American Foundation for Donation & Transplantation
EDUCATION

Over the years, AFDT has conducted courses which provide participants an opportunity to enrich their knowledge and understanding of many aspects of histocompatibility and immunogenetics. Participants are able to share their special expertise and experiences with fellow students and faculty.

Basic-Level Histocompatibility Course
The Basic-Level Course is offered to provide the technician/technologist with a well-rounded background in basic transplant immunology and related laboratory skills. The four day course is held every other year and provides preparation for those wishing to sit for the ABHI Certified Histocompatibility Technologist (CHT) examination.

Histocompatibility Specialists Course
The Specialists Course is a week-long course, presented every other year, designed to cover topics in many areas of immunology and laboratory management and is presented by nationally recognized experts. Participants are exposed to basic concepts, current theories and practical techniques relevant to the day-to-day operation of a modern histocompatibility laboratory. The course provides a valuable base and preparation for those wishing to sit for the ABHI Certified Histocompatibility Specialist (CHS) examination or the ABHI Laboratory Director Certification examination.

Manuals

Tissue Typing Reference Manual
The third edition of the Tissue Typing Reference Manual contains 32 chapters which are divided into three sections:

- Section A: Introduction to Histocompatibility Concepts
These chapters give an overview of the principles and theory of histocompatibility genetics and immunology.

- Section B: Histocompatibility Methods and Procedures
These "how to" chapters detail step-by-step current procedures used in histocompatibility testing laboratories.

- Section C: Policies and Standards for the Transplant Laboratory

The proliferation of new government agencies, policies and standards that affect the transplant community is growing faster than the progress in transplant biology. This section documents the evolution of transplant organizations to our current system and outlines the policies and standards histocompatibility laboratories must follow to qualify as a transplant laboratory.

Molecular Typing 2000 Manual
This is the second edition of the AFDT DNA typing manual. The first section addresses concepts that undergird molecular methods of HLA typing (basic molecular biology, the immunobiology of HLA, PCR, the role of HLA in transplantation, etc.). Subsequent sections are more procedure oriented, but they emphasize the "why" of the methodology rather than the "how to" (SSP, SSOP, SBT, laboratory design, trouble shooting, quality assurance, etc.).

Manual on Quality Assurance in the HLA Laboratory
This manual is intended to answer questions about the various components of a Quality Assurance (QA) program. It contains an actual prototype QA program and is supplied on diskette in addition to hard copy so that it may easily be modified to meet your individual laboratory needs.

Brochures/Tapes

SEOPF's Education Committee has developed informative brochures aimed to assist the procurement/transplant for professionals and patients. These include: