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The opening of the event – which was attended by prominent figures from the healthcare, business and academia communities, was led by Dr. Martí Manyalich president of the DTI Foundation. The event was also attended Dr. Pere A. Montserrat, director of the Catalan Transplant Organization (OCATT); Dr. José M. García Buitrón, executive vice president of the Foundation, and Dr. Francesc Cardellach, Dean of the School of Medicine of the University of Barcelona (UB).

Dr. Manyalich used his speech to demonstrate that “the needs of organ transplantation in the world are only covered in a 10%” and that “we need to carry out 1 million transplantation procedures per year to eliminate transplant waiting lists” . Furthermore, Dr. J. M. G. Buitrón emphasised the need to export to coordinator figure to other countries and stressed that “donation and transplant programs” are programs of healthcare development and social cohesion.”

As dean of the UB School of Medicine, Dr. Francesc Cardellach expressed the current and future commitment with the prestigious faculty staff in order to maintain (and improve, if necessary) the training quality of students. “The Schhol of Medicine” of the University of Barcelona has a 22 year teaching history in the field of donation and transplantation of organs, tissues and cells, and the DTI Foundation- with the experience added by TPM- constitutes the ideal framework to carry out and consolidate these goals. ”

The event was also attended by members of the Steering Committee of the DTI Foundation, Ricard Valero, scientific director, M. Paula Gómez, medical director, and Gloria Páez, director of education, who gave the audience a brief history of the TPM-DTI organization and informed of on-going and future projects in Brazil, India and China.

More than 10,000 professionals in 101 countries

The DTI Foundation (Donation and Transplantation Institute), located at the Barcelona Science Park of the UB, is a non-profit organization founded in Barcelona in April 2008 with the mission to promote, from a broad and international perspective, the process of donation of organs, tissues and cells for human transplantation needs in all regions and countries in the world. DTI was founded by a group of internationally recognized experts in the field of donation and transplantation, who are advised by a consultant group from the business world, business schools, education, pharmaceutical industry and marketing, among others.

The main objectives of the organization are to increase organ donation and prevent trafficking and illegal trading, enhance knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for professionals involved in this field and carry out research and development projects in order to increase access opportunities to transplantation and improve the quality of life of people.

In 2010 TPM (Transplant Procurement Management), a world leader in the training of health professionals in the field of organ and tissue donation for transplantation, joined DTI as an international educational program of the Foundation. TPM, which was founded in 1991 under the auspices of the University of Barcelona (UB) and the technical and financial support of the National Transplant Organization (ONT) – has collaborated in the development of the Spanish model of transplantation and is currently Transplant Coordination Official Program in Italy (Centro Nazionale Trapianti-CNT), France (Agency of Biomedicine-ABM) and Portugal (Instituto da Portugês do Sangue e transplantation), among others.