Leigh Kades Speaks About National Organ Donation and Transplantation Policies
Leigh Kades addressed William & Mary faculty, staff, and students on November 5, 2014 on creating effective and safe national organ donation, allocation, and transplantation policies. Ms. Kades is Policy Editor for the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and Liaison for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/UNOS Policy Oversight Committee. UNOS is the private, non-profit organization that manages the nation's organ transplant system, matching donors to recipients, under contract with the federal government.
Ms. Kades' talk focused on the policy-making process and specific policies related to organ procurement, multiple organ donation, living donors, child recipients, and ways to increase organ donation, among other topics. In addition, Ms. Kades discussed issues related to the U.S. system whereby donors must "opt-in" to donate organs versus the "opt-out" system in other countries. Ms. Kades also spoke about geographic variation in waiting list times for donor recipients across the U.S.
The Schroeder Center for Health Policy sponsored this presentation as part of its ongoing commitment to inform and educate current and future decision makers on a broad array of public policies related to healthcare and public health.
