Appendix I: Race, Ethnicity and Ancestry (REA)

Geographic Ancestry Overview

*Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry (REA) Forms Updates
With the Fall 2025 Quarterly Release, ethnicity and race data fields were expanded to add geographic ancestry. On the Pre-TED (2400) and Cellular Therapy Essential Data Pre-Infusion (4000) forms, the Ethnicity and Race data fields are disabled. The expanded REA details are only collected on the Race, Ethnicity and Ancestry (2807) form. Review below for additional details.

An individual’s ancestral background, determined by where generations of their ancestors came from, shapes their genetic composition. How an individual identifies their race, ethnicity, and ancestry helps to understand their genetic composition and is used in transplant clinical research and operations. Collecting more detailed race, ethnicity, and ancestry data provides better access to transplants and cellular therapies, helps to identify the need for more refined patient populations, and supports future research.

The US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) revised Statistical Policy Directive No.15: Standard of Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. OMB is taking this action to meet its responsibilities to update standards that enhance the ability to compare data across federal agencies and to understand how well federal programs serve a diverse America.

With the Fall 2025 Quarterly Release, CIBMTR approved an expanded race, ethnicity, and ancestry list to meet the OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 requirements, harmonize with NMDP donor race, ethnicity and ancestry data, and better align with clinical and operational needs of the transplant cellular therapy community.

Collecting Expanded Race, Ethnicity and Ancestry (REA) Details

Many electronic medical record (EMR) systems may not collect the expanded race, ethnicity and geographic ancestry information that is captured on the Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry (2807) Form. If the center’s EMR does not collect the data required to report on the Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry (2807) Form or the center does not have a process in place to collect these details, additional resources are available on the Data Management Guide that the center may be able to implement.

Expanded Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry (REA)

Asian
Includes persons with ancestors in any of the original peoples of the Far East, the Indian subcontinent including Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippine Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, Hmong, East India, Laos, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikh, Myanmar (Burma), and other South and Southeast Asian.

• Caribbean Indian: Includes persons who origins are of the Caribbean and trace their ancestry to Indian subcontinent.
• Chinese: Includes persons who origins are of China, or who identified themselves as Cantonese, Tibetan, Hmong, or Chinese American. In standard census reports, persons who reported as Formosan are included here with Chinese.
• Filipino: Includes Filipino, Pilipino, or Philippine.
• Indian: Includes persons who origins are of India, including East India or who identified themselves as Sikh, Asian Indian, Bharat, Dravidian, and Goan.
• Japanese: Includes people whose origins are of Japan, or who identified themselves Nipponese or Japanese American.
• Korean: Includes people whose origins are of Korea, or who identified themselves as Korean American.
• Malaysian: Includes people whose origins are of Malaysia.
• Mongolian: Includes people whose origins are of Mongolia.
• Pakistani: Includes people whose origins are of Pakistan.
• Taiwanese: Includes people whose origins are of Taiwan.
• Thai: Includes people whose origins are of Thailand or identify as Siamese.
• Vietnamese: Includes people whose origins are of Vietnam, or who identified themselves as Vietnamese American.
• Other Indian Subcontinent: Includes people whose origins are from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan.
• Other Southeast Asian: Includes people whose origins are from one of the Southeast Asian countries or groups not listed above, including Laos, Laohmong, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar (Burma).
• Not otherwise specific Asian: The geographic ancestry is Asian, but the geographic ancestry details are unknown, not documented, or does not fit one of the options listed.
  

Black or African
Includes persons having origins in any of the Black racial groups or of African descent, including Black Americans, Africans, Haitians, and residents of Caribbean Islands of African descent.

• African American: All persons having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa and born or living in the United States.
• Black Caribbean: Includes people whose origins are of Haiti or Jamaica.
• Black South or Central American: Includes people indicating Black with their origins from South or Central America. Includes countries such as Honduras, Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia.
• East African: Includes people whose origins are of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Sudan.
• South African: Includes people whose origins are of Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
• West African: Includes people whose origins are of Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Liberia.
• Not otherwise specific Black / African: The geographic ancestry is Black or African, but the geographic ancestry details are unknown, not documented, or does not fit one of the options listed.
  

Hispanic or Latino
Refers to people whose ancestors or descendants originated in Central and South America and in the Caribbean. The phrase Hispanic or Latino excludes people born in Europe whose language is Spanish or Portuguese, and non-Spanish or non-Portuguese speaking people born in Brazil, Belize, French Guyana, Guyana, Surinam and other non-Spanish or non-Portuguese speaking territories.

• Brazilian: Includes people whose origins are of Brazil.
• Caribbean Hispanic: Includes people whose origins are of the Dominican Republic.
• Cuban: Includes people whose origins are of Cuba.
• Mexican: Includes people of Mexican descent, including those born in the United States with Mexican ancestry.
• Puerto Rican: Includes all persons of Puerto Rican descent.
• South / Central American Hispanic: Includes people whose origins are of countries such as Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
• Not otherwise specified Hispanic / Latino: The ethnicity or geographic ancestry is Hispanic or Latino, but the geographic ancestry details are unknown, not documented, or does not fit one of the options listed.
  

Indigenous American
Includes people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Caribbean, North, South or Central America, and Alaska.

• Alaska Native: Includes persons who originated from Alaska, including Inupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Alutiiq, and Egegik.
• Indigenous Caribbean: Includes persons who trace their descent from the original people of the Caribbean, such as Arawaks, Caribs (Kalinago), Taíno.
• Indigenous North American: Includes persons who trace their descent from any of the original people of North American such as American Indian, Canadian Indian, French-American Indian or Spanish-American Indian.
• Indigenous South / Central American: Includes persons who trace their descent from any of the original people of South or Central America such as Mayans or Incas.
• Not otherwise specified Indigenous American: The geographic ancestry is Indigenous American, but the geographic ancestry details are unknown, not documented, or does not fit one of the options listed.
  

Jewish
An ethno-religious group who has a shared history and culture related to Jewish heritage, originating from the ancient Middle East.

• Ashkenazi: Jewish descent of France, Germany, and Eastern European.
• Mizrahi: Jewish descent of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.
• Sephardi: Jewish descent of Spain and Portugal.
• Not otherwise specified Jewish: The ethnicity is Jewish, but the geographic ancestry details are unknown, not documented, or does not fit one of the options listed.
  

Middle Eastern or North African
Includes people whose ancestors originated in the Middle East or North Africa.

• Arab Peninsula: Includes people whose origins are of United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudia Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
• Central Asian: Includes people whose origins are of Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkey.
• East Mediterranean: Includes people whose origins are of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria.
• North African: Includes people whose origins are of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco,
• Not otherwise specific Middle Eastern / North African: The ethnicity or geographic ancestry is Middle Eastern or North African, but the geographic ancestry details are unknown, not documented, or does not fit one of the options listed.
  

Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander refers to persons having origins in any of the peoples of the Pacific Islands, Guam, Samoa, and Hawaiian Islands. This category also includes the following groups: Carolinian, Chamorro, Fijian, Guamanian, Kosraean, Marshallese, New Guinean, Northern Mariana Islander, Palauan, Papua, Ponapean (Pohnpelan), Samoan, Solomon Islander, Tahitian, Tarawa Islander, Tokelauan, Tongan, Trukese (Chuukese) and Other Pacific Islanders.

• Melanesian: Fijian, Papua New Guinean, Solomon Islands,
• Micronesian: Includes people whose origins are of the indigenous people of the, Marshall Islands (Marshallese), Caroline Islands (Carolinian), Kosrae (Kosraean), Republic of Palau (Paluan), Pohnpei (Ponapean or Pohneplean), Tarawa Island, Chuuk, and Mariana Islands (Chamorro), including Guam and Northern Mariana Island.
• Native Hawaiian: Includes persons who identify their origins from the Hawaiian Islands chain in the Pacific Ocean.
• Polynesian: Includes people whose origins are of the indigenous people of New Zealand (Māori), the Samoan Islands, Tonga, Tahiti, and Tokelau.
• Not otherwise specific Pacific Islander: The geographic ancestry is Pacific Islander, but the geographic ancestry details are unknown, not documented, or does not fit one of the options listed.
  

White
Includes persons who indicate their race as White and whose ancestral roots originate in places such as Germany, Italy, East Europe, etc.

• Eastern European: Includes people whose origins are of countries such as Bulgaria, Georgia, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, and Slovenia.
• Northern European: Includes people whose origins are of countries such as Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Scandinavia.
• Russian or Former Soviet Union: Includes people whose origins are of Russia and the Former Soviet Union.
• Southern European: Includes people whose origins are of countries such as Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain.
• Western European: Includes persons who identify their origins from countries such as Britian, France, Germany, Ireland, Scottland, Switzerland, and Belgium.
• White Caribbean: Includes persons who ancestors came from Europe to Puerto Rico, Cuba, or those who origins are Puerto Rico, Cuba, or any other Caribbean nation.
• White South or Central American: Includes persons who ancestors came from Europe to South or Central American countries such as Argentina, Colombia, and Brazil.
• Not otherwise specific White: The race is White, but the geographic ancestry details are unknown, not documented, or does not fit one of the options listed.
  

Not otherwise specified
Select Not otherwise specified in the following scenarios:

• The race, ethnicity or ancestry is unknown.
• The race, ethnicity or ancestry is not documented or lack of documentation.
• The race, ethnicity or ancestry is known but does not fit one of the options available on the form (i.e., the source documentation specifically notes the patient’s race, ethnicity, and / or ancestry as ‘other,’ ‘two or more races’ (but documentation does not specifically state the races), etc.).
  

Prefer not to answer
Select Prefer not to answer in the following scenarios:

• If the patient declines to provide their geographic ancestry.
• If the patient is not a US resident and the country’s rules / regulations prohibit the collection or reporting of race, ethnicity or ancestry.
  

Manual Updates:
Sections of the Forms Instruction Manual are frequently updated. The most recent updates to the manual can be found below. For additional information, select the manual section and review the updated text.

Date	Manual Section	Add/Remove/Modify	Description
10/24/2025	Appendix I: Race, Ethnicity and Ancestry	Add	Version 2 of Appendix I: Race, Ethnicity and Ancestry (REA) released with the Fall 2025 Quarterly release

Copyright © 2004-2025 The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. and NMDP. All Rights Reserved.
CIBMTR® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research) is a research collaboration between the Medical College of Wisconsin and NMDP.