FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 26, 2026

FACT APPOINTS NAVNEET MAJHAIL, MD, MS, FASTCT AS PRESIDENT AND WELCOMES THREE ADDITIONAL LEADERS TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Universally respected, renowned cellular therapy and transplant expert tapped to help drive FACT’s strategic imperatives for the future

OMAHA, Neb. - The Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) today announced the appointment of Dr. Navneet Majhail as President of FACT’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Majhail is a board-certified hematologist and the Physician-in-Chief, blood cancers, HCA Healthcare Sarah Cannon Cancer Network. He oversees the Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Network that consists of 11 programs in the US and UK, providing care to more than 1,600 hematopoietic cell transplant and cell and gene therapy recipients each year. He has previously served as the President of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. 

FACT also welcomes the following three widely respected leaders to its Board of Directors, effective immediately:  Nicole Aqui, MD (Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania), Rachel Cook, MD, MS (OHSU Knight Cancer Institute), and Joseph (“Joel”) McGuirk, DO, FACP (The University of Kansas Medical Center).

As President, Dr. Majhail will chair the FACT Board of Directors, extending his volunteer Board service that began in 2021. He will lead the Board’s overall promotion of FACT’s mission, strategic thinking and goal setting, and direction of policies and efforts to advance quality and safety in the field of cellular therapy.

“I am deeply honored and delighted to serve our field through this FACT leadership role,” says Dr. Majhail. “FACT is celebrating 30 years of developing Standards, Accreditations, and Education offerings that are invaluable for the assurance of safe and quality care throughout patients’ entire treatment journey. Our foundation uniquely positions us for tomorrow.”

FACT is taking many key steps to maximize impact and value to all present and future stakeholders engaged in cell and gene therapy. “We are actively engaging, listening and taking action on multiple fronts,” says Majhail.  “Doing our part to see the curative potential of CAR T therapies brought with quality and safety closer to where patients live is our current #1 future-focused priority, and our IEC-in-Community Standards and novel accreditation pathways demonstrate this,” he adds. “We are stepping up with the urgency that our field and patients need.”

In this role, Dr. Majhail succeeds Dr. Catherine Bollard, whom he acknowledges with gratitude and respect. “Dr. Bollard’s tireless, effective leadership has put FACT in a great position for the future, and I’m honored to follow her footsteps,” adds Dr. Majhail.