Morehouse School of Medicine Creates Program to Train more Black surgeons to Combat Racial Disparities

LifeLink of Georgia and Morehouse School of Medicine have launched a program to train more Black surgeons in organ donation and transplants to combat racial disparities. John Lilley, the associate executive director at LifeLink, stated, “In the United States, there are close to 104,000 people that are awaiting a lifesaving transplant. The majority are awaiting a kidney transplant.” Over sixty percent of people waiting for a kidney transplant are people of color.

For decades, Black patients were denied the possibility of a transplant due to a racially biased organ test called the eGFR. The test would overestimate a Black person’s kidney function, making it less likely for them to receive a lifesaving transplant. For the last several years, national kidney and organ transplant organizations have advocated for race to no longer be considered in transplant eligibility.

LifeLink of Georgia and Morehouse School of Medicine are working to prevent racial disparities in the healthcare system. The organization and school plan to train more black doctors in organ donation and transplants to combat medical racism. Less than five percent of transplant surgeons are black. Increasing the number of black surgeons will positively affect the community and close racial disparities in healthcare.

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