As of March 2020, there were over 112,400 patients actively waiting on the United States national organ transplant waitlist with only about 3,300 donors1. Although transplantation is an effective treatment for end-stage organ failure, the access to a procedure will vary depending on national regulations, cost of health care, extensive…
As of March 2020, there were over 112,400 patients actively waiting on the United States national organ transplant waitlist with only about 3,300 donors1. Although transplantation is an effective treatment for end-stage organ failure, the access to a procedure will vary depending on national regulations, cost of health care, extensive screening processes, and the availability of organs2. Organ shortage is a worldwide problem, and the growing insufficiency has resulted patients becoming too for ill or dying while waiting3. Due to the varying wait times and costs of procedures, some patients have begun to outsource their own transplantation through international transactions, also known as transplant tourism2. The 2004 World Health Assembly resolution recognized these trades as a significant health policy issue, while also acknowledging the inability of national health care systems to meet the needs of patients4. To address this issue, a proposal will be made such that all live kidney and liver donors will be compensated $22,500 and $12,150 respectively through a cost-neutral scheme based on annual healthcare expenditures per organ that would be eliminated by a transplant. With this proposal, it is suggested that the organ transplant waitlist would not only be significantly reduced, but potentially eliminated, and the crisis of organ shortage would be defeated.
While attending UCLA Brain Research Institute, I completed research, studied, and found an interest in Duplication 15q 11.2-13.1 syndrome. I noticed the lack of awareness on both UCLA and ASU campuses and decided to complete my thesis on raising awareness of this syndrome specifically on the downtown Phoenix campus. Multiple…
While attending UCLA Brain Research Institute, I completed research, studied, and found an interest in Duplication 15q 11.2-13.1 syndrome. I noticed the lack of awareness on both UCLA and ASU campuses and decided to complete my thesis on raising awareness of this syndrome specifically on the downtown Phoenix campus. Multiple surveys including in-person interviews were conducted that totaled around 50 participants. Participants in the surveys included pre-medical students at ASU downtown and an ASU mission team for disabilities and empowerment. Data collected from surveys led to the creation of an online research hub that can give a person access to all things Dup15q with one click. This type of awareness is important as misdiagnosis of rare genetic disorders is a leading cause of infant mortality.
