On June 7th and 8th, 2008, the Alcor board and management held a 2-day strategic planning meeting at the Alcor facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. At that meeting a funding offer brought forward by board member Saul Kent was accepted by the Alcor Board after considerable discussion.
The funding offer was made by three donors: the Life Extension Foundation, the Miller family, and Edward and Vivian Thorp, who will each contribute $150,000 a year to Alcor for three years, totaling $1,350,000. The funding provides for searches and three years of salary support for a CEO and a Transport Coordinator, who will be responsible for the early stages of the cryopreservation of Alcor patients. The funding will also pay to improve readiness for cases at Alcor and provide a 10% raise in salary for three years for the entire Alcor staff.
The position announcements for the CEO and Transport Coordinator positions are shown below. Information about how to apply for these positions is included. Those who wish to apply can do so immediately.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Chapman, Chief Operating Officer
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Alcor Chief Executive Officer – Announcement of Position
Position: Chief Executive Officer, Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Effective Date: July 20, 2008
Qualifications and Responsibilities: See below
Salary: $125,000 per year plus the benefits described below
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation (Alcor) invites applications for the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Alcor is a non-profit, tax-exempt membership organization in Scottsdale, Arizona, that is the world leader in cryonics, cryonics research, and cryonics technology. The Alcor CEO will be in charge of all operations including the management of Alcor’s staff, which currently consists of 10 people in Scottsdale and consultants in other areas. This includes management of administrative activities, research and development projects, cryopreservation cases, and long-term patient care operations. The position will likely require periodic travel.
Qualifications for the CEO Position
It is preferred that candidates for the CEO position have the following qualifications:
1. Experience in successfully managing small or medium-sized companies that offer scientific and/or medical products and services. CEO candidates should possess an effective management approach that is consistent with Alcor’s mission statement and includes strategic planning, the development of a structured organizational system, setting and enforcing project deadlines, and effective tactics for conflict resolution. Those who only have experience in managing companies that do not offer technical products and services can also apply if they have a strong interest in and commitment to cryonics;
2. A good working knowledge of cryonics, cryonics practice, and the scientific evidence in support of cryonics. This includes some knowledge of the equipment, medications, and supplies used in the practice of cryonics, such as the portable ice bath (PIB), the air transportable perfusion system (ATP), anti-ischemia medications, portable cardiac compression devices, vitrification circuits, and the cryogenic dewars used to care for cryopreserved patients. Extensive knowledge of cryonics and cryonics practice is not a mandatory qualification for the position, however it is critically important that CEO candidates be strongly committed to the long-term care of Alcor patients who have been cryopreserved and the ongoing improvement of the methods by which new Alcor patients are cryopreserved;
3. The ability to work well and manage others well under ordinary circumstances and under pressure. Alcor performs cryopreservations about 2-8 times a year. These can involve rapid decisions with health, emotional, financial, organizational, and legal ramifications, especially when the patient and family have not made prior arrangements for the patient to be cryopreserved and are seeking to do so under considerable time pressure. The CEO will need to interact diplomatically with and educate patients, relatives, medical personnel, hospital administrators, and government officials. The CEO will need to know the legal basis for cryonics and be able to explain both the promise and limitations of cryonics in a credible manner. The CEO will need to have a commanding presence during emergencies and when coping with the everyday pressures of running the organization;
4. The ability to work well with the Alcor Board of Directors, which will be overseeing the CEO’s performance and the progress of the organization as a whole, and to work well with the other members of the Alcor management team;
5. Strong communication skills to help facilitate a positive public perception of Alcor and cryonics and to help increase Alcor’s rate of membership growth. This includes the ability and willingness to speak effectively in public, be interviewed by the media, offer tours of the Alcor facility to the public, and write articles for Alcor’s publications;
6. Fiscal management skills, including the ability to oversee Alcor’s budget, oversee annual accounting reviews, implement controls, communicate financial affairs to the board and membership, foresee and deal with cash flow challenges, and implement fundraising ideas to obtain both unrestricted and restricted donations and bequests to improve Alcor’s financial status on an ongoing basis.
Salary and Benefits
The salary for the CEO position will be $125,000 per year plus health insurance,
paid sick leave, paid vacation time, and other benefits as specified in Alcor’s policies or otherwise negotiated. Alcor will pay all the costs of relocation for any successful candidate
who doesn’t already reside in the Scottsdale area.
Applying for the CEO Position
In order to apply for the CEO position, please send a resume and a cover letter describing your interest in and qualifications for the CEO position to Jennifer Chapman at the following email address: Jennifer@alcor.org or, if by mail, to Jennifer Chapman, Chief Operating Officer, Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 7895 East Acoma Drive, Suite 110, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260.
Cryonics
The cryopreservation of patients for possible future revival is known as cryonics. It is based upon the fact that cells, tissues, organs, and entire organisms maintained at very low (cryogenic) temperatures will not suffer any significant further damage for centuries; and the premises that advances in cryobiology make it possible today to preserve the brains of patients well enough to enable future scientists to restore individual identity; and that future advances in fields such as gerontology, genetic engineering, regenerative medicine, and nanotechnology may someday make it possible to restore cryopreserved patients to life, health, and youthful vigor.
The practice of cryonics is controversial because today’s methods of cryopreservation cannot be reversed by today’s technology and because today’s laws require that patients be cryopreserved after they are legally “dead.” As a result, Alcor has to deal with and counter skepticism at times. The CEO should have the knowledge and presence to deal effectively with negative attitudes towards Alcor and the practice of cryonics.
For more information about Alcor and cryonics please see our website at http://www.alcor.org
_________________________
TRANSPORT COORDINATOR
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation currently has an immediate opening for a Transport Coordinator at our Scottsdale, Arizona, facility. The Transport Coordinator is responsible for the stabilization and transport phases of cryonics. Cryonics is the experimental practice of using ultra-cold temperatures to preserve human life in a state that may be recoverable by future medicine. For four decades Alcor has developed and implemented innovative techniques in the field of human cryopreservation. These techniques involve a combination of experimental interventions and conventional medical skills.
At Alcor, we believe that intelligence, memories, and personality are determined primarily by the structure and chemistry of the human brain. Our aim is to preserve the brain and the unique identity within it so well that advanced future technology can restore the individual to health. The stabilization and transport phases of cryonics ideally consist of rapid cooling, administration of medications, and cardiopulmonary support to protect the brain following cardiac arrest prior to transport to Alcor. For more information about cryonics and Alcor please see our website at http://www.alcor.org.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Transport Coordinator will be responsible for the postmortem stabilization and transport of Alcor patients to Alcor's cryopreservation facility in Scottsdale Arizona. The Transport Coordinator will work with the Readiness Coordinator on the maintenance of Alcor's existing patient stabilization and transport processes, ensuring that equipment is properly maintained for emergency deployment, field personnel are adequately trained, and that the highest quality of care is delivered to our patients. The Transport Coordinator will ensure that appropriate data is collected during stabilization and transport, and write detailed timely case reports. Once suitably experienced in our procedures, the Transport Coordinator will be responsible for improving our existing training regimen, updating documentation, extending regular training sessions for regional groups within the United States and overseas, and supervising the certification process for our technicians. The Transport Coordinator will work with personnel at Alcor and with external physicians, scientists and consultants to ensure that procedures reflect the best available medical and scientific knowledge. The Transport Coordinator will also perform the following specific tasks:
PREMORTEM RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Establish contact with Alcor member's physician or medical facility upon terminal diagnosis.
2. Track and assess member's condition without participating in treatment. Tracking may continue on an intermittent basis, in person or by phone.
3. Decide when the member's condition warrants deployment of a stabilization team.
4. Organize and maintain a Standby, often in a remote location, in which cryonics transport technicians wait to perform post-mortem stabilization procedures.
5. Establish contact with local funeral homes to assist in transport preparations.
6. Interact with patients, their family and local medical personnel to ensure the timely application of Alcor’s protocol after pronouncement of legal death.
POSTMORTEM RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Ensure the timely application of Alcor’s stabilization protocol, which includes surface cooling, medication administration, cardiopulmonary support, airway management, and blood washout.
2. The Transport Coordinator will then supervise the transport of the patient to our facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, and possibly continue participation in the case in the operating room.
3. The Transport Coordinator will be responsible for the timely preparation of detailed technical reports on the care provided to each patient, once each transport is concluded.
This position requires out of town travel approximately 6 to 8 weeks per year. The Transport Coordinator is to be on call on a 24-hour basis for emergencies that may occur up to ten times per year. Otherwise, normal business working hours are required.
The person we are looking for will be self-motivating, and creative, but stable and reliable in challenging situations. Our Transport Coordinator must have good people skills to interact successfully with our member's families and hospital personnel. Most of all, the individual must share our vision that cryonics patients require the same conscientious dedication to patient welfare as conventional medicine, even though cryonics procedures are still experimental.
This is an exciting opportunity to participate at the edges of current knowledge and feasibility, in the hope that cryopreservation of human beings will enable future resuscitation by radically advanced medicine. You will be part of one of the most difficult and ambitious scientific endeavors ever pursued.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS
* Paramedic, CCP, RN, NP, PA, or MD.
* Equivalent experience in a health field will be considered.
* A minimum of five (5) years experience is preferred.
* Experience in an emergency room or critical care setting is highly desirable.
* Experience in cryonics is desirable but not essential.
* Experience in tissue recovery is a plus.
* Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, are required.
Alcor offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Employees must reside in the greater Phoenix area, or be willing to relocate to Phoenix. We will pay relocation expenses. Qualified applicants should email their resume, salary requirements, and a cover letter describing their interest and attitude toward cryonics to Tanya Jones (tanya@alcor.org).
On the same blog, Alcor member Shannon Vyff writes about children and
futurism, calorie restriction and cryonics:
http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/07/01/shannon-vyff-on-teaching-children-about-the-future-caloric-restriction-and-cryonics/
Current membership demographics are as follows:
Males – 667 Females - 198
Members signed for Neurosuspension – 405
Members signed for Whole Body – 400
Members signed for OO or N/WB – 60
We currently have approximately 38 families (variation of parents and siblings) and 30 married couples
Applicants:
Alcor has 66 applicants for membership.
Information Packets:
Alcor received 274 information packet requests, 8 were handed out during facility tours or from special requests. The average total of 252 info packs sent per month in 2008 as compared to 129 in 2007.
Readiness
Regina Pancake, Readiness Coordinator, attended the training session held by Cryonics Institute and one of our own in southern California. The focus of the southern California training was a review of changes we have been making to the medications kit. We have settled on a new design that pre-packages everything needed to prepare the medications for administration, and this design was well-received by the southern California team. It is simpler and clearer for the team members, and the few modifications suggested by the team are being implemented.
As part of the recovery process, we have been building new medication kits for the regions. We will soon be replacing all of the med kits in the regions with fresh medications and with the new packaging.
On May 3 & 4 British support group, Cryonics UK (CUK) held their annual meeting as part of a 2 day training meeting. Both CI and Alcor members attended the meeting, which marked big changes in the British organisation. After 18 years as Training Manager, Alan Sinclair decided to step down as Training Manager, but he is staying on as CUK President & Team Consultant. To thank him for his long-term contribution Alan was made a Lifetime President of CUK.
During the annual meeting CUK introduced a new policy of involving all members in the decision making process and increasing the number of committee officers managing the CUK. The committee has been nearly doubled & the following officers were elected:
President for Life - Alan Sinclair
Secretary & Webmaster - Mark Walker
Treasurer - Graham Hipkiss
Membership Manager - Mark Willis
Organiser - David Flude
Team Leader - Mark Walker
2nd Team Leader - TBA
The officers gave their yearly reports during the meeting in which Mark Walker outlined his plans for new sub committees to empower ordinary members, Alan Sinclair highlighted one of the main problems with the current transport vehicle, Mark Willis gave a description of the new CUK Membership database he has created and David Flude suggested that the whole emphasis of the group should change to gain momentum from the Life Extension movement, rather than just as a Cryonics Standby Team.
]]> After the annual meeting Mark Willis and his fiancée Jan, using her experience as a Hospital Nurse, guided the group through Communicable Diseases training module.On the second day, a complete emergency response was practiced, starting with the first phone call, to loading the CUK Ambulance with Ice, Meds, Equipment and driving down the road, to assembling the portable ice bath, lifting Randy the Dummy into it, placing the squid, ice & thumper, etc.
Part of the new policy also has been the re-introduction of social activities and talks. David Flude and Bill Reeves led off with “New Objection to Autopsy Cards & Donor USB Devices”, for which thanks go to Alcor employee Mike Perry and David Pizer of the Society for Venturism for supplying us with these cards. The card has already been useful in one case where a member went into a Glasgow hospital for a week long check up, and the Nurse not only loaded it onto the ward PC but seemed genuinely interested and asked his permission to keep a permanent copy.
David Flude gave another talk on the UK transport options, outlining the choices as CUK standby Team, F.A. Albin & Sons, Ambulance Services, or Hybrid Teams led by a Paid Professional, such as a Retired Doctor or Veterinarian. David singled out CI’s Representatives in the UK - F.A. Albin & Sons as a unique ongoing experiment to popularise Cryonics, and praised Albins for their professionalism, suggesting much closer contact & co-operation in the future.
A further talk on “Life Extension & the Growth of Cryonics” gave guesstimates of the past, present (around 1,700 members) & future growth of the whole worldwide Cryonics movement. The final talk on Sunday morning was much more enjoyable & relaxing because it was called “Wine can Extend Your Life”. Focusing on well known Centenarians who drank wine such as Jean Calment who lived to 122, and then moving on to the numerous live extending properties of red wine and its chemical derivative Resveratrol, David quoted a lot of recent research from Harvard Medical School, Italy, France & Denmark that supports moderate but regular consumption of some Red Wines such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon. This all was put into practice with several bottles of red wine and a delicious lunch courtesy of Sylvia Sinclair.
The Agenda for the next 12 months has been fixed. All meetings will be in Peacehaven, except the September meeting in the West Country which has to be decided. The next meeting will be in September (dates to be confirmed), December 13 & 14, then in 2009 the Easter weekend.
For more information about Cryonics UK please contact David Flude the CUK Organizer at
david.flude114@googlemail.com
Admission to Aging 2008 is free, with advance registration required at www.mfoundation.org/Aging2008.
WHEN:
Friday, June 27, 2008
Complimentary Reception - 4:00pm
Panel Discussion - 5:00pm
Dinner w/ Speakers - 8:00pm
WHERE:
Royce Hall, UCLA
340 Royce Dr. in Los Angeles
WHO:
Presented by the Methuselah Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to extending the healthy human lifespan. Founded in 2002 by entrepreneur David Gobel and gerontologist Dr. Aubrey de Grey, the Methuselah Foundation funds two major programs: the Mprize, a multimillion dollar research prize, and SENS, a detailed engineering plan to repair aging-related damage. For more information, visit www.mfoundation.org.
SPEAKERS:
Dr. Aubrey de Grey – Chairman and Chief Science Officer, Methuselah Foundation
Dr. Bruce Ames – Professor of Biochemistry, UC Berkeley
Dr. William Haseltine – Chairman, Haseltine Global Health
Daniel Perry – Executive Director, Alliance for Aging Research
Bernard Siegel – Executive Director, Genetics Policy Institute
Dr. Gregory Stock – Director, UCLA Program on Medicine, Technology and Society
Dr. Michael West – Founder, Geron and Advanced Cell Technology
For media credentials or to schedule interviews:
Tracy Garcia/Arielle Wolin
323.988.4662/323.988.4687
methuselahpr@carryonpr.com
Also at this meeting, Tanya Jones was appointed Executive Director of Alcor, Jennifer Chapman was appointed Chief Operating Officer, and Steve Van Sickle was appointed Chief Technical Officer. Steve Van Sickle stepped down from the Alcor board, and Carlos Mondragon stepped down from the Alcor board and Alcor Patient Care Trust board. Michael Riskin was appointed as the new board representative on the Patient Care Trust board.
Board and management express their gratitude to Steve Van Sickle and Carlos Mondragon for their many years of service on the board, and to Steve Van Sickle for his past three years of service as Executive Director. The board also congratulates and wishes well Tanya Jones, Jennifer Chapman, Steve Van Sickle, and Michael Riskin in their new roles. The board also thanks Jerry Lemler for chairing the 2-day strategic meeting.
Alcor especially thanks the Life Extension Foundation, the Millers, and Edward and Vivian Thorp for their generous offer of financial support for improvements at Alcor, and Saul Kent for bringing the offer forward. The resolution adopted by the board accepting the funding proposal under the terms it was offered is below:
In response to a proposal by three major benefactors delivered to the Alcor board of directors by Saul Kent on June 7, 2008, we adopted these resolutions solely with respect to the use of $150,000 per donor per year for three years, totaling $1,350,000:
1. A comprehensive search for a new Executive Director will be undertaken.
2. A comprehensive search for a full-time Standby Coordinator will be initiated. In addition to managing standbys, this person would be responsible for working with others at Alcor to improve readiness for cases and would write detailed case reports for every Alcor cryopreservation patient in a timely manner.
3. Donations are to be accepted for improving readiness capability at Alcor for cryopreservation cases. In order to encourage donors to support this development, the following procedure will be followed:
First, written proposals, including budgets, will be submitted to the Alcor R&D committee for approval.
If the proposal involves developing new equipment, the next steps will be building and testing a prototype of this new equipment. Only after this prototype has been approved by the R&D committee will money be provided to construct or purchase additional units. The R&D committee is charged with evaluating all available options before making decisions regarding readiness equipment.
4. Upon payment by the donors of the needed funds, Alcor will give a 10% raise to all staff members.
5. All parts of the plan shall be implemented in a timely fashion.
6. Alcor will seek candidates for both positions who are mutually agreeable to the Alcor board of directors and the donors.
7. Alcor will develop a comprehensive fund raising and revenue-generation plan. Saul Kent will undertake to develop a first draft.
]]>Dewar Maintenance Update
Bigfoot-10’s pump down continues, and it is at 10 microns (210 degrees C) after 1800 hours on the pump. We are estimating a June conclusion to this effort as steps are being taken to firmly deal with the dewar contractors to resolve the situation regarding the purchase of dewars in the future.
Financial Statements
Tanya Jones will contact the accountants to see if the massive amounts of data already assembled for the financial reviews of 2006 and 2007 will be sufficient to start the audit.
Administrative Statistics
Membership: On April 30, 2008, Alcor had 859 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Ten memberships were approved during the month of April, no memberships were reinstated, one membership was cancelled and one member was cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of eight members this month.
Applicants: At the end of this month Alcor had 67 applicants for membership. 11 new applicants were added, 10 applicants were converted to members and 2 applicants were cancelled resulting in a net loss of 1 applicant for this month.
Information Packages: 316 info packs were requested this month, 15 were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 246 info packs sent per month in 2008 as compared to 129 in 2007.
Our transport vehicle and personnel were nearby. Hospital personnel administered the first few stabilization medications and performed chest compressions until team members arrived. Alcor personnel had driven out with the transport vehicle the night before, so it was available for the case. Two members of the regional team assisted with the stabilization. They transported the patient to a local facility for washout after completing surface cooling, medication administration and cardiopulmonary support. Subsequent -- and extensive -- femoral surgery did not reveal femoral veins that were adequate to perfuse the patient. A straight flush was done using 18 liters of a saline and hydroxyethyl starch solution.
Due to delays in obtaining the doctor’s signature on the death certificate, transporting the patient to Arizona was nearly delayed an extra day. Because he was a neuro patient, we chose instead to perform a cephalic isolation in California. Doing this eliminated the immediate need for a transit permit, because the brain is considered a tissue sample and is not subject to the same regulations as human remains. It was a choice of last resort, and was only done because an additional 24 hours delay would prevent us from being able to cryoprotect the patient. The patient arrived at the lab at 00:25 on 1 May, almost exactly 18 hours after pronouncement.
We needed a half hour to prepare the patient, including making the burr holes and cannulating. The cryoprotection went exceptionally smoothly, and the only problem encountered was leaking that developed in two separate thermocouple ports in the circuit. These leaks did not impact the patient at all, but they were already an issue we knew had to be dealt with in future circuit designs. This experience simply gives us more reason to ensure we find alternatives sooner rather than later.
Cryoprotection concluded at 05:33 when we achieved (and sustained for 30 minutes) target concentrations, and the first stage cooling began shortly thereafter. Cooling concluded without incident, and he was transferred to long-term care on 15 May.
A-1026 is our 81st patient.
A-1831
In March, Alcor performed a thirteen-day standby in Florida for a member (A-1831) who suffered a massive heart attack while sitting in a hospital lobby. His wife was having surgery, and he ended up requiring admission himself. Over the course of those nearly two weeks, that member went through three separate surgeries. Those surgeries left his heart in improved condition, but the member had become dependent on ventilator support.
While Alcor was initially deploying from Arizona, the staff of Suspended Animation stood by at the hospital. They provided us with their still-under-construction transport vehicle, so that we would have the means to take the patient to the local funeral home for blood washout. We chose to deploy our new stabilization kit, rather than the one we have stored in the SA facility, because we thought it an excellent opportunity to test the new design, especially knowing that we had a backup in the other kit in case we forgot something critical. We borrowed SA’s ice bath (for use in a moving vehicle) and gas cylinders to power our thumper, though we ultimately lacked compatible connectors to power our device. Though the stabilization kit was not needed, we were satisfied with the composition of the new kit (with that one exception) and believe it would have allowed quality care had our member required stabilization at that time.
Upon release from the cardiac care unit, A-1831 was transferred to a long-term care facility. He remained on a ventilator, and complicating health factors made medical personnel unwilling to attempt removing him from the vent. Periodic attempts were made to wean him at the new facility, but all were ultimately unsuccessful. A brief deployment was again necessary mid-April, but the member recovered slightly once again.
On May 10 at 19:00, we received a call from hospital personnel that the member had taken a turn for the worse, and that they were calling his family as well. We contacted SA and made our own arrangements to deploy additional personnel for the standby and stabilization, but the member suffered cardiac arrest a short 45 minutes later. SA personnel completed a stabilization protocol consisting of surface cooling, medications, and cardiopulmonary support. The patient was transported to Arizona the following day for cryoprotection.
He arrived in the facility at 20:15 the next day (nearly thirty hours after his pronouncement), which to date matches the longest transit time we have seen prior to successful vitrification. Though we were a little bit concerned about the potential for swelling of the brain (edema) during cryoprotection, we proceeded with the standard protocol. We did see some edema early in the cryoprotection, but it was limited and relatively minor compared to other cases we have seen in the past. The procedure as a whole went quite smoothly, with no problems at all. Target concentrations were achieved, and cryoprotection concluded at 02:05 on 12 May. First-stage cooling started fifteen minutes later, and all cooling concluded without incident.
A-1831 is Alcor’s 82nd patient.
Our equipment fabricator is currently building the new version of our liquid ventilation system, with all the modifications that came out of the previous round of testing done quite some time ago. Different pumps are required for this version, and the heat exchange coils were fabricated locally for improved cooling.
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