• 2/18/12 Everything you wanted to know about OPTN paired kidney donation program
  
• 1/22/12 UNOS Facts (the latest numbers in detail as of 1/22/12) (PDF file)
  
• 1/13/12 UNOS releases updated "What Every Patient Needs to Know" book
  (available to order by mail or download) (<-- click to link to that action)
  
• 1/6/12 US Proposes Regulating Face and Hand Transplants
  
• 12/9/11 Presumed consent not answer to solving organ shortage in US, researchers say
  
• (New) UNOS calling for public comment on new proposals (see link below)
  
• Should the ban on HIV-positive organ transplants be lifted?
  
• Mismatch matters for kid's kidney transplants
• Elimination (in 2003) of matching for HLA-B improved minority access to transplants
  
• UNOS Board Executive Summaries from annual meetings
  
• US Officials Propose Further Retreat from 1st-come, 1st-served Organ Donation (CMAJ)
  
• (video) ABC News report on Proposed Kidney Allocation Impact
  
• Public Comment open on 13 policy proposals (due by June 1st)
  
• Feedback Requested for Concepts on Kidney Allocation
  
• UNOS Exec Dir, Walter Graham: Organ Donation Must Remain a Gift (Grahman's e-mail address: grahamwk@unos.org)
  
• UNOS Releases Updated Patient Information Letter
  
• UNOS Calling for Public Comment on Proposed Policies - "Your chance to be heard!"
      UNOS policy proposals are continually being offered for public comment, now in a more user-friendly format. These proposals highlight proposed changes by the many committees that support UNOS in its work and policy making process.  After a public comment period ends,  the sponsoring committees review all feedback and make necessary modifications before passing their final recommendation on to the OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors who in turn review and vote on these proposals at their quarterly meetings, leading to implementation of those that gain such final approval.  You are encouraged to become part of this process by offering comment when invited by those announcements which are listed on the http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/policiesAndBylaws/publicComment/proposals.asp web site, or  Click here to read proposal details and comment .
  Thank you,
  - Mike Sosna, Chair, TRIO Public Policy Committee
  Note: to see the UNOS Communications archive for transplant professionals, click here --> UNOS Communications
  
• UNOS Newsroom (general link for current UNOS news items)

Participants Named for National Pilot Project for Kidney Paired Donation

Avoiding Confusion with Advanced Directives and Organ Donation - interesting article in UNOS UPDATE magazine

Center for Transplant System Excellence to Study National Potential for Future Deceased Donation; Federal Contract Amendment Worth Nearly $1.7 Million Over Two Years   As the demand for organ transplantation continues to grow, many key decisions in medical care and national policy depend on a realistic estimate of the future number of potential deceased organ donors. The Center for Transplant System Excellence, a new initiative of United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), will study this issue.

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