A coalition including the four medical schools at the nation's historically Black colleges and universities has announced a new initiative aimed at increasing the number of Black Americans registered as organ donors and combating disparities among transplant recipients.
The initiative plans to create new opportunities for Black medical and nursing students to shadow organ procurement organizations and transplant centers and collaborate with partner HBCUs.
The initiative was created by the Consortium of HBCU Medical Schools, the Organ Donation Advocacy Group and Association of Organ Procurement Organizations.
The initiative will have health professionals speaking to K-12 students in Black communities about the field and career pathways.
It will also focus on community education, including creating accessible materials about transplantation for dialysis patients and hosting health fairs and blood drives.
