Donation after circulatory death (DCD) is one of the most promising methods for expanding the organ pool for transplantation. Yet realizing the promise of DCD depends on careful coordination of end-of-life treatment with organ donation authorization, organ preservation, and recovery. We will discuss ethical and legal considerations in prioritizing goals of care while also optimizing DCD in light of technical challenges, technological innovation, and the sociopolitical landscape of organ donation.
Learning Objectives: After this webinar, attendees will be able to:
- Understand the legal frameworks which guide surrogate decision making at the end of life for both clinical treatment and for organ donation.
- Appreciate the ethical challenge of prioritizing end of life clinical treatment decisions while also optimizing organ donation after circulatory death.
- Recognize potential paths toward improving communication and maintaining trust in the context of controlled donation after circulatory death.
Speaker(s)
Brendan Parent, JD, is an associate professor and director of transplant ethics and policy research in the division of medical ethics with joint appointment in surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He is a Principal Investigator on nonprofit and government funded grants studying ethics and regulation of transplant research. Professor Parent serves as an independent living donor advocate, an advisory board member for the National Kidney Foundation, and a member of the national leadership council for The Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance. He provides ethics consultation for transplant programs across the globe. Professor Parent’s current work also focuses on ethics challenges surrounding determination of death by neurologic criteria, research on the deceased, and artificial intelligence in health research. He has published academic articles in peer reviewed journals spanning law, medicine, science, sports, and ethics, and his work has been featured in the Washington Post, The NY Times, Wired, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, and on NPR.