Named to honor a forerunner in the field of transfusion medicine, the fund will provide Vitalant Research Institute (VRI) annual support for rapid-response pilot projects, advance scientific priorities, support trainees and collaborators, and lay the groundwork for larger studies funded by national and international partners.
“The First Response Fund is vital to our mission to save and improve lives,” Vitalant CEO David R. Green said. “It guarantees that VRI can quickly pivot its research to address emerging threats, maintaining the high standards of safety and sufficiency the public expects from the blood supply.”
A Pioneer in Transfusion Medicine
One of the world’s leading experts in blood safety and infectious disease research, Michael P. Busch, M.D., Ph.D., is the director emeritus of VRI, vice president for research and scientific programs at Vitalant, and a professor of laboratory medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Busch led development of universal HIV and West Nile virus screening for blood donations and was a founding leader of the leading research program in the country for blood collection and transfusion safety, the National Institutes of Health’s Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study (REDS) program. The principal investigator or co-investigator on dozens of large-scale, multicenter studies, Dr. Busch has been published in more than 750 peer-reviewed scientific articles and has received dozens of accolades.The Vitalant Foundation is excited to establish a fund that will not only recognize and honor a true hero in the protection of our nation’s blood supply but also perpetuate his work by enabling the ability to anticipate emerging threats,” Vitalant Foundation President Katie Cobb said. “By contributing to this fund, donors can create direct impact and know that their efforts can, and will, save future lives.”
The campaign’s goal is to raise $1 million by July 2026, coinciding with Dr. Busch’s 40-year anniversary with Vitalant and VRI. A generous donor will match the first $250,000 in contributions.
Secure, tax-deductible contributions to the Dr. Michael P. Busch First Response Fund can be made at vitalant.org/legacy.
About Vitalant Foundation
Vitalant Foundation is the official fundraising arm of Vitalant. Financial gifts to Vitalant Foundation help ensure blood is available for patients in need and enhance research opportunities to support blood donors and recipients of the future.
About Vitalant Research Institute
Vitalant Research Institute (VRI) is the research program of nonprofit blood and biotherapies provider, Vitalant. VRI is one of the world's most distinguished blood-center-based transfusion medicine research programs. With state-of-the-art facilities in San Francisco and Denver, its investigators’ expertise spans epidemiology, immunology, virology, and cell therapy, and is dedicated to advancing blood safety worldwide.