Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program

4500 Canadians are currently on transplant waiting lists across the country. As wait-lists continue to grow in Canada, patients suffer prolonged illness and many die before a suitable donor is found. In 2010, 16% of kidney and/or kidney-pancreas, 19% of lung, 22% of liver and 24% of heart transplant candidates died on a Canadian wait-list without receiving a transplant. The growing imbalance between supply and demand for organs means that Canadians needing a transplant face a 30-40% lifetime probability of never receiving one. The Canadian National Transplant Research Program (CNTRP) and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) are partnering to present the CIHR Café Scientifique on Organ Donation and Transplantation. The purpose of this event is to encourage members of the general public to truly engage in the topic of organ donation and transplantation and contribute their own views on potential solutions and future directions.