NKDO Engage is a series of free virtual educational and engagement events for the living donor and kidney transplant community. This series began in September of 2024, and NKDO will continue to provide these virtual events through September of 2026. Each event will engage, educate, and empower attendees on a broad range of living kidney donation topics. Through this series, we hope to raise awareness, build community involvement, and increase the number of living donations to help end the kidney crisis.
Click here to learn more about the impact of the Engage webinar series in 2025-2026.
Click here to learn more about the impact of the Engage webinar series in 2024-2025.
2025-2026 NKDO Engage Schedule
Topic: Voucher Programs and Paired Exchange Donations
Date: October 8, 2025
Time: 1:00 pm EST
Link to Recording: Click Here
An opportunity to learn about how prospective kidney donors can maximize their gift by donating to someone other than their intended recipient, which will prioritize their intended recipient for a well-matched kidney from someone else. In this way, multiple lives can be saved.
A representative from the National Kidney Registry, which operates the largest exchange platform and voucher program in the US, will be our guest speaker, discussing how this works. We will also feature donors and recipients who have participated in paired exchange and voucher donations.
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso
Speakers:
-Joe Sinacore, Vice President, Network Development at the National Kidney Registry
–Natasha Irish- Voucher Donor
-Jen Jilek- Voucher Donor
-Sonia Sua- Voucher Donor
-Kelly Welsh- Voucher Recipient
-Shireen Renaghan- Voucher Recipient
-Elizabeth Abrego- Voucher Recipient
Format: Recorded 60 minutes webinar hosted on Zoom
Topic: Ask Me Anything- What I Wish I Knew About Living Donation Before Donating
Date: November 18, 2025
Time: 7:30 pm EST
An opportunity for living donors and those considering donation to connect. Living donors will discuss personal experiences surrounding their donation experience, and those considering donation can ask questions and learn in preparation for their future donation. All others (medical professionals, caregivers, others connected to donation) are also welcome to attend.
Breakout rooms will cover the following topics: My post-donation body; The donation experience at the hospital; Relationship changes; Emotional impacts
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso; NKDO volunteers facilitating breakout rooms
Format: Unrecorded 60 minutes interactive meeting with breakout rooms
Topic: Caregiver Experiences and Support
Date: January 21, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm EST
Link to Recording: Click Here
This forum will feature a panel of caregivers of living kidney donors. This will include people who were initially unenthusiastic about their loved one choosing to donate, those who eventually went on to choose to donate themselves, and those who were caregivers to both donors and recipients in their families.
We recognize that it can be confusing and challenging to discover that your loved one has decided to become a living kidney donor, and want to give voice to people who have navigated this unique experience and open up the conversation about this sometimes difficult topic.
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso
Speakers: Melina Pineyro- Senior Manager of Health Programs for the National Alliance of Caregiving
David Austin
Kerin Clapp
Elaine Perlman
Format: Recorded 60 minutes webinar hosted on Zoom
Topic: Ask Me Anything – Celebrating Achievements Post-Donation
Date: March 12, 2026
Time: 3:00 pm EST
Our fourth session, Ask Me Anything – Celebrating Achievements Post-Donationprovides an opportunity for living donors and those who are interested in learning more about donation to learn more about the experience of life after donation for those who have donated, and gone on to lead healthy, active lives.
Breakout rooms will be available to discuss athletic achievements, pregnancy post-donation, positive long-term emotional outcomes, and successes in living donation advocacy.
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso; NKDO volunteers facilitating breakout rooms
Format: Unrecorded 60 minutes interactive meeting with breakout rooms
Topic: Post-Donation Depression
Date: April 21, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm EST
Link to Recording: Click Here
Our fifth session, Post-Donation Depression, discusses the emotional and psychological challenges some living donors report after the donation process is over. This acknowledged, but not often discussed phenomenon is common enough in the living donor community that we believe it is important to share resources and provide an opportunity for discussion and education to the wider living donation community on the topic.
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso
Special guest speaker: Leilani Mason (PIP, LICSW, EMDR Certified, EMDR CIT) of Healthy Minds Consulting.
Panelists:
Christine Haan
De Lana Prechtl
Amy Delsing Devin
Format: Recorded 60 minutes webinar hosted on Zoom
Topic: Ask Me Anything – Obstacles and Challenges in Donation
Date: June 15, 2026
Time: 6:00 pm EST
Link to RSVP: Click Here
Our sixth session, Ask Me Anything – Obstacles and Challenges in Donation provides an opportunity for living donors to connect with one another to discuss the unique difficulties that came up during the process of being evaluated for donation, and things that have been challenges since donation.
Breakout rooms will be available for those who wish to discuss medical complications, for those who want to discuss relationship difficulties, for those who want to talk through some of the difficulties that came up during the evaluation process, and for those who ended up being denied the ability to donate all together.
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso; NKDO volunteers facilitating breakout rooms
Format: Unrecorded 60 minutes interactive meeting with breakout rooms
Topic: Multicultural Living Donation – National Minority Donor Awareness Month
Date: August 6, 2026
Time: 11:00 am EST
Link to Recording: Click Here
For our seventh session in the Engage series, we will celebrate National Minority Donor Awareness Month by focusing on the topic of Multicultural Living Donation. We will welcome expert voices to share experience and expertise on the dynamics at play which contribute to the disproportionate volume of people of color on the kidney transplant waitlist, and the unique barriers and challenges for people of color who seek a living kidney transplant.
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso
Special guest speakers:
-Trish Phillips (Founder, Multicultural Miracle Donor Foundation)
-Dan Holmes (Founder, Enlisted Kidney Foundation)
-Wilson Du (Founder, The MissionHQ)
Format: Recorded 60 minutes webinar hosted on Zoom
Topic: Ask Me Anything – Resources for Kidney Patients
Date: September 16, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm EST
Link to RSVP: Click Here
Our eighth session, Ask Me Anything – Resources for Kidney Patients provides an opportunity for kidney patients to learn more about various resources in the living donation space available to those looking for how to find a living kidney donor.
Breakout rooms will be available for people to learn more about various programs and resources in the space which might help a kidney patient as they try to identify a prospective living donor.
Living donors are encouraged to attend as well, to share their perspectives about what caused them to make the decision to donate, and share insight and advice from their lived experiences.
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso
Breakout room hosts:
-Atul Agnihotri, Kidneys for Communities
-Laurie Lee, Transplant Village
-Abbey Collins, Next Step Next One
-Krista Sweeney, Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation
Format: Unrecorded 60 minutes interactive meeting with breakout rooms
2024-2025 NKDO Engage Recordings
Topic: Helping Your Recipient Find a Kidney If You Can’t Donate
Date: September 25, 2024
Time: 1:00 pm EST
Moderator: Lisa Emmott
Speakers: Dr. Amanda Leonberg-Yoo, Penn Transplant; Tammy Mayer; Donna Viau
Link to recording: Click here
Topic: Ask Me Anything – Recipient Relationships
Date: November 19, 2024
Time: 8:00 pm EST
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso
An opportunity for living donors to connect and discuss personal experiences surrounding relationships with their recipients.
Breakout rooms will be available for those who have donated to their parent, those who have donated to their child, those who did not meet their recipient, those who have a complicated relationship with their recipient, and those whose recipients have passed since donation.
Topic: Complications and Challenges with Living Donation
Date: January 29, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm EST
Moderator: Lisa Emmott
Link to recording: Click Here
This forum is for prospective living donors to ask questions about the difficulties they may encounter during evaluation, surgery, and recovery from living donation. Living donors who have experienced challenges or complications (and those who have not) are encouraged to attend to share their experiences and provide information about what new donors may encounter during the process.
Topic: Ask Me Anything – Donor Motivations
Date: February 25, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm EST
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso
This virtual forum provides an opportunity for living donors and those considering living donation to connect with one another to discuss personal motivations that led to their decision to become a donor.
Please come and participate in this opportunity to talk about the often hard-to-understand internal process that leads to the decision to donate.
Topic: Donate Life Month – Unique Perspectives in Living Donation
Date: April 15, 2025
Time: 3:00 pm EST
Moderator: Lisa Emmott
Link to recording: Click Here
Living organ donation isn’t one-size-fits-all. In this webinar, we’ll explore the many ways people choose to donate—and the personal motivations behind those decisions. You’ll hear from a medical expert who works with living donors, as well as people who’ve already donated themselves. Whether you’re just curious or actively considering donation, this is a great chance to learn from those who’ve been there.
Topic: Ask Me Anything – Bring Your Ideas
Date: May 14, 2025
Time: Noon EST
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso
Link to recording: Click Here
This virtual forum is an opportunity for members of the living donor and transplant community to connect with NKDO leadership to share ideas they have about how to increase the number of living donations in the United States.
Please bring your ideas for new ways our community can mobilize to help those currently waiting on a life-saving kidney to this discussion.
Topic: Multicultural Living Donation
Date: August 27, 2025
Time: 3:00 pm EST
Moderator: Emily Polet-Monterosso
Link to recording: Click Here
August is National Minority Donor Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about organ, eye, and tissue donation in diverse communities. This includes highlighting the importance of living kidney donation, especially within multicultural populations. Join us for this webinar focused on education, outreach, and encouraging donor registration and family conversations about organ donation.
Speakers include:
Dr. Anthony Watkins, transplant surgeon and the Surgical Director of Kidney Transplant at Tampa General Hospital
Trish Phillips, living kidney donor and founder of the Multicultural Miracle Donor Foundation
Wilson Du, living kidney recipient and living donation advocate
NKDO is thankful for a generous grant from Sanofi, who helped make these educational webinars possible.