Organ Advocacy Initiative

Recent advancements in medical science, particularly in relation to tissue rejection, have increased the accessibility of transplantation and the demand for organs worldwide. The success of this lifesaving procedure has united people and professionals from all walks of life but also brought to light a number of unanticipated social and ethical issues. Beneath the tip of the iceberg lies a heap of challenges faced by donors, recipients, family members, practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and beyond. The aim of the OAI Journalism Project is to share these perspectives with the broader public and to replace common misconceptions about organ transplantation with raw, honest insights into the intricacies of this field. In other words, we want the public to react to the concept of organ donation/transplantation with warmth and compassion rather than skepticism. In concrete terms, the OAI harnesses the power of simple in-person interviews to uncover expert opinions, untold stories, and unique perspectives relevant to any aspect of transplantation in its biomedical or sociopolitical forms. Upon approval by both the interviewee(s) and our review committee, we then publish verbatim highlights from each interview in an open-access journal maintained by the Organ Advocacy Initiative. Typically accompanying each article is a photograph or short video of the interviewee, along with a written reflection on the material presented, authored by the student journalists. The OAI acknowledges that any individual may withdraw their consent to release of information before, during, or after publication. These publications will primarily be targeted toward students and other young adults at universities across Ontario.