Cheri Jennings

Director of National Donor Testing Services and Clinical Trial - Technical Services

Cheri Jennings is the Director of National Donor Testing Services (NDTS) and Clinical Trials at Gulf Coast Blood, bringing over four decades of experience to the organization. She leads a team dedicated to ensuring the safety of the community’s blood supply by rigorously testing every donation for 13 different assays. These tests determine donor eligibility and the acceptability of blood products before they are sent to hospitals.

The NDTS Laboratory provides high-quality testing services not only for Gulf Coast Blood but also for 21 clients, including blood donor centers, stem cell and cord blood programs, and hospital donor centers across Texas, California, Louisiana, and Kentucky. In 2024 alone, the laboratory performed over 600,000 tests.

Beyond testing, NDTS plays a vital role in advancing transfusion medicine research. For more than 35 years, the laboratory has supported reagent and instrument manufacturers in developing innovative testing methods. From early trials for HIV home and rapid testing to nucleic acid assay development and the recently FDA-approved malaria test, NDTS has contributed to numerous groundbreaking advancements in the field.

Cheri earned her Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from the University of Texas at Austin and completed her Specialist in Blood Bank Technology (SBB) certification at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She holds certifications as a Medical Technologist and SBB (ASCP), Clinical Laboratory Scientist (NCA), and Quality Auditor (CQA ASQ). Additionally, she served as an auditor for the American Association of Blood Banks for 22 years.