The Galen V. Henderson, MD SEED Program developed by NEDS will provide medical students of diverse backgrounds from the region with hands-on donation and transplant experience
Vermont Business Magazine New England Donor Services (NEDS), the federally designated Organ Procurement Organization responsible for the recovery of organs and tissues for transplant in the New England region, has announced the inaugural class of the Galen V. Henderson, MD Stimulate Equity, Education, and Diversity (SEED) Program. The program, running between June 2 and July 24, is an 8-week immersive experience developed for medical students of diverse backgrounds to learn more about and to improve fairness in organ donation and transplantation in healthcare.
The program enables participants to gain a better understanding of the full scope of inequities in transplantation while learning about potential career paths in organ donation and transplantation. The program consists of 25 to 30 hours each week of immersive learning experiences in which students engage in seminars, roundtable and journal club discussions, mentored scholarly projects, experiential activities, and community and stakeholder engagement.
This year’s participants include the following medical students from across New England:
Jamie Bozeman
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University – Class of 2027
Riley Cable
University of Connecticut School of Medicine – Class of 2028
Ria Goyal
Harvard Medical School – Class of 2028
Lila Medeiros
University of Connecticut School of Medicine – Class of 2028
Vivian Nguyen
Harvard Medical School – Class of 2027
Aspen Pierson
Tufts University School of Medicine – Class of 2028
Alison Yong
University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine – Class of 2028
The program will feature lectures from national and international experts who will lead discussions on a variety of topics including the following:
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Organ failure and transplantation;
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The history of organ donation and transplantation;
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Donor management and organ recovery;
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Organ allocation, policies, and practices;
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Racial disparities in transplant;
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Ethical considerations of donation and transplant; and
- Emerging innovations in organ donation and transplantation.
Students are provided with a stipend from New England Donor Services to cover living expenses during the experience and are mentored by experienced researchers at NEDS with academic appointments in the Harvard Medical School and research collaborations nationally.
The program is named in honor of Dr. Galen V. Henderson, who was an Associate Medical Director of New England Donor Services and first Black neurointensivist in the United States. He became Director of Neurocritical Care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2001 and was the recipient of three awards from the Department of Health and Human Services for his contributions to the field of organ donation. He served in several national leadership roles in organ donation and was instrumental in standardizing neurocritical pathways in the context of organ donation. Dr. Henderson passed away on December 28, 2023, at the age of 57.
About New England Donor Services (NEDS)
New England Donor Services is a leading nonprofit organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, the eastern counties of Vermont and Bermuda. Co-founded in 1968 by Nobel Laureat Dr. Joseph Murray, who performed the world’s first successful organ transplant, today NEDS works with thousands of donors and donor families who have generously made the decision to give the gift of life. The organization’s highly skilled staff medically screen referrals for potential donations from more than 200 hospitals across the region and lead all donor authorization discussions with families. NEDS also allocates organs according to the national transplant waiting list and coordinates their transport to ensure the right organs get to the right patients at the right time. Learn more at https://neds.org/ or follow us on LinkedIn or on X at @NEDonorServices.
Waltham, MA – June 10, 2025 – New England Donor Services
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