Peter Jaworski, a professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, has spent the past decade examining the ethical and economic questions surrounding global blood plasma collection. Known for his focus on this topic—his X handle is “Plasma Professor”—Jaworski applies his background in philosophy and public policy to research how plasma is collected, who donates it, and how donor compensation affects supply.
Plasma-based medications are essential for treating various conditions such as immune deficiencies, hemophilia, neurological disorders, rare diseases, and trauma. The need for plasma is significant; according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 130 donations are required to treat one immunodeficient patient for a year.
Demand for these therapies continues to rise as more rare diseases are diagnosed globally. However, most countries do not collect enough plasma domestically to meet their needs. Countries like Australia, France, Italy, and Canada fall short in collection efforts. Only a few nations—including the United States, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic—allow donors to be paid for their plasma.
Jaworski advocates compensating donors as a solution. He said: “Usually I ask my students, can you guess the country that contributes the most plasma in the world for these medicines that are made from plasma? America with just 5% of the global population provides 68% of the plasma used to manufacture lifesaving medicines for the whole world. That includes the high-income countries that ban payment. All of them rely on plasma donated in the U.S.”
He continued: “Everybody in a way either directly or indirectly uses the system where we compensate donors. So then why don’t we expand it to other countries? That’s where my head is at.”
His research shows that as of December 2025 there were 1,247 blood plasma donation centers in the United States compared with only three in Denmark and thirteen in Italy. France fell short by 1.5 million liters of its own needs in 2024 despite banning compensation.
Jaworski has worked on changing international policies regarding donor compensation—helping repeal bans first in Alberta (Canada) in 2020—and aims to do so soon in Greece.
He explained his motivation: “I’ve met so many patients who rely on medicines made from plasma,” he said. “We don’t have enough of this medicine. There are people who have no access to it. When you get that really personal story, it feels like you’ve got to do something about it. How can you not?”
Jaworski’s interest began when he assisted Doug Grant (MBA’16), whose start-up Hemeos sought to pay bone marrow donors but faced regulatory hurdles over compensation bans.
In addressing concerns about exploitation or commodification through payment systems—which critics say could take advantage of vulnerable populations—Jaworski points out disparities between aggregate company profits and individual donor earnings: “The exploitation concern is often an apples-to-oranges comparison,” he said. “People say that the companies make billions while donors get $50… For an apples-to-apples comparison… per liter of plasma…the collecting company makes an average of $15 to $20 in pre-tax profit while the donor makes an average of $60-$70.” In total during 2025 U.S., donors received $4.7 billion while companies earned $4.5–$5 billion pre-tax from resulting medicines.
He further argued: “The point of plasma collection is to collect enough to meet the needs of patients… It’s more important that we have enough to save lives.”
Another concern is whether paying for plasma might reduce unpaid blood donations by shifting motivations away from altruism or community service toward financial gain—a claim Jaworski examined with Assistant Professor Bill English by analyzing donation patterns near new U.S.-based plasma centers. Their findings indicated a small but positive increase in local blood donations after such centers opened.
“Rather than taking blood donors away,” Jaworski said,“the plasma center made it so that there was just a tiny bit more blood donation in those cities than in comparable cities that did not have a plasma center.”
In January Jaworski launched Georgetown Blood and Plasma Research Group aimed at compiling data on global collections and fostering interdisciplinary study; he also serves as principal ethics member at United Plasma Action which recently partnered with United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
For his work ensuring patient access to needed therapies Jaworski will receive Immune Deficiency Foundation’s Plasma Hero Award this June.
Reflecting on his work bridging gaps between differing perspectives among bioethicists or organizations like Red Cross or public blood collection agencies Jaworski noted: “Bioethicists sometimes disagree with me…and people who work in public blood collection centers who disagree with me…but I need to keep working on bridging that gap and helping them see…the other side…”
He also encourages students at Georgetown University’s business school to explore ethical dilemmas tied into passion-driven work: “When we talk about passion and purpose… I end with ‘I hope you find your plasma—the thing that makes you really excited…’”
