Medical Director, Donation Transplant Québec

Matthew Weiss is a pediatric intensivist working in Quebec City at the CHU de Québec and an assistant professor at the Université Laval. He has multiple provincial and national donation roles, including medical director of donation at Transplant Québec. His research interests focus on the implementation of legislative and policy reform in organ donation. He is the national lead of the LEADDR research program on implementation of reforms in Nova Scotia and has participated in the development of several best practice guidelines. His peer reviewed publications touch on diverse aspects of adult and pediatric donation and he has presented on these topics in local, national, and international scientific conferences.

MD, PhD Intensive Care Medicine
Physician of the Organización Nacional de Trasplantes (ONT)
Madrid, Spain

Since 2017, Dr. Pérez Blanco has been working as a physician in the ONT dedicated to pediatric donation, heart transplant program, and leads the national program of organ donation after euthanasia and the ethics committee of the ONT. She coordinates training and research activities related to Intensive Care to facilite Organ Donation in coordination with the Spanish intensive care society.

As a physician in the ONT, in addition to workweek she works on-call, 24h five days per month as ONT consultant, to fix all problems that may arise in the coordination and transplant Spanish network.

Donation Specialist Nurse
Grampians Health Ballarat and DonateLife Victoria

Larna Woodyatt is a Donation Specialist Nurse at Grampians Health Ballarat and DonateLife Victoria. For over eight years, Larna has provided clinical and education services to her Health Service colleagues to ensure the best possible care for potential organ and tissue donors and their families. She has supported countless donor families to make enduring decisions regarding organ and tissue donation for their loved ones and in 2023 was the lead Donation Specialist Nurse for Australia’s first two organ and tissue donors after Voluntary Assisted Dying. She has a background in Intensive Care Nursing and has experience in Clinical Governance and Risk Management, specifically hospital accreditation. Larna is extremely passionate about choice at end-of-life.

Research Professor in Health Law & Professor of Philosophy of Law
University of Antwerp, Belgium

Associate Professor Helen Opdam is the National Medical Director of the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority. She is a Senior Intensive Care Specialist at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne and Director of Warringal Private Hospital Intensive Care Unit. Helen is President of the International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement (ISODP), currently serving a 2-year term (2023-2025).

Helen/Associate Professor Opdam has been involved in organ donation since 1998 and has held leadership roles influential in improving donation practices and increasing donation and transplantation rates in Australia. She has led the development of a national audit of deaths that is fundamental for measuring donation potential, assessing performance and driving advances in clinical practice. Helen/Associate Professor Opdam contributes to numerous national and international committees and initiatives including the development of ethical and donation practice guidelines and standards.