Philadelphia, PA — A unique partnership is giving Howard University College of Medicine students in Washington, D.C. specialized training that was developed for physicians in determining brain death. Gift of Life worked with experts in neurology and neurocritical care to create the “Determination of Brain Death and Family Communication Physician Training Program.” This innovative program combines virtual reality simulation training and eLearning to provide a novel interactive educational experience.
The training guides learners through all aspects of brain death determination, explaining the proper diagnostic tools for performing a comprehensive neurologic exam and skills for communicating with a patient’s family throughout the process. More than 40 Howard University medical students, the first of four cohorts, received special access to the training that was developed by Gift of Life Institute. The Institute worked with Infinite Legacy to establish the partnership with Howard University’s College of Medicine.
“We’re so grateful to Gift of Life for helping expand our students’ knowledge and provide this innovative, critical training. Brain death is rare, so it is essential that future physicians have the skills and confidence to conduct the required tests and explain test results to a patient’s family in a way that is easy to understand,” said Shelly McDonald-Pinkett, FACP, CPHQ, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Howard University College of Medicine.
Gift of Life Institute, an affiliate of Gift of Life Donor Program, developed the program to meet the need for easily accessible training that is essential to improving knowledge and confidence for physicians in determining brain death. The Institute has helped advance the field of organ donation and transplantation around the world through education and research for 20 years. It has trained more than 14,000 professionals from across the U.S. and 33 countries.
“Standardized, high-quality training is so important to help physicians serve patients and families through the complex process of determining brain death,” said Theresa A. Daly, BS, MS, Vice President, Gift of Life Institute. “It is an honor to provide this training to students at a top medical school, whose work will impact generations.”
Gift of Life President and CEO Richard D. Hasz, MFS, CPTC, added, “Gift of Life is proud to support future doctors at Howard University as they prepare to deliver high- quality patient care. This program and other HBCU partnerships with organ procurement organizations (OPOs) aspire to increase diversity in the healthcare workforce and raise awareness about donation and transplantation. We want to inspire young physicians, nurses, and others to explore opportunities in this powerful field of medicine. We share Howard’s commitment to improving healthcare and increasing access to care in underserved communities, particularly in communities of color where the need is greatest as noted in a report from NASEM (National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine).”
More than 100,000 children and adults are waiting for an organ transplant in the U.S. and the need for life-saving organs is especially great in communities of color, which make up more than half of waitlist patients. Meanwhile, only 4% of transplant surgeons and physicians are Black, according to NASEM’s 2022 report, Realizing the Promise of Equity in the Organ Transplantation System.
Howard University Professor of Surgery Clive O. Callender, MD, who has worked for decades to advance organ health, transplantation, and donation, applauds the visionary collaboration that is bringing brain death training to students.
“Learning about diagnosing brain death as a fundamental part of their training will better prepare our medical students to serve the community,” said Dr. Callender, founder of the Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP). “Thanks to Gift of Life and Infinite Legacy, this partnership also helps our medical students learn more about the need to improve equity in organ donation and transplantation.”
Kenneth Boyd, vice president and chief business development officer at Infinite Legacy, added, “Infinite Legacy is proud to partner with Gift of Life so that Howard students will benefit from this excellent training, learning specialized clinical best practices to serve patients and families.”
So far, six OPOs are licensed to offer the training to physicians in their service area. The “Determination of Brain Death and Family Communication Physician Training Program” is available to physicians, medical schools and organ procurement organizations through Gift of Life Institute. Professionals who would like more information may contact Gift of Life Institute Vice President Theresa A. Daly at info@giftoflifeinstitute.org.
About Gift of Life Donor Program
Gift of Life Donor Program, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Philadelphia, is the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware. It works with 126 acute care hospitals and 12 transplant centers in its region, as well as hundreds of transplant centers throughout the country, to provide the most comprehensive array of services available in the U.S. to the donation and transplantation community. Thanks to the generosity of its community, Gift of Life has coordinated 14,196 donors and 39,469 organs for transplant, the most of any OPO in the country since the inception of our national donation system in 1988. Overall, Gift of Life has coordinated more than 59,000 organs and more than two million tissue transplants since its founding. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people, and a tissue donor can improve the lives of 100 others. In honor of its 50 years of service, Gift of Life is rallying the community to sign up 50,000 more organ donors and provide hope to the thousands waiting for a transplant. Learn more and sign up at donors1.org.
About Gift of Life Institute
For more than 20 years, Gift of Life Institute has served as an international training center for organ and tissue donation professionals. The Institute’s comprehensive, interdisciplinary resources designed to increase donation outcomes include skills-based learning, continuing education, collaborative research, and consulting services. Since its inception in 2004, the Institute has facilitated more than 650 workshops with all U.S. OPOs and multiple tissue banks, training over 14,000 professionals from across the U.S. and 33 countries around the world.
About Howard University
Howard University, established in 1867, is a leading private research university based in Washington, D.C. Howard’s 14 schools and colleges offer 140 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs and lead the nation in awarding doctoral degrees to African American students. Howard is the top-ranked historically Black college or university (HBCU) according to Forbes and is the only HBCU ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 National Universities. Renowned for its esteemed faculty, high achieving students, and commitment to excellence, leadership, truth and service, Howard produces distinguished alumni across all sectors, including the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice and the first woman U.S. vice president; Schwarzman, Marshall, Rhodes and Truman Scholars; prestigious fellows; and over 165 Fulbright recipients. Learn more at www.howard.edu.
About Infinite Legacy
Infinite Legacy is a nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) serving almost 10 million people in Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. We facilitate organ, eye and tissue donation and educate people about the critical importance of registering to be a donor. Infinite Legacy works with 68 hospitals and eight transplant centers to decrease the number of people waiting for a lifesaving transplant. We are passionate about giving life and restoring hope while honoring the legacy and generosity of donors and providing care to their families.