Brian Carwana is known as the “Religions Geek”. He serves as the Executive Director of Encounter World Religions, based out of Toronto and has spent 20 years teaching on religious diversity and religious literacy. In addition, he has a Masters in Religion and Culture and is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto, studying religion and politics. He has consulted on religion and donation to OPOs in the United States including Gift of Hope, LiveOnNY, and the NJ Sharing Network. You can follow him on Twitter @ReligionsGeek.
Approaching Religion & Donation with Cultural Humility
Tuesday, November 10, 2020, at 2:00pm
While Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) do their best to promote awareness about the religious aspects of organ donation, often declaring that all major religions are supportive, such statements are only partly true. Admittedly, there’s a level of uncertainty that exists within the donation community with respect to certain cultural practices. Nonetheless, OPO professionals are responsible for supporting grieving families in making an informed decision about donation while, in some cases, educating them on their own religious beliefs – often a recipe for disaster. During this webinar, we will explore the complexities of some religious traditions and the general understanding of donation while providing more fruitful strategies for staff to leverage during approaches.