Organ donation project led by Beds uni student granted NHS funding
A student project aiming to ramp up organ donation rates within ethnic minority communities has been granted funding by the NHS
A student engagement project aiming to enhance organ donation rates within ethnic minority communities led by a Ph.D. student from the University of Bedfordshire has been granted funding by the NHS.
Britzer Paul, an aspiring Ph.D. student affiliated with the Institute for Health Research (IHR), has been actively involved in the field of organ donation and transplantation since 2014.
With the launch of this innovative project, driven and executed by students, Britzer aims to foster open discussions about organ donation within the diverse student community in Bedfordshire. By normalising such conversations, this pioneering initiative intends to set a precedent for nationwide dialogue on organ donation.
The student-led project has secured ÂŁ10,000 in funding from the Community Grants Programme, administered by NHS Blood and Transplant.
This funding aligns with the government's ongoing dedication to address health disparities and advance organ, blood, and stem cell donation within Black and Asian communities.
Speaking about the project and its aims, Britzer said: “A part of my Ph.D. research demonstrates that the younger generation is more open to talking about deceased organ donation if they have all the information they need and know how to begin such conversations that do not happen on a day-to-day basis.
Therefore, in this project, we aim to achieve and normalize conversation on deceased organ donation among the multi-diverse student population in our University.”
Following Britzer's successful completion of his Ph.D. studies at the University, a team of Masters's students from the IHR has taken the responsibility of carrying forward his work and preserving his legacy.
They will be actively engaged in the project leading up to Organ Donation Week 2023, scheduled from September 18th to 24th.