In collaboration with the International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement (ISODP), Dr David Thomson and his team arranged a very productive two-day pre-congress workshop on 4 & 5 September 2019.

The purpose of the action-oriented meeting was to develop a national strategy roadmap for enhancing referral and consent practices for organ and tissue donation in the South African context. The workshop focused on three main areas essential to creating a culture of donation:

• Organ donation potential – identification and referral
• Organ donation conversion – consent processes and rates
• Data collection of key performance indicators and dissemination of this information to promote transparency and accountability in the public.

After the Challenge Address by Dr Thomson, workshop facilitator, Dorothy Strachan (Canada), guided the 50 participants through 2 days of presentations and group activities, each followed by lively interaction and discussion.

Presentations at the workshop included international guest speakers and participants, Susan Gunderson (USA) President ISODP; Kimberley Young (Canada) Past-President ISODP and Stephen Beed (Canada), while Michael Pepper discussed the local context.

The group made excellent progress and concluded with various individuals committing to long-term participation to drive the project forward. A final workshop report is awaited and will be uploaded as soon as it has become available.