AOPO Receives 2024 Power of Associations Gold Award for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) & OPO Task Force

MCLEAN, Va., July 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) has been recognized with a Power of Associations Gold Award by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) for its successful Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) & Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) Task Force initiative.

“AOPO is honored to receive this recognition from ASAE. Our HBCU-OPO Task Force initiative represents a significant step towards diversifying the organ donation and transplantation field. By partnering with HBCU medical schools, we are not only providing invaluable education opportunities but also fostering a more inclusive future for healthcare,” said Steve Miller, CEO of AOPO.

The Task Force created the framework for a first-of-its-kind partnership between OPOs and HBCU medical schools. The collaborative aims to increase organ donation and transplant among Black Americans, expose Black medical students to careers in organ donation and build trust within the community as a whole.

The first partnership program was established in the summer of 2023 between Meharry Medical College and Tennessee Donor Services. Since then, programs have expanded to multiple states, forging partnerships between Morehouse School of Medicine and LifeLink of Georgia, Howard University School of Medicine and Infinite Legacy and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science and OneLegacy.

The initial hands-on, educational program allows medical students to shadow donation professionals and learn about the complex organ donation process. Students gained firsthand experience in identifying eligible donors, discussing donation with grieving families, scrubbing into organ recovery surgeries, and matching organs to recipients. Meharry Medical College and the local OPO, Tennessee Donor Services, were the first to pilot this program and were integral to its success.

This is the first award AOPO has received from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

“Congratulations to AOPO for exemplifying the impact associations have on the industries and professions they represent, and on society at large,” said ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE. “It’s always so incredibly satisfying to see associations going above and beyond their everyday mission to change the world. We’re very proud to spotlight this award-winning initiative.”

About the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO)

The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) is the not-for-profit trade association leading the nation’s organ donation community to save and improve lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation. Founded in 1984, AOPO advances organ donation and transplantation by driving continual improvement of the donation process, collaborating with stakeholders, and sharing successful practices with its 48 member OPOs. AOPO envisions a future where every opportunity for donation results in lives saved. For more information, please visit www.aopo.org.

About The Power of Associations Awards

ASAE’s Power of Associations Awards recognize the association community’s economic and societal contributions locally, nationally and globally. ASAE will celebrate The Power of Associations Award recipients during its annual Summit Awards Dinner on September 24, 2024, at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

Contact Information:
Jenny Daigle | jdaigle@aopo.org

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