DTI Foundation participates in the Saudi Transplant Congress 2025 – 1st SCOT Annual Meeting
DTI Foundation proudly took part in the Saudi Transplant Congress 2025 – 1st SCOT Annual Meeting, a landmark event for the transplant community in the Middle East.
Our colleagues Dr. Brian Álvarez, Dr. David Paredes-Zapata, and Dr. Marco Sacchi represented the foundation at this international congress, sharing their expertise and commitment to improving global organ donation and transplantation systems.
The discussions held — particularly around Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) — reflect the growing momentum in the region to strengthen transplant programs. The event served as a clear example of how international collaboration and knowledge sharing can drive real progress in global health.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our representatives for their leadership and dedication, and we congratulate the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation (SCOT) and Dr. Talal Al Goufi for the outstanding organization of a congress that fostered innovation, collaboration, and shared action.
Together, we make organ donation possible — everywhere.
Training Case Managers for Organ and Tissue Transplants: An International Health Innovation Project
As part of the MODHS-MOT Case Managers Development Program, DTI Foundation has launched an international initiative aimed at transforming the military hospitals of the Saudi Ministry of Defense into centers of excellence for organ and tissue transplants.
This one-year training program began in September 2024 and will run until September 2025. The main focus is to train healthcare professionals (such as nurses and radiology technicians), while also involving non-healthcare professionals, ensuring an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to the care of transplant patients.
Currently, the program is in its second phase, which includes specialized sessions on immunological aspects, psychosocial care, patient education, and organ-specific care. These modules are designed to provide participants with in-depth knowledge of the various aspects of the transplant process, from patient evaluation to postoperative follow-up.
This program is the result of a strategic collaboration between DTI Foundation, the Saudi Ministry of Defense, and Eight Eye of Training, and is aimed at significantly improving the quality of organ transplant care, both in Saudi Arabia and internationally.
The training of Case Managers in this field is essential to improve the coordination and follow-up of transplant patients, contributing to the efficiency and effectiveness of the transplant system. As we advance in this project, our goal remains the same: to continue working to improve organ donation and transplantation globally.
With initiatives like this, DTI Foundation reaffirms its commitment to healthcare education, knowledge exchange, and the continuous improvement of transplant systems worldwide.
PEPE BUITRÓN GRANT: Today we introduce the three new scholarship holders!
Finally, after a through selection process, we have chosen three students from all the applicants. We want to thank all participants and emphasize that this selection is an example of DTI Foundation and the Pepe Buitrón Scholarship’s commitment to inclusion, training healthcare professionals worldwide to improve health systems and save lives through the best practices and international standards.
🌟 We are excited to introduce the 3 scholarship holders of this edition! 👩⚕️👨⚕️👩⚕️🩺🏥
🎓Mary Paola del Carmen Morocho España (Ecuador)
🎓Magdalena Zuñiga Yudiche (Mexico)
🎓Luiz Gustavo Torres Dias da Cruz (Brazil)
✨ Follow us to learn more about them in the upcoming days!
The Pepe Buitrón Scholarship: Application opens July 15th
The Pepe Buitrón Scholarship is an initiative designed to honor the legacy and memory of Dr. José Manuel García Buitrón, affectionately known as Pepe Buitrón. He was a pioneer and a prominent professional in the field of organ donation and transplantation, Dr. Buitrón was committed to sharing his knowledge and experience with the rest of the world. He was a generous, friendly, compromised and optimistic person who believed in equity, fraternity, and the betterment of humankind.
Dr. Pepe Buitrón was a founding member and Vice President of DTI Foundation. A transplant urologist and former director of the Oficina de Coordinación de Trasplantes and Hospital Manager of Complejo Hospitalario de A Coruña, Spain, Hospital Canalejo, he left an impact on the medical field and the international community.
For 30 years, Dr. Buitrón collaborated with DTI Foundation, undertaking training and cooperation work in countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, the Philippines, and Cuba, among many others. He served as an inspiration and role model for all members of the international community involved in donation and transplantation.
The Pepe Buitrón Scholarship
The scholarship is an important initiative that aims to provide training opportunities to healthcare professionals who wish to expand their knowledge in the field of organ donation and transplantation. By offering these opportunities, the scholarship enables these professionals to improve practices and enhance the quality of life in their respective communities.
Requirements and Selection Criteria
- Who can apply?: Professionals in the field of organ donation and transplantation.
- What activities are eligible?: Curso Superior Internacional en Donación y Trasplante de Órganos y Tejidos.
- How can you apply?: Submit a motivation letter and a CV including personal aspirations, the country’s situation, and information on donation activity and commitment to the community.
- How much will they cover?: Course registration fee and accommodation during the course.
In conclusion, the Pepe Buitrón Scholarship embodies the spirit of no borders, personal initiative, openness to change, adventure and passion. It reflects DTI Foundation's commitment to the international community and the vision of Dr. Pepe Buitrón. Through this scholarship, we continue to support and nurture future leaders in the field of organ donation and transplantation, just as Dr. Buitrón did during his lifetime.
You can read the full scholarship requirements here.
Application process will open on July 15th.
DTI and the SCOT collaborated in the organization of two courses in Organ Donation across Saudi Arabia
The Donation and Transplantation Institute (DTI), in collaboration with the Saudi Center of Organ Donation (SCOT), recently organized two training courses in the cities of Riyadh and Abha. This initiative, held this week, is part of DTI's ongoing collaboration with SCOT, aimed at enhancing the deceased organ donation program in Saudi Arabia.
There were 43 participants in Riyadh and 70 in Abha. The courses offered participants to gain valuable insights into organ donation and transplantation by sharing international best practices from countries such as Italy, Belgium, Brazil, France, and Spain.
We sincerely thank King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh and Aseer Central Hospital in Abha for their invaluable collaboration and the facilities to conduct these courses successfully.
We commend SCOT's efforts to improve the deceased donation program in the country and eagerly anticipate the positive outcomes of this collaboration in the near future.
Success during the 28th edition of the TPM Advanced International Training Course
The 28th edition of the Transplant Procurement Management Advanced International Training Course took place in Barcelona from November 6th to November 10th, 2023. This has been the first edition conducted face-to-face after the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have counted with 66 participants from 19 countries. This international gathering of healthcare professionals allowed participants to learn and share experiences while creating an international network.
The course's success was underpinned by collaborative teamwork in small groups, interactive workshops and the guidance of an esteemed international faculty with expertise in the field of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
We wish all participants the best in their careers, and we hope the course will help them advance in organ donation and transplantation in their countries. It has been an honour to have you in this course and work with your potential and enthusiasm towards the same goal.
7th International Workshop on DCD donors: Uncontrolled & Controlled
The 7th International Workshop on Uncontrolled & Controlled donors after circulatory death ended today. This course had 31 participants from over 10 nationalities.
After some online sessions guided by international experts in DCD, participants and faculty gathered in La Coruña, Spain, for in-person sessions. From October 26 until October 28, healthcare professionals actively participated in different workshops to learn about uncontrolled and controlled DCD. These workshops took place in the Technological Training Centre (CTF) of the University Hospital A Coruña (CHUAC).
In the recent years donation after cardio-circulatory death (DCD) donors, either from an uncontrolled or a controlled DCD program, have been a focus of intense interest in the transplant community, based on the high potential they must increase the pool of organ donors.
During this course professionals were trained in DCD procedures, including organ recovery using normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) technique and ex-situ machine perfusion. Thanks to EBERS sponsorship, kidney and liver ex-situ machine perfusion was demonstrated.
End of II Curso Em Banco de Tecidos
The II Curso Em Banco de Tecidos finished yesterday after a 3-days module about tissue donation and transplantation. Including family approach when communicating bad news.
It was addressed to transplant coordinators with the objective to promote donation of tissues in the country.
This course was co-organised with the Ministério da Saúde -Instituto Portugués do Sange e da Transplantação (IPST). This was the second activity organised this year as DTI Foundation first did a course in Transplant Coordination.
Both courses have been taught in portuguese. Workshops and live streaming sessions were taught with a couple of Spanish-Portuguese experts.
Virtual Reality Workshop at the University of Barcelona
On October 29th, a virtual reality educational experience was put into practice with 3rd year medical degree students from the Clinical Campus of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona.
This activity was carried out within a subject coordinated by Dr. Clhoë Ballesté, Ricard Valero and David Paredes.
It is an experience through 360º videos and virtual reality glasses that he develops and an interview with the different members of a patient's family. It is an immersive learning activity that allows students to put themselves in the shoes of a doctor and live the experience as if it were real. In this way, they have been able to work in much more detail, within virtual reality, the communication of bad news aimed at the relatives of patients.
The activity has been very well received by students.
This virtual reality experience was created by the Donation and Transplantation Institute (DTI) Foundation in conjunction with Immersium Studios.
DTI-CNT Online Training in Organ Donation
DTI Foundation and Istituto Superiore di Sanità – Centro Nazionale Trapianti (ISS-CNT) continue their long-lasting collaboration, which started in 1999. Along these 22 years, 3825 participants have been trained in 98 courses of different modalities.
During the current year, a Self-Study Online Course in Organ Donation and 3 live sessions titled Organ Donation Update in Covid-19 Times have been developed.
The self-study course lasted one month (11th January-22nd February) and aimed at introducing the participants into the field of deceased and living organ donation. The theoretical content was divided in 10 topics (Donor Detection System, Brain Death Diagnosis, Donor Management, Family Approach, Organ Recovery and Preservation, Organ Allocation Criteria, controlled and uncontrolled Donation after Circulatory Death) and complemented with self-assessing activities.
UEMS-EACCME© certification was provided.
The live sessions were distributed in 3 days (1st-3rd March) with the main aim to provide an update on how much the pandemic has affected donation and transplantation activities and how important and necessary it is to continue updating and training healthcare professionals from this field in this context. The faculty included experts from both countries, Italy and Spain.
A total of 67 participants completed the program and were certified also with CME Italian credits.