Association of Organ Procurement Organizations - AOPO

09/01/2026

At Gift of Life Michigan, meaningful public education starts with listening.

After analyzing donor registration among Michigan teens receiving their first driver's license, Gift of Life Michigan identified an opportunity to better support young people at this pivotal decision point.

Through focus groups and survey research, they found that a single clarification had the power to change how people viewed an important decision. Those insights helped shape more relevant education and outreach, supporting more informed decisions and helping save more lives through organ donation and transplantation.

Read more in AOPO’s latest Community Pulse Blog, featuring guest author and 2026 AOPO Annual Meeting Breakout Session Contributor Racha Kardahji, Director of Marketing & Communication at Gift of Life Michigan. https://aopo.org/donation-perspectives/listening-before-leading-why-effective-education-begins-with-understanding/

Interested in contributing to Community Pulse? Share your perspective here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AOPOCommunityPulseBlog

08/28/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿!

We’re proud to share that Lung Bioengineering’s LungFX" device has received FDA approval, supported by data from the Centralized Lung Evaluation System (CLES) clinical study.

This approval marks an important milestone on the path toward expanding the supply of transplantable organs. We are grateful for the years of shared commitment and to be on this path with you and are actively preparing to make EVLP services with LungFX available. We look forward to sharing additional details with you in 2027.

None of this is possible without the participants in our clinical studies, organ donors, and families whose selfless acts make our work possible.



08/19/2026

AOPO is proud to once again serve as a presenting sponsor for the SODA Campus Challenge, supporting students across the country as they raise awareness, inspire action, and champion organ, eye, and tissue donation in their communities.

We can’t wait to cheer on this year’s teams and see the impact they make!

Learn more and get involved at sodanational.org/campuschallenge.

08/13/2026

𝗔𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 💙💚

At 80 years old, Mary Joanne Palmer became the oldest known donor whose lungs were successfully recovered through donation after circulatory death (DCD) and placed for transplantation. Her lifesaving gift gave a 65-year-old woman a second chance at life.

This milestone reflects how advances in donation and transplantation continue to create more opportunities to honor donor heroes and save more lives.

We are grateful to Mary and her family for their generosity, and to South Florida Donor Network and the donation and transplant professionals whose dedication helped make this lifesaving gift possible.

Read Mary’s story and learn more about this remarkable milestone:

/PRNewswire/ -- South Florida Donor Network (SFDN), the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) serving six counties across South Florida and...

08/07/2026

Every day, generous organ donors across the country make the choice to save lives. AOPO and our members are proud to support them and their families through every step of the process.

Last year, CBS News joined Gift of Life Michigan for an in-depth look at the selflessness, professionalism, and dignity that underpins our nation’s organ donation and transplantation system. One organ donor can save up to eight lives, and we invite everyone to experience this lifesaving gift through the story of Mitch Potter: a son, firefighter, father and hero.

Learn more:

In the United States more than 100,000 people are currently waiting on lifesaving organ transplants. And while transplants and recoveries have reached record highs in recent years, so has the number of organs going to waste. One in five donated organs were discarded last year. CBS News followed 31-y...

08/05/2026

Donation after circulatory death (DCD) is a highly complex and collaborative process. It takes the coordinated efforts of hospital teams, organ procurement organizations (OPOs), and transplant centers – each playing a distinct role to ensure donation is ethical, compassionate, and lifesaving.

At the heart of it all is a selfless donor and their family, whose decision to say ‘yes’ makes every step possible.

Swipe through to see how these three teams work together to honor that gift and save lives.

Share this post and sign up at RegisterMe.org/AOPO50K

08/04/2026

𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 (𝗡𝗠𝗗𝗔𝗠), a time to come together with one vision and one voice to raise awareness about organ, eye, and tissue donation in multicultural communities. A strong, diverse donor registry helps save more lives, especially in communities disproportionately affected by diseases that can lead to organ failure.

Together, we can continue building awareness, encouraging conversations, and helping more people understand the lifesaving impact of donation.

NMDAM is a collaborative effort of the National Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Multicultural Action Group (NMAG).

07/31/2026

𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗢𝗣𝗢𝘀) 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.

OPOs work closely with hospitals, transplant centers, and donor families throughout the donation process. Their work begins long before donation is ever possible through community education and donor registration, and continues by partnering with hospitals, supporting donor families, coordinating donation, and honoring each donor's legacy.

Every partner has a distinct role. Independent hospital clinicians caring for the patient determine death before donation can proceed. OPOs coordinate the donation process, while transplant centers make the final decisions about organ acceptance and transplantation.

Together, every step reflects a shared commitment to honoring the gift of donation, supporting donor families, and helping save more lives through transplantation.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗣𝗢𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝗮𝗼𝗽𝗼.𝗼𝗿𝗴/𝗼𝗽𝗼-𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀/

07/27/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿!

In today’s transplant landscape, kidneys are traveling longer distances – sometimes spending more than 24 hours in transit.

Preservation devices limited by proprietary ice packs without a simple way to refresh them can't keep up with these demands.

LifePort Kidney Transporter’s clinically proven hypothermic machine perfusion preserves the donor's gift for the entire journey, every time.

Explore how Organ Recovery Systems' LifePort technology delivers continuous protection, even throughout extended transport: organ-recovery.com/lifeport-kidney-transporter/

07/22/2026

Every day, Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) quality teams make high-stakes decisions about donor microbiology and serology results that directly influence organ utilization and transplant outcomes. While reporting requirements are well established, interpreting results and communicating meaningful clinical context remain among the most complex responsibilities in donation.

To better understand these challenges, Nevada Donor Network conducted a retrospective review of donor cases involving post-procurement microbiology cultures and serology results. The findings highlight the vital role OPO quality teams play in supporting informed transplant center decision-making and strengthening post-procurement infectious disease assessment practices.

Read AOPO's latest Community Pulse Blog by guest author and 2026 AOPO Annual Meeting Abstract Poster Presenter Octavia Wyche, Organ Quality Coordinator at Nevada Donor Network, to learn more: https://aopo.org/donation-perspectives/interpreting-donor-microbiology-serology/

Interested in contributing to Community Pulse? Share your perspective here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AOPOCommunityPulseBlog

Interpreting Donor Microbiology & Serology Jul 22, 2026 | Donation Perspectives, Guest Blogger Interpreting Donor Microbiology & Serology Lessons for Effective Infectious Risk Assessment & Post- Procurement Reporting Guest Author:Octavia Wyche Organ Quality CoordinatorNevada Donor Network Why Donor....