HBCU Medical Schools Join the Initiative to Address Organ Transplant Disparities
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From the year 1995 to 2014, kidney donor transplantation increased from 7% to 11.4% for white patients, while it decreased from 3.4% to 2.9% among Black patients (Hopkins Medicine). These statistics reveal troubling racial disparities for an issue that can affect a patient’s quality of life and life expectancy. A recent initiative in collaboration with HBCU medical schools aims to address this problem.
The Consortium of HBCU Medical Schools, the Organ Donation Advocacy Group, and the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations are working together to increase the number of Black Americans registered as donors. All four of the nation’s HBCU medical schools – Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences, Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and the Morehouse School of Medicine – will participate in the initiative. As reported by the Washington Post, the initiative will create opportunities for Black medical and nursing students to collaborate with organ transplant organizations, have healthcare professionals teach children about health careers, and facilitate community events to offer education on transplants and coordinate blood drives.
Dr. Clive Callender, a Howard University College of Medicine professor and transplant surgeon, made the following statement on the initiative (via The Washington Post):
“Minorities and people of color have been consistently underrepresented throughout medicine, and the field of organ and tissue donation and transplantation is no exception,” said Dr. Callender. “This collaboration will allow us to save thousands of lives across the country by strengthening relationships between health care workers, Black and minority patients, and organ and transplantation professionals.”
Minority patients, specifically Black Americans, face disparities in trying to receive organ transplants. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black or African Americans represent the largest minority group needing an organ transplant. When these statistics were reported in 2019, Black Americans represented 12.8% of the United States population.