J, Witt V, Wu Y, Zantek ND, Dunbar NM, Schwartz GEJ. J Clin Apher 34(3): 171-354, Jun 2019. PMID:31180581. 
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