Just in time for a new decade, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our monthly newsletter! The Centre for Living Organ Donation wants to keep you up to date on the latest in living organ donation news, research, and innovation. We also want to bring the living donor community together and stay connected with our donors, recipients, their family and friends after they've left Toronto General.
2019 was a big year for us, which is why, for the first edition of our newsletter, we're presenting you with 2019 Wrapped, highlights from the Centre for Living Organ Donation. A big thank you to everyone who was able to join us at our events and participate in our discussions.
This year, we're looking forward to getting to know you better. We'll be introducing more events and new ways to get involved with the Centre. Here's to 2020 - can't wait to see what it has in store!
The Team
The Centre for Living Organ Donation at UHN
2019 Wrapped
We Held Our First Annual Living Donor Recognition Event at UHN
Top photo: (left to right) Joanne Kearney & Brendan Cahill, founding supporters of the Centre, Dr. Kathryn Tinckam, Dr. Atul Humar Bottom left: (left to right) Kelly Bryan, Holly Vatcher, Heather Badenoch, Vicky Jackson, Jenn Bruno, Sarah Middleton Bottom right: Dr. Atul Humar and Dr. Kevin Smith address the attendees of the living organ donor recognition event.
Photo credit: Joanna Glezakos
On September 16, the Centre hosted the first Annual Living Organ Donor Recognition Event at UHN. Members of the living donor transplant teams, transplant recipients, living donors, family and friends, gathered in the DeGasperis Atrium at Toronto General to celebrate the bravery and resilience of donors and recipients, as well as the dedication of our incredible teams.
Attendees heard from Dr. Atul Humar, Medical Director of the Soham and Shaila Ajmera Transplant Centre, Dr. Kevin Smith, UHN CEO, and Claire Payne, Vice President of the Trillium Gift of Life Network, who expressed their gratitude for the generosity of our living donors.
Megan Thomas, a living liver and living kidney donor, shared the stage with her kidney recipient, liver recipient, and liver recipient’s mother, to tell their stories. Finally, Joanne Kearney and Brendan Cahill, founding supporters of the Centre, took the stage to share their story, and express their gratitude for the team at Toronto General and Sick Kids Hospital.
Attendees were invited to walk the red carpet, where they took professional photos with members of the transplant team and received appreciation medals from Trillium Gift of Life Network. They took selfies at the photo booth and browsed the story gallery, which featured real stories from living donors, recipients, and organ donation advocates.
A big thank you to the Kearney and Cahill families and Astellas Pharma for their ongoing support - and to our volunteers who helped make this event a success.
We Held Our First Annual Living Organ Donation Symposium
Noor El-Dassouki, Research Associate, Kidney Health, Education and Research Group.
September 16 was also the day of our first Annual Living Organ Donation Symposium. This year’s topic - access and equity in living donation and transplantation - was inspired by Dr. Istvan Mucsi, UHN Transplant Nephrologist, whose research revealed a significant gap in access to living organ donation between patients of different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The symposium Chair, Dr. Nazia Selzner, Medical Director of the Living Liver Donor Program, introduced the two panels of the day. Panel one examined the benefits and risks of living donation, its ethical underpinnings, as well as community perspectives. Panel two delved deeper into issues of health equity, including a presentation from Lydia-Joi Marshall, Board Member of the Black Health Alliance and one of our community partners working to improve access to organ and tissue donation for members of the African, Black, and Caribbean communities.
Attendees were invited to browse the student poster showcase in between panels, which featured research topics such as “Assessing the Association Between Sex and Access to Living Donor Kidney Transplantation” and “Understanding the Colour of Access: Insights from Social Work on Racial Inequality in Transplant." The closing keynote was presented by Amy Waterman, who's Explore Transplant project has captivated transplant experts from around the world.
In March, we launched our lunchtime seminar series with an interactive panel discussion on public appeals for living donors.
Our second Lunch & Learn focused on anonymous living liver donors. Dr. Susan Abbey and Judy Jung presented a recently published study examining donor outcomes in anonymous living liver donation at UHN.
Our most recent session, hosted by UHN bioethicist Jed Gross, explored emerging ethical issues in living organ donation, including use of social media to find a living donor.
In 2020, our Lunch & Learn series will take place on the last Friday of every month in the Astellas Conference Room, 11th floor of the Peter Munk Building. Registration is free and a light lunch is provided. Keep an eye on our Eventbrite for January's Lunch & Learn. Registration is not required if you are attending via Facebook Live.
We Joined Social Media
Social media has been a great way to get to know you better! Whether it's through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or Youtube, it's been exciting to share information, exchange ideas, and show you what we're working on in real time. Visit our Eventbrite page to view our social media feeds or upcoming events. Follow us to keep up to date with the Centre, read stories from living organ donors, and be the first to see what's new in living organ donation and transplantation.
We Started the A.C.T.I.O.N. Project
In partnership with Providence Health Care Research Institute at Providence Health Care we launched A.C.T.I.O.N. in late 2019. This joint project aims to reduce inequities in access to living kidney donation and transplantation in the South Asian and Black, African and Caribbean (ACB) communities in British Columbia and Ontario. The term A.C.T.I.O.N. comes from a creative interpretation of the project title: Improving Access to Living Donor Kidney Transplantation (LDKT) in Ethno-racial Minority Communities in Canada.
This 2.5 year project builds on the work of co-principal investigators, Dr. Istvan Mucsi and Dr. Jag Gill. It was developed, and will be implemented in collaboration with national and local partners including:
BC Renal Agency
Black Health Alliance
Canadian Donation & Transplantation Research Program
Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA)
Kidney Foundation of Canada, Ontario Branch and BC & Yukon Branch
We Met Extraordinary Living Donors, Transplant Recipients & Their Loved Ones
Top Photo, Left to Right: Meg (Megan Thomas's kidney recipient), Nyla (Megan Thomas's liver recipient), Aniyah (Nyla's mother), Megan Thomas (living kidney donor, living liver donor). Photo credit: Joanna Glezakos Top Left: Sonia Munoz, living liver donor, Jaime Munoz, Sonia's father and liver recipient.
Top Right: Michelle Tone, living organ donation advocate.
Bottom Left: Claudia Morgan, living kidney transplant recipient.
Bottom Right: Michel Pleau, living kidney donor, and Sophie, Michel's daughter and kidney recipient.
We don't want to give too much away but we have some very exciting things coming up in the next couple months, including new ways to share your transplant story and stay connected to the live donor program at Toronto General. (Hint: grab your headphones!)
Mailing Address
The Centre for Living Organ Donation at UHN
Toronto General Hospital
585 University Avenue, 11 PMB 100, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2N2 Canada livingorgandonation@uhn.ca
416-340-5400
