The DKMS Foundation for Giving Life
The DKMS Foundation for Giving Life was founded in 1997 and exclusively and directly pursues non-profit and charitable purposes.
It unites a network of organizations that form an international community against blood cancer. The foundation is the sole parent company of the DKMS Group gGmbH.
The DKMS Foundation for Giving Life ensures compliance with the company's purpose and decides on the objectives and strategic guidelines for the DKMS Group gGmbH and the other subsidiary organizations DKMS Donor Center gGmbH, DKMS Stem Cell Bank gGmbH, DKMS Life Science Lab gGmbH, DKMS Registry gGmbH and DKMS Collection Center gGmbH worldwide.
The foundation has three governing bodies: the Foundation Board, the Board of Trustees and the Medical Council.
The Foundation Board is responsible for strategic ideas, suggestions and visions that provide impetus for the operational business. The management of all organizations under the umbrella of the foundation report to the Foundation Board.
The Foundation Board is advised by the Foundation Council and the Medical Council, which provides the decisive impetus for the medical strategy to defeat blood cancer.
The purpose of the foundation is
- to support individuals who, as a result of their physical, mental or emotional condition, are dependent on the help of others,
- promoting science and research in the field of bone marrow or stem cell transplantation,
- promoting public health and public health care, and
- promoting vocational training in the field of bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.
Tasks and objectives:
- Measures and support for facilities to improve patient care (care and aftercare),
- recruiting and supporting informed volunteers who are willing to donate bone marrow or stem cells for the purpose of a transplant,
- developing and maintaining systems that facilitate and accelerate the search for female donors with the aim of finding compatible donors for bone marrow or stem cell transplants,
- Financial support for accompanying scientific research on bone marrow or stem cell donation with unrelated donors using histocompatibility testing methods, on stem cell expansion and on gene therapy,
- Measures and funding of institutions for vocational training in the field of bone marrow or stem cell transplantation, in particular medical specialists, hospital staff, search coordinators, staff of donor files and registries, scientists, geneticists, medical ethicists and laboratory personnel.
- Promoting cooperation between all institutions that work in the field of the foundation's purpose,
- public relations to achieve the foundation's purpose.
Members of the Foundation Board
Katharina Harf
(Chair of the Foundation Board)
Katharina and her father Peter Harf (founder of DKMS) opened the first international DKMS location in the United States in 2004, after Katharina's mother and Peter's wife Mechtild Harf died of leukemia in 1991. She is now fighting for the further expansion of DKMS with unconditional dedication.
Dr. Elke Neujahr
(Deputy Chair of the Foundation Board and Global CEO of DKMS)
Dr. Elke Neujahr has been Global CEO of DKMS Group gGmbH and Chair of the Management Board of DKMS Donor Center gGmbH since 2019. She also plays various roles at international level on the supervisory committees of the DKMS Group companies.
Members of the Board of Trustees
Dr. Peter Harf
(Founder of DKMS)
DKMS's story begins with a family tragedy and the fight for the life of a loved one in 1990. For Mechtild Harf, a bone marrow transplant was the only chance of beating her leukemia. In the face of this challenge of finding a “genetic twin” for his wife, her husband Peter Harf took the initiative himself: he decided to dedicate his entrepreneurial spirit to the great goal of improving the chances of survival for his wife and others affected. On May 28, 1991, Peter Harf founded the DKMS, but despite all the efforts of the family and their numerous helpers, Mechtild unfortunately did not survive her illness. But she made her husband promise to keep fighting – until every patient received a suitable donor. Peter Harf has remained true to this promise together with his daughter Katharina.
Viktoria von Wulffen
(member of the founding family)
Viktoria von Wulffen lives in Vienna and is a mother of six children. Family is especially important to her. She herself lost her mother, Mechtild Harf, to leukemia in 1991. This tragic fate prompted Viktoria's father, Peter Harf, to establish the DKMS as a legacy to his beloved wife. Viktoria von Wulffen is also involved in other projects for cancer patients and in child and youth welfare.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Klingebiel
(long-standing consultant to the DKMS)
Prof. Dr. Thomas Klingebiel was Director of the Clinic for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the University Hospital Frankfurt of the Goethe University from 2000 to 2021. The Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine also includes the divisions of pediatric oncology, hematology and hemostaseology and the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Center Frankfurt; it is considered one of the best in Germany. Since July 1, 2021, he has been managing director of the Frankfurt association “Hilfe für krebskranke Kinder Frankfurt e.V.”.
