Living kidney donation, in which a living person donates one kidney to another in need, offers the best outcomes for many kidney patients. However, the pool of living donors is limited, partly due to the exclusion of potential donors with a high body mass index (BMI).

Next month, researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and Houston Methodist will launch a new study aimed at developing recommendations and tools to support ethical and equitable decisions about living donation by potential donors with high BMIs.

Emma Tumilty, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioethics and Health Humanities in the School of Public and Population Health and Research Ethics team member in the Institute for Translational Sciences at UTMB, will explore these issues with Amy Waterman, PhD, FAST, Professor of Outcomes Research in Surgery and Director of the Patient Engagement Lab at Houston Methodist and Principle Investigator of the project. 

Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the project will involve interviewing individuals who applied to be a living kidney donor but were denied due to a high BMI. The researchers will investigate how potential donors think about their weight and health, how they consider risks, and whether they received education or other support for weight loss. The goal is to develop recommendations and tools to ensure fair and ethical practices in living kidney donation, ultimately increasing the supply of transplantable kidneys while promoting equity and understanding in donor screening and support.

For more details about the funding, visit NIH Reporter.

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