CDTRP 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting – Caroline Tait panel discussion

Credit: Canadian Donation and Transplant Research Program

Indigenous peoples in Canada face a higher disease burden leading to end-stage organ failure, and face both geographic and systemic barriers to accessing organ donation and transplantation (ODT). Despite the inequities that exist, Indigenous healthcare leaders remain on the margins of decision-making about ODT healthcare services, policies and legislation. This panel, made up of two-Indigenous patient/family partners, one Indigenous healthcare leader, and one researcher, merges the lived experiences of patients with a broader sociological analysis of the equity issues described in the patient/family narratives. The objective of the panel is to bring the lived experience of Indigenous peoples to a national forum and ground this experience in a learning context that looks beyond calls for cultural safety to address systemic challenges faced by Indigenous patients and families.