April is national Organ Donation Awareness Month! The AST Transplant Pharmacy Community of Practice supports an annual event called “The Organ Donation Challenge.” The Challenge relies on collaboration with pharmacy schools and student chapters of pharmacy professional organizations. Students are challenged to design and conduct at least one organ donation event and submit a summary by Friday, May 29 2026 at 11:59 pm PST.
Here you will find the 2025-2026 Project Guide The guide provides an overview of transplant, describes why organ donation is important, reviews the organ donation challenge, lists pharmacy school liaisons/mentors, provides a project planning timeline, and contains examples of past organ donation projects. Examples of past projects are also highlighted on our Instagram (@ast_txppharmcop).
Qualifications for Submission:
- Have a collaborator who is a current member of the AST Transplant Pharmacy COP
- Complete the appropriate Form below to summarizing the challenge event/project:
- Student Submission Form
Project will be considered for The Best Overall, Best New Project, and Most Sustainable Project when utilizing this form - Resident Submission Form
- Applicant will be considered for Best Resident Project when utilizing this form
- ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT: Resident MUST have their AST Champion send a letter via email to Raffaella Troiano (rtroiano@myast.org), Ally Webb (awebb@tgh.org), and Idris Yakubu (idris.yakubu@vcuhealth.org) confirming the resident’s involvement.
- Student Submission Form
Grant Support: Veloxis® Organ Donation Challenge Project Grant
Grant Description
The goal of the Organ Donation Challenge (ODC) Project Grant is to provide financial support for pharmacy student groups who are conducting projects through the AST Transplant Pharmacy Community of Practice’s Organ Donation Challenge.
Application and Procedures
Pharmacy student groups and their partner AST member (transplant pharmacist or resident) are invited to submit a project proposal that is in line with the goals of the Organ Donation Challenge. The proposal may be related to any aspect of organ donation including but not limited to education or promotion.
Award
Four winners will be selected. Each winner will receive a grant of $125 to assist in the implementation of the described project proposal. The winner will be announced by March 13, 2026, and the grant funds will be distributed immediately following. The grant funds must not be used for activities other than the organ donation awareness challenge.
Eligibility and Limitations
- Students must be enrolled in a U.S. accredited school of pharmacy.
- At least one member of the project team must be a member of AST. In most cases, this will be the partner transplant pharmacist or a transplant pharmacy resident.
- Each applicant group can submit only one project.
Application Deadline
Applications must be submitted electronically via email by Friday, February 27 2026, at 23:59 EST. The application should include the application form, complete and signed. Applications should be submitted to idris.yakubu@vcuhealth.org.
Evaluation Process
All entries received will be assigned a number and screened for adherence to the application rules. A review panel nominated by the AST Transplant Pharmacy Community of Practice’s Organ Donation Workgroup will consider all valid applications. The winning applicants will be selected by the review panel and subjected to approval by the COP’s Executive Committee.
Grant Application can be found here: 2026 ODA Grant Application
Awards:
- The Best Overall Project: Awarded to the group who receives the overall highest score. The winner of this category will be featured at the 2026 American Transplant Congress (ATC), and the winning school will receive an engraved plaque in recognition of their efforts. A monetary prize of $500 is sponsored by Veloxis Pharmaceuticals is awarded to the Best Overall Project.
- Best New Project: Awarded to a school that has not previously submitted a project to the Organ Donation Challenge. The new school with the best new project will be awarded a monetary prize of $250 sponsored by Veloxis Pharmaceuticals.
- Most Sustainable Project: Awarded to a school whose efforts are most likely to be continued on an annual basis. The school will provide justification on how their events are likely to be sustained. The most sustainable project will be awarded a monetary prize of $250 sponsored by Veloxis Pharmaceuticals.
- Best Resident Project: Awarded to the top-scoring application with significant resident involvement. In order to apply, the resident who participated will provide an overview of their involvement and submit their letter to to Raffaella Troiano (rtroiano@myast.org ), Ally Webb (awebb@tgh.org) and Idris Yakubu (idris.yakubu@vcuhealth.org), and their AST Champion via email. The best resident project will be awarded a $250 monetary prize sponsored by Veloxis Pharmaceuticals
Project Evaluation:
The challenge will include a focus on collaboration with the schools of pharmacy. Encouragement for participation by the schools of pharmacy will be extended through the AST Transplant Pharmacy Community of Practice. All submissions are evaluated by a panel of three impartial judges selected by the AST Transplant Pharmacy Community of Practice. The judges will not be eligible for the award and will consider both qualitative and quantitative factors when scoring the projects. The winners will be announced at the 2026 American Transplant Congress (ATC). Please see the Organ Donation Project Guide for the most up-to-date scoring criteria.
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