USM TISSUE BANK HOSTS THREE MEDICAL SPECIALISTS FROM TANZANIA FOR EXCLUSIVE TRAINING PROGRAMME
KUBANG KERIAN, KELANTAN – The Tissue Bank at the School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), welcomed three medical specialists from the Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute, Ministry of Health, United Republic of Tanzania, for an intensive three-day Tissue Banking Training Programme held from 11 to 13 October 2026.
Since 2012, USM Tissue Bank has welcomed international delegates for specialised training in tissue banking, with previous participants from Libya, Taiwan, Iraq, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Tunisia, the Philippines and Syria. This year’s programme builds on USM’s ongoing international engagement, following the participation of a USM orthopaedic specialist as a speaker in 2023 and earlier in 2026 in orthopaedic oncology courses under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Doctors for Africa.
The programme aimed to equip the specialists’ knowledge and practical skills in tissue banking, graft processing, quality assurance, traceability and facility management, while fostering knowledge exchange and international collaboration.
The three participating specialists from Tanzania were Dr. Mpoki Mwasumbi Ulisubisya (Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Hospital Executive Director), Dr. Anthony Benedict Assey (Consultant Orthopaedic & Spine Surgeon and Head of the Orthopaedic & Trauma Department) and Dr. Violet Nginila Lupondo (Consultant Orthopaedic & Arthroplasty Surgeon).
Figure 1: The visiting specialists participated in hands-on tissue processing training in a controlled cleanroom environment. From left: Dr. Violet Nginila Lupondo, Dr. Anthony Benedict Assey, and Dr. Mpoki Mwasumbi Ulisubisya.
Throughout the programme, participants engaged in a series of expert talks, interactive discussions, technical demonstrations and hands-on training sessions. These activities provided an overview of the Tissue Bank’s infrastructure, operational workflows and established tissue banking practices.
The training covered ethical and regulatory requirements, tissue and bone bank establishment, quality management systems and safe tissue processing techniques. Through hands-on sessions in a controlled cleanroom, participants gained practical experience in deep-frozen bone processing, freeze-dried bone preparation, allograft packaging and specialised equipment operation. Particular emphasis was placed on maintaining tissue integrity, sterility, quality, and safety throughout the processing workflow.
This partnership further strengthens the USM Tissue Bank’s role as a reference centre for education and technical expertise, reflecting Universiti Sains Malaysia’s commitment to international collaboration and capacity-building in tissue banking and transplantation technologies.
The programme also represents an important step towards supporting Tanzania’s ambition to establish its first bone bank in Tanzania, with the potential to expand access to allografts for complex orthopaedic procedures, particularly tumour reconstruction and revision arthroplasty. Through the transfer of knowledge, technical expertise and best practices, the training aims to contribute to the development of local tissue banking capabilities in Tanzania, with the longer-term potential to benefit patients in neighbouring countries across the region.
USM Tissue Bank hopes that this training programme will serve as a foundation for sustained collaboration between Malaysia and Tanzania, promoting the development of safe, high-quality and sustainable tissue banking services to support advanced orthopaedic care and improve patient outcomes.
Figure 2: The visiting specialists received certificates of completion at the end of the three-day training programme, followed by a group photograph with USM Tissue Bank staff to commemorate the successful completion of the programme.
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