Association of Organ Procurement Organizations - AOPO

06/23/2026

Today at , we proudly welcomed Allison Erickson as AOPO's President!

In her President's Address, Ali reflected on the strength of the organ donation community and the opportunities ahead, emphasizing the importance of unity, leadership, and a shared commitment to saving lives.

"𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙙, 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙙. 𝘽𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩."

As AOPO looks toward the future, Ali's message was clear: together, we have the expertise, experience, and resolve to meet challenges, embrace opportunities, and continue advancing organ donation and transplantation.

Thank you, Ali, for your leadership and vision. We look forward to navigating the year ahead together.

06/23/2026

How do we measure success in organ donation? By using metrics that accurately reflect the work being done by organ procurement organizations (OPOs) to save and heal lives.

At , leaders from AOPO, and Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute provided an update on the AOPO Validated Metrics Project—a collaborative effort with 53 OPOs to develop performance measures grounded in patient-level data, expert guidance, and the realities of organ donation.

As Jon Snyder, shared, “The community must come together to ensure we are capturing the data necessary to describe the healing and lifesaving work made possible through our nation’s organ donation system.”

Jean O’Connor emphasized that these measures were designed to reflect the full scope of OPO responsibilities, while Barry Massa reminded attendees of the ultimate goal: “If every OPO can improve, then we save more lives—which is our mission.”

By advancing meaningful, evidence-based measures, the donation community is working to strengthen accountability, support continuous improvement, and build greater public trust in the nation’s organ donation system.

Learn more about the project: https://aopo.org/opo-metrics-project/

06/23/2026

At , we paused to reconnect with the purpose behind our work through CBS News’ powerful feature, A Final Gift: Inside America’s Organ Transplant System.

The story follows donor Mitch Potter and his family, who, in the midst of unimaginable loss, chose to give others hope through organ donation. Their generosity serves as a powerful reminder of the lives changed through the gift of donation and the lasting legacy every donor leaves behind.

We are grateful to Mitch’s family for sharing their story, to Gift of Life Michigan for opening its doors to help educate the public about the donation process, and to everyone across the donation and transplantation community who works every day to honor donors and save lives.

Every transplant begins with a donor, a family, and a decision to help others.

Watch the CBS News piece here:

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...

06/23/2026

We’re already on the final day of AOPO’s 43rd Annual Meeting.

The past two days have been filled with meaningful learning, collaboration, and conversations focused on the future of donation and transplantation.

From educational sessions and workshops to networking opportunities and discussions on strengthening system performance, attendees have spent their time sharing ideas and building connections that will help save more lives.

As we head into our final day, we’re grateful for the engagement, expertise, and commitment of everyone who has joined us in Orlando.

06/23/2026

Innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement were at the center of yesterday’s discussion on Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP) and allocation out-of-sequence considerations at .

Dr. Charles Strom of New England Donor Services and AOPO Medical Advisor-Elect provided an overview of current NRP practices and the clinical benefits this evolving technology offers in organ donation. As he noted, “𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙠𝙚𝙮.”

Panelists Jackie Russe and Tracie Hanna of Nevada Donor Network explored the clinical, operational, and logistical considerations involved in allocation decision-making, highlighting the importance of examining assumptions and modernizing frameworks that support timely, appropriate organ placement.

Through collaboration across OPOs, transplant centers, and clinical teams, innovations like NRP continue to create new opportunities to honor donor gifts and help more patients receive the lifesaving transplants they need.

06/22/2026

Today at , we recognized and celebrated AOPO President Jeff Trageser for his year of dedicated leadership and service to the Association and the organ donation community.

Over the past year, Jeff has helped guide AOPO through a transformative time for donation and transplantation, always keeping patients, donor families, and our mission at the center of the conversation.

As he reflected on his presidency, Jeff shared: “𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙨. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮.”

Thank you, Jeff, for your leadership, vision, and commitment to advancing organ donation and transplantation. We are grateful for your service and look forward to building on the foundation you've helped strengthen.

06/22/2026

Some of the most powerful moments at happen when we reconnect with the reason behind this work.

Today’s Connect to Purpose session featured donor mom Nikki Capelle, whose son Connor saved five lives through organ donation and helped countless others through tissue donation.

Alongside Dr. Toby Campbell and Samantha Taylor, the discussion highlighted the importance of storytelling, honoring donor legacies, and ensuring donor families have opportunities to share the lives of those they love.

As Samantha shared, “Something we promise our donor families when we meet with them is that donation is leaving a legacy.”

Every donor has a story. Every family has a legacy. And every life saved begins with the extraordinary gift of donation. 💙

Check out the Extraordinary Conversations Podcast to hear real stories from families and medical teams navigating organ donation during life’s most critical moments.

06/22/2026

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗢𝗣𝗢’𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴!

This week, organ donation and transplantation professionals from across the country are coming together to learn, collaborate, and advance our shared mission.

As AOPO Programs & Education Committee Chair Brooke Garvis Midwest Transplant Network reminded attendees, “𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴.” And as Jaison Abraham OurLegacy - Saving Lives through Organ and Tissue Donation shared, “𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴—𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.”

Together, we stand with donor families, recipients, and the communities we serve as we work to save more lives through donation and transplantation.

06/22/2026

The wait is over. The AOPO’s 43rd Annual Meeting has officially begun!

This week, more than 900 professionals from across the organ donation and transplantation community will connect, collaborate, and share innovative ideas that help strengthen the donation process and save more lives.

We’re excited for three days of learning, discussion, and inspiration as we continue working toward 50,000 deceased donor organs transplanted in 2026.

06/21/2026

On this , we celebrate the strength and compassion of fathers everywhere. To the Dads who have given the gift of life through organ, eye, and tissue donation, to those who have received this incredible gift, to the fathers who have supported their children through the transplant journey, and to the fathers who have faced the pain of losing a child who became a donor - your courage and love inspire us all. Happy Father’s Day to the remarkable dads making a difference in so many lives 💙💚