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Ethics Committee

The Ethics Committee aims to guide the policies and practices of the OPTN related to organ donation, procurement, distribution, allocation, and transplantation so they are consistent with ethical principles. The Committee makes recommendations to Board of Directors for changing, creating, or eliminating policies if warranted by ethical concerns. The Committee also provides written guidance pertaining to ethical considerations to OPTN members, after approval by the Board of Directors. The Committee does not address individual patient issues or disputes.

Committee white papers

An archive of Ethics Committee white papers is available here:

White papers

chair icon Chair
  • Dr. Andrew Flescher
  • University Hospital of State University of New York at Stony Brook
vicechair icon Vice Chair
  • Dr. Sanjay Kulkarni
  • Yale New Haven Hospital
liaison icon Liaison
Members Organization Position End Term Date
Dr. Oluwafisayo O Adebiyi Indiana University Health Region 10 Representative 6/30/2027  
Ms. Sheila Nichols Bullock General Public Region 11 Region 11 Representative 6/30/2026  
Gloria Chen General Public Region 4 Region 4 Representative 6/30/2027  
Andrew M Courtwright Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Region 2 Representative 12/13/2024  
Jennifer Dillon General Public Region 9 Region 9 Representative 6/30/2025  
Ms. Shannon M Dunne Division of Transplantation, HHS Ex Officio (non voting) 6/30/2026  
Laura J Jokimaki Ascension St. John Hospital At Large 6/30/2026  
Laura Madigan-McCown General Public Region 1 At Large 6/30/2027  
Arjun U Naik Division of Transplantation, HHS Ex Officio (non voting) 6/30/2025  
Lisa A Paolillo New England Organ Bank Region 1 Representative 6/30/2026  
Lois Shepherd University of Virginia Health Sciences Center At Large 6/30/2026  
Julie Spear General Public Region 8 Visiting Board Member 6/30/2025  
Dr. Robert D Truog General Public Region 1 At Large 6/30/2025  
Ms. Megan Urbanski Emory University Hospital Region 3 Representative 6/30/2025  
Ms. Felicia Wells-Williams Legacy of Life Hawaii Region 6 Representative 6/30/2025  
Dr. Matthew B Wilkinson St Luke's Hospital of Kansas City Region 8 Representative 6/30/2025  
Ms. Sena A Wilson-Sheehan Mayo Clinic Hospital Arizona Region 5 Representative 6/30/2027  
Joel Wu General Public Region 7 Region 7 Representative 6/30/2027  

Reports to the Board of Directors

Looking for something else? Contact us at unoscommunications@unos.org or (804) 782-4800. We maintain an archive of historical OPTN documents.