Episode Details

Individuals awaiting organ transplants are often encouraged to reach out to family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to ask if they will consider becoming a living organ donor. As social media expands our reach beyond our immediate communities, it could become a powerful tool in connecting recipients with donors. In this episode: Macey Levan, a kidney donor and researcher, explains why social media can be so useful in forging life-saving connections and what to consider when making the ask of an online community.

Macey Levan, PhD, JD, is an associate professor of surgery and population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She also serves as director of policy and external affairs for the Transplant Institute and director of the qualitative core in the Center for Surgical and Transplant Applied Research.

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

• Social Media in the Identification of Living Kidney Donors: Platforms, Tools, and Strategies—Current Transplantation Reports

• Social media and organ donation: Ethically navigating the next frontier—American Journal of Transplantation

• Kidney Donation: How to Make the Ask—National Kidney Foundation

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