Xenotransplantation Basics: No, it’s not a warrior princess
Imagine a world where we have farms of pigs and primates, purposely bred and used for human organs. Or consider a scenario much like Nalo Hopkinson’s novel, Brown Girl In The Ring, where xenotransplantation is the norm, and human-to-human organ donation is seen as barbaric, even cannibalistic. Using animal organs and tissue in lieu of … Continue reading
Crafting a donor recruitment piece: the South African example
Editor’s Note: Tarryn Corlett-Boden, the Operations Manager (PR, Marketing and Communications) for The Sunflower Fund shares their process of sculpting of a donor education piece for their work in South Africa. She also reminds us that some of the more traditional outreach channels remain vital. by Tarryn Corlett-Boden One of the biggest challenges that The Sunflower … Continue reading
The lower “cost” of bone marrow donation: freshly minted research out on donor (dis)incentives
Paying bone marrow or organ donors is still a hot button issue. Ethical qualms aside, the core question surrounding this issue is whether such monetary incentives, or less drastic incentives like tax breaks, are actually effective enough to encourage more donors to register. But a less divisive and perhaps less public donor benefit has been … Continue reading
Lost in transit: Central Station seeks a moral compass for bodies in motion
The film Central Station touches on the dark side of organ transplantation and emerges on the side of redemption. Though I occasionally suffer from transplantation issue fatigue, Walter Salles’ breakthrough 1998 feature reinvigorated me to more deeply consider the limits of lifesaving and the transmutability of bodies. In exploring those limits via this viewing experience … Continue reading
Consider the child: Minor donation is a major issue
By Marion Siebelink University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. m.j.siebelink@umcg.nl Pediatric organ donation: The basics Children on the waiting list for transplantation die because of a shortage in size-matched organs. These organs and tissues generally come from other children. Organ donation in pediatrics is a very sensitive process. A deeper understanding … Continue reading
On the cutting edge: Pig hearts, pregnancy, and the frontiers of transplant immunology
We just participated in a wonderful little hour long live online chat at Science. Two experts were on hand to answer questions on the science of organ transplantation. The discussion centered a lot around xenotransplantation and immune responses to transplantation, as these were the main areas of research for the experts involved. While the answers … Continue reading
Vintage Venous Videos: messages of (post)war blood donation
Initially romanced by shipwrecks of the Northern California coast, I came across the British Pathe Film Archives. Thereafter, in a state of continued curiosity I searched for footage on blood donation and found a practical gold mine of vintage film clips that offer a rewarding peek into donor outreach and education in its earlier years. … Continue reading
TransplantInformers Book Club: Medicine In Translation
Well, half the work is done for me in our latest literary treat. Medicine In Translation: Journeys with my Patients is a fantastic memoir from Dr. Danielle Ofri, a physician at Bellevue Hospital in New York. And it already has a book club guide. I became interested in Dr. Ofri’s work after reading her recent … Continue reading
Dutch deceased donor dearth: More interesting research out of the Netherlands
Here at TransplantInformers, we recently provided a translation of the Dutch press release on research which surveyed surviving family members of potential deceased donors and motivations behind next-of-kin deceased organ donation consent or refusal. The active research coming out on this topic in the Netherlands doesn’t stop there. Nichon Jansen-Frazer, from the Dutch Transplant Foundation … Continue reading
The sexiest calendar for 2012
Imagery is a powerful way to educate potential donors and express complex concepts in accessible ways. The imagery we choose to create and employ often has the consequence of creating static visual analogies of sometimes dynamic processes. It creates a specific representation of a particular concept and also creates its own meaning for that concept … Continue reading