A three-day International Conference, "Celebrating Diversity" was organized by MOHAN Foundation and Commonwealth Tribute to Life (CTtL) at Courtyard by Marriott, Gurugram, India, from March 22-24, 2024. The aim of the conference was to share knowledge on organ donation and transplantation to help initiate and improve donation rates in Commonwealth countries. The conference received support from the SBI Foundation.

With close to 150 participants from 10 countries, including the UK, Canada, Singapore, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, UAE, and Zambia, along with a significant representation from India, the conference truly served as a beacon of knowledge exchange. It provided a platform for experts, practitioners, policymakers, and advocates to share insights, research findings, and strategies to address challenges and seize opportunities in the field of organ donation and transplantation among Commonwealth nations.

The inaugural ceremony was graced by:

Shri Sanjay Prakash, Managing Director, SBI Foundation

Dr  Anil Kumar, Director National Organ and Tissue Organization

Dr  R V Asokan, National President, Indian Medical Association

Shri Sunil Arora, Retd Chief Election Commissioner of India

Dr  Satya Sharma, Chairperson, Commonwealth Tribute to Life

Dr  Dale Gardiner, Regional Coordinator, Europe, CTtL

Dr  Avnish Seth, Organizing Chairman, CTtL Conference

Mr  C. P. Gurnani, Ex-CEO, Tech Mahindra, CEO Club Mahindra

The conference featured a mixture of panel discussions, plenary talks, role-plays, and workshops, providing ample opportunities for networking and information exchange.

Sessions in the conference covered topics such as:

• Sharing of best practices
• ● Supporting emerging programs to start deceased donation
• ● Showcasing community engagement
• ● Approaches to normalize DCD
• ● Roles in counselling for donation
• ● Brain Death Project and Challenges
• ● Setting up audit systems for transplant outcomes
• ● Pioneering hand transplantation in India
• ● Skin banking systems
• ● Creating organ transport systems using drones
• ● Using cell-free DNA for early detection of organ rejection
• ● Crowd-funding to support transplant costs

Additionally, there were three workshops to discuss:

• ● Best practices in transplantation from across the commonwealth
• ● Education, training and accreditation
• ● Opportunities for communication and promotion within the commonwealth

This conference was organized in association with National Organ and Tissue Organization (NOTTO), Indian Society of Organ Transplantation (ISOT), Society for Heart Failure and Transplantation, Liver Transplant Society of India (LTSI), International Federation of Kidney Foundations - World Kidney Alliance (IFKF-WKA), and NATCO. The conference also received support from Trunome, TANKER Foundation, Mankind, Intas, Lal Path Labs, Sanofi and Sandor.

DCD mobile app launch (L-R) Dr Sunil Shroff (Managing Trustee, MOHAN Foundation), Dr Satya Sharma (Chairman, Commonwealth Tribute to Life) & Dr Anil Kumar (Director, NOTTO)

Release of Indian Transplant Newsletter (ITN) - Volume 22 Issue 3