Organ Donation And Transplantation Alliance DEI Educational Programs Support Black History Month Theme Of Black Health And Wellness

The 2022 national Black History Month theme is “Black Health and Wellness” and the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance has created a comprehensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) educational program with the express goal of addressing health disparities and discrimination in organ donation and transplantation. 

“The organ donation and transplantation community is taking intentional and meaningful actions to reduce inequality in organ donation and transplantation and The Alliance is a catalyst to support this important work,” says Karri Hobson-Pape, executive director of The Alliance.

Minority populations in the U.S. are at a greater risk of organ failure, particularly from renal and liver diseases, and yet have a decreased likelihood of receiving an organ transplant. According to the National Kidney Foundation, Black Americans are almost four times more likely, and Latinx individuals are 1.3 times more likely, to experience kidney failure compared to white Americans. Despite the higher risk, national data shows that Black and Latinx patients on dialysis are less likely to be placed on the transplant waitlist and have a lower likelihood of transplantation. Barriers contributing to donation and transplantation inequities can occur at the recipient-donor level, health care provider level, health system level and population-community level.

“With historically marginalized communities being at increased risk for end-stage organ failure and the need for a lifesaving transplant, these new initiatives examine often-overlooked healthcare practices and behaviors that we can improve as we work toward greater health equity”

JAN FINN
President & CEO of Midwest Transplant Network and board member representative of The Alliance DEI workgroup

Currently, 8 donation and transplantation professionals serve on The Alliance’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee and have helped create the educational programs and resources available to healthcare professionals to promote greater cultural competence and ongoing support for the multicultural patients within the donation and transplantation community. 

The Alliance’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) 2021 – 2022 Committee

The Alliance’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee spotlights diversity, equity, and inclusion practices within the donation and transplant communities. Through these insightful educational programs, organizations and their leaders will be equipped with the tools and effective practices needed to evaluate their current initiatives, identify improvement strategies, and promote positive changes to their program through recruitment, hiring, training, mentoring, and retention practices that foster a diversified workforce.

The objective of The Alliance DEI Educational Program is to reduce barriers at the recipient-donor and health care provider levels by:

1. Providing ongoing training and education that will enhance cross-cultural communication skills and promote effective community outreach.
2. Providing information and comprehensive resources that will improve cultural competence and help surmount recipient-donor level barriers to reduce inequities.

The initiative was launched in March 2021 when The Alliance’s internal DEI Committee was established. After extensive benchmarking research, the group developed definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion and conducted an email survey that resulted in responses from 75 organ donation and transplantation professionals at hospitals, organ procurement organizations, and transplant centers. 

The survey helped the committee identify the following key priorities for the DEI Initiative:

1. Offer exercises that help professionals identify and address their own conscious/unconscious biases and microaggressions
2. Create a series of foundational trainings for leadership and frontline staff focusing on cultural competency, systemic oppression, and other relevant topics

As a result, The Alliance kicked off the initiative by developing its DEI-Focused Conversation Series which spotlights effective DEI practices within the donation and transplantation community. In support of the priorities identified through the survey, the first two programs highlighted strategies to enhance one’s cultural humility and intelligence. All programs featured in 2021, can be viewed on-demand on The Alliance website: 

With 2022 in full swing, the following DEI-focused programs have been planned: 

Additionally, The Alliance has expanded its DEI Initiative to include DEI-specific resources through the other pre-existing educational programs offered to the community, including: 

• DEI-specific topics, for example cross-cultural intelligence, were added to the Alliance’s 1:1 and Situational Mentorship Program learning materials.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was added as a searchable ‘by interest’ category to the Community Resource Toolbox to enhance findability of related resources;
• An On-Demand Advancement Series Webinar, “Approaching Religion and Donation through Cultural Humility:” is in development. 
• DEI consensus terminology was refined and added to the Alliance’s terminology and data reference tool;

Since its launch in early 2021, The Alliance’s DEI Program has elicited participation from over 2,600 professionals within the donation and transplantation community. “The level of engagement we’ve seen over the last few months is a true testament to the value of these educational programs and the critical need for additional resources surrounding DEI,” says Deanna Fenton, who co-leads the DEI Committee. “Now, more than ever, our committee is extremely motivated and devoted to pushing this initiative forward in continued support of our colleagues, patients, and their families.” Ultimately, The Alliance hopes to see these efforts lead to an increase in organs recovered and transplanted for patients in underserved communities.