Marisa Herson is an Associate Professor (Hons) in Bioethics at Deakin University – Australia. As a retired Plastic Surgeon specialized in burn care and in human tissue banking, with a PhD degree in skin bioengineering, she has maintained an interest in all fields of Medical Products of Human Origin.
Upon migrating from Brazil to Australia and following her leading role at the Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria (2007-2011), she continued to contribute via diverse advisory roles, publications and commissioned work in national and international projects.
Among others, establishing the clinical trial capability at the Alfred Skin Culture Laboratory, in the longstanding engagement with the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority (Council and Board Member, past Chair and member of the Eye and Tissue Advisory Committee), the TGA (Australian Committee on Biologicals), the Commonwealth Dept of Health (National Guidelines in Milk Banking, Tissue Banking Working Group), the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (Ethical Guidelines in Organ and Tissue Transplantation), the Australian Law Reform Commission (Australian Tissue Transplantation legislation review), the Canadian Hema-Quebec (Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee), the WHO (Advisory Panel on Human Cell, Tissue and Organ Transplantation, Taskforce on Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues, Expert Advisory Panel on Donation and Transplantation), the WHO – NOTIFY Project, the ICCBBA (ISBT128 ITTAG).
She is past Vice and President of the ALABAT, ISODP Integrity Project, and past Secretary of the World Union of Tissue Banking Associations (WUTBA). She is a member of the Biotherapeutics Association of Australasia and the European Association of Tissue and Cell Banks.