In 1993, Joanne Kurtzberg, Duke University Medical Center, performed the first two successful unrelated donor cord blood transplants;[5] one of which cured acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Rubinstein specializes in immunogenetics, which encompasses the structure and function of genes that regulate immune responses, control the acceptance or rejection of tissue and organ transplants, and affect susceptibility to certain diseases.
He began in as an investigator at the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute at the NYBC, and serves as director of the Fred H. Allen Jr.
Rubinstein is also an adjunct clinical professor at Columbia University and is the author of more than 200 research papers on immunogenetics, cord blood banking and transplantation.
[7] Rubinstein has testified to the United States Senate and House of Representatives on the importance of expanding funding stem cell research, and writes articles and papers on similar topics.