Organ donation expert to present lecture

The experiences of bereaved families who donate a relative’s organ to save another person’s life will be the focus of a lecture at the University of Wolverhampton.

Professor Magi Sque is a leading expert in organ donation and will present her inaugural lecture at the University’s City Campus on Wednesday, 25 April 2012.

The lecture will take place from 5.30pm in the lecture theatre in the MH Building (MH002) and will be followed by questions and light refreshments.

Professor Sque, who is Chair in Clinical Practice and Innovation at the University’s and The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Organ transplantation from a deceased donor is regarded as one of the miracles of modern medicine, offering the opportunity to save lives, or improve the quality of life for individuals with organ failure.

“However, organ transplantation is not solely about the transfer of an organ, but a process filled with compassion and generosity.

It is about people; the donor, their bereaved family, the skilled workforce that care for them, and the recipients of those organs. “It is these people, and understanding their role in the process, and what it meant to them, that has been the core of my life’s work and will be the focus of my lecture.”

Professor Sque is best known for her groundbreaking research into the psychological and social aspects of organ donation. Her Theory of Dissonant Loss has contributed to national and international policy on the care of bereaved families with whom organ donation is discussed.

She works nationally with the Department of Health (DH) as an expert in organ donation; currently as a member of a DH research consortium, and internationally as the International Chair for the Deceased Donation Working Group of the Ethical, Legal and Psychosocial Aspects of Transplantation European Platform (ELPAT) based at Erasmus MC, in the Netherlands.

The lecture is titled ‘From seed corn to Naseberry tree: Growing a programme of research in organ and tissue donation and transplantation’.

ENDS

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