This month in SGIM Forum, I have written about my role as the independent living donor advocate (ILDA) for the Duke Transplant Center. It is rewarding and interesting work. I think it is useful to highlight to the rest of the division because it is emblematic of the interdisciplinary work that happens in our division. I really enjoy reading the weekly digest because of our group’s incredible array of interests and activities.
My role with the transplant program really came about thanks to some of these interdisciplinary partnerships. GIM Division Chief, Dr. Ebony Boulware, has long worked in the field of chronic kidney disease and patients’ access to transplant. Thanks to her expertise and passion, we were able to assist Duke’s growing transplant center. To my knowledge, I am one of only a small group of general internists in the country working as an ILDA. In my article, I try to present to the reader why I think more internists and transplant centers should replicate this model. I hope that you enjoy the read. Click here to read the full article.
I do hope to get a group of people interested in transplant medicine together at the SGIM annual meeting. Let me know if you are interested at patrick.hemming@duke.