Peoria doctor recognized with Lifetime Achievement Award
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Dr. Michael Tarantino has more than 30 years of experience helping those with bleeding disorders and received recognition from the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was given the award at the foundation's 76th annual Bleeding Disorders Conference last Saturday, honoring his dedication to helping those with bleeding disorders, as well as his research.
Tarantino works at the Bleeding and Clotting Disorders Institute in Peoria, which has been open since 2010. It's the only federally recognized non-profit Hemophilia Treatment Center of Excellence in downstate Illinois.
Tarantino sat down to talk about what the award means to him, and he was quick to credit his staff as well as the foundation itself.
"To be recognized by that organization was an honor and it helped me reflect on the great work that our whole team at BCDI does," he said.
When asked about his accomplishments, he was hesitant to "brag" about what he's achieved, instead crediting those he's worked with over the years.
"Our mission at BCDI is to provide family-oriented care and I really do think we've cultivated a community here," he said.
Tarantino graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in 1987, and has been working as a hematologist in Peoria since 1999.
Since founding the BCDI in 2010, more than 8,000 people have been treated at the institute. He has also authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, along with 160 scientific abstracts.
During the interview, he focused on hemophilia, a rare disorder in which blood doesn't clot in a typical way due to a lack of blood-clotting proteins.
He credited the work of his staff and other medical professionals from around the world for giving a greater quality of life to those with the condition.
"When I started out in medical school, the average life span of a person with hemophilia was 40-45 years, and now people born today with hemophilia are expected to live a life as long as anyone else," he said.
Speaking about what he hopes to accomplish next, he sees an untapped opportunity in underserved areas and hopes for a sea change in the resources that are doled out to less densely populated areas.
"There's a large part of rural Illinois where there needs to be more appropriate access to sub-specialty care that you would get in a larger city," he said.
He also continues to advocate for those with bleeding disorders, promoting a national network of care for those suffering from ITP, a platelet disorder that affects blood clotting.
