Seminar to focus on organ donation among American Indians

Nancy Fahrenwald, Ph.D.

A project that helped raise awareness and willingness in terms of organ donation among members of northern plains American Indian Tribes will be the focus of the monthly Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) seminar on Monday.

During the noon seminar in the Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater, Nancy Fahrenwald, Ph.D., associate professor in the South Dakota State University College of Nursing, will discuss her team’s efforts to increase willingness of tribe members to donate.

Dr. Fahrenwald and her team have developed and implemented a plan to increase the intention of members of four northern plains tribes to donate organs — namely kidneys — in the face of high type 2 diabetes rates among American Indians.

“We found that compared to other health issues that face American Indian populations, there was little dialogue and thought about organ donation,” said Dr. Fahrenwald, who earned her Ph.D. from UNMC in 2002. “We decided to increase awareness and intention to donate, but first we needed to see what people’s real feelings were about being potential donors.”

“We found that compared to other health issues that face American Indian populations, there was little dialogue and thought about organ donation.” Nancy Fahrenwald, Ph.D.

While there was little talk among tribe members about organ donation, Dr. Fahrenwald’s group did find that what little talk there was often focused on kidney donation and other issues related to diabetes.

To increase awareness and intention, brochures, videos, public service announcements and Web sites were designed using the American Indian tradition of storytelling to recount the tales of those who had donated, who were in need of a donation or who didn’t get a needed donation.

The push worked. Of 1,500 people who participated in the study, 57 percent expressed an increased intention to become donors.

Dr. Fahrenwald’s lecture is part of an ongoing series of CTR seminars that are typically held on the third Monday of each month.

The series brings clinical and basic science investigators from across the university together to identify new ways to collaborate and answer important clinical questions.

The seminar will be recorded and available for investigators who cannot attend.

It also will be televised at the following sites:

• College of Dentistry in Lincoln, Room 7;
  
• College of Nursing in Lincoln, Room 307;
  
• College of Nursing in Scottsbluff, Panhandle Station Room 203;
  
• College of Nursing in Kearney, CMCT 216; and
  
• College of Nursing in Omaha, Room 4078.