Dr. John Armitage serves as the chief executive officer for Oklahoma Blood Institute, part of the sixth largest non-profit blood collector in America. Prior to joining Oklahoma Blood Institute in 2007, Dr. John Armitage led blood center operations in Roanoke, VA, Johnstown, PA, and New Brunswick, NJ. He began his blood banking career as a medical officer for the American Red Cross in Charlotte, NC.

He holds a medical doctorate from Duke University School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in history) from Yale University. He received his training in transfusion medicine from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and [Carter] BloodCare in Dallas, TX.

He is founder and chairman of the board for Global Blood Fund, the world’s premier charity addressing disparities in transfusion care that kill hundreds of thousands of people in resource poor communities each year.  He is a recidivist innovator, originating such programs as Thank the Donor™, Share Thanks™, Bio-Linked™, Donor ReDirect™ and Faith in Blood™. He serves with a variety of blood banking and community organizations.

Dr. Armitage is a member of the advisory boards of United Way of Central Oklahoma and LifeShare of Oklahoma.

He is a donor of whole blood and plateletpheresis units, coordinator for All Souls’ Episcopal Church’s blood drives.