The University of Bedfordshire has received funding from NHS Blood and Transplant to develop and run a community organ donation campaign led by student ambassadors, transplant recipients and donors from different ethnic and faith communities.
The University is joining forces with Luton Council, Hospital Art Studio, and the Mandip Mudhar Memorial Foundation to mark Organ Donation Week (23 – 29 September) and pioneer innovative approaches to start a national conversation about organ donation in minority ethnic communities.
The two-year projects, starting with an initial funding grant of £15,500 from NHS Blood & Transplant, will draw upon the University’s world-leading research which has previously found that tailored messaging and trusted messengers are essential to champion organ donation conversations across the UK.
Professor Gurch Randhawa, Director of the Institute for Health Research at the University of Bedfordshire, said: “It’s a privilege to be implementing our research, connecting organ donor families, communities, religions and tackling the global problem of not enough organ donors from all communities – so we need to increase organ donation conversations via university student community ambassadors and using art to promote dialogue, specifically to tackle the lower rates of organ donation among minority ethnic communities.”
Dr Britzer Paul Vincent Paul Raj, who recently completed his PhD at Bedfordshire and will lead the student ambassador community project, added: “Over the next two years, our project will be implemented based on detailed research on the barriers and facilitators toward deceased organ donation among the ethnic minority population.
“Younger generations are more open to engage in conversation on organ donation but lack the opportunity to do so. Hence, we have a pool of dedicated university student organ donation ambassadors from all faith and ethnic backgrounds who will be leading community conversations regarding organ donation.”
Alongside this project, the University will be working in close partnership with Hospital Art Studio after securing funding to create the UK’s first community-led artwork, which will be based in Luton, dedicated to celebrating organ donation.
The Mandip Mudhar Memorial Foundation – an organ donor family charity established in recognition of Mandip Mudhar’s life-saving organ donation – is also working alongside the University on this project.
Bobby Mudhar said: “The Foundation are committed to building upon Mandip’s life-saving legacy. We bring positivity out of tragedy by sharing our family story as to why Mandip wanted to be an organ donor and why we as a family supported his decision. We are delighted to be working with the University of Bedfordshire in enhancing community dialogue regarding organ donation.”
Mayor of Luton, Cllr Tahmina Saleem, also added: “Sadly, many opportunities are lost every year in Luton and around the country because families don’t know if their loved one wanted to be a donor or not. We are delighted to be working with the University of Bedfordshire and Hospital Art Studio on a series of community dialogue activities over the next two years, that will encourage those much needed life-saving conversations to take place.”
