Our Experts

Elias Kalouche, MBA, B.Sc. (Med. Biotech.), MLT (CSMLS/CMLTO), QM (U of M)

President

Mr. Kalouche is currently Vice President, Quality and Organizational Excellence, with Progenics, a premier cord blood bank in Canada. He has overall corporate responsibility for ensuring that the utmost consistency and highest quality is integrated throughout the value chain of Progenics. As a patient-focused leader, he has a passion for continuous improvement, quality services and innovative products which harness the full potential of cord blood and cord tissue derived stem cells.

Mr. Kalouche is an Active International FACT Accreditation Inspector of Cord Blood Banking and Cellular Therapy (CT) Programs involved in the collection, processing and cryopreservation of stem cells collected from 1) the Peripheral Blood (PBSCs) of donors/patients by Apheresis and 2) from Bone Marrow. Since 2012, he has been an international accreditation inspector on behalf of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) based at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

He has also conducted international audits of medical device companies in North America and Europe, in addition to internal audits of Canadian blood services centres and blood donor clinics across Canada. He participated as a member of the FACT committee to develop the current 7th edition, and previous 6th edition, of the International FACT Accreditation Standards for Cord Blood Collection, Banking, And Release for Administration.

Mr. Kalouche’s ongoing commitment to excellence is evidenced in his outstanding accomplishments in developing and implementing quality management systems across various industries including, cord blood banking, cellular therapy, medical device, medical laboratories, and blood transfusion centres at both the national and international levels.

He holds academic degrees in Medical Biotechnology, Medical Laboratory Science, Business Administration – Executive MBA, and Quality Management. Mr. Kalouche is a valued member of various Professional Advisory Committees of Medical Laboratory Colleges, and has been a guest speaker for numerous scientific conferences.

He is also an active member of professional national and international societies including The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS), Advancing Transfusion and Cellular Therapies Worldwide (AABB), American Society For Apheresis (ASFA), International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) and a senior member with The American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Dr. Jeff Silverman, MD, FRCPC

Medical Director

Dr. Silverman is a highly regarded specialist in Hematology, practicing at North York General Hospital since 2004. He completed his medical training at University of Toronto with Honours, including a year-long specialty in Obstetrical Medicine. Dr. Silverman has received numerous academic awards including the Governor General’s Award for the highest academic standing in a graduating class. He is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, as well as, the American Society of Hematology. His outstanding achievements have been recognized throughout his career, including winning both the 2007 and 2011 Excellence in Specialty Teaching of Family Residents Award and the 1996 and 1997 Drs. Ann and Carl Witus Award Faculty of Medicine University of Toronto.

Silverman’s research electives took place at Sunnybrook and Women’s Health Sciences Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital and Toronto General Hospital. He is the respected author of a number of articles relating to Hematology including those published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Canadian Journal of Diagnosis and Leukemia Research. He has also published general articles including those in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Geriatrics and Aging, and the European Respiratory Journal.