Michigan State University CLS/MT Program

MTSA wins Gift of Life Award

Michigan State University’s Medical Technology Student Association has won the statewide challenge in recruiting donors to the Michigan organ and tissue donation program. The group of undergraduate students in MSU’s Medical Technology Program registered 1,494 donors with Gift of Life Michigan. MSU’s recruitment accounted for 29 percent of the registrations received during the University Challenge – a competition between 18 universities and colleges in Michigan.

“It was great to see so many MSU students willing to help out and save a life by becoming organ and tissue donors,” said Stacy Reijmer, a medical technology senior and president of MSU’s Medical Technology Student Association. “More than a dozen students dedicated their time to visit large lecture classes on campus and personally enroll hundreds of students.”

This is the third year of the University Challenge, which is organized by Gift of Life Michigan and the Michigan Department of State. From Jan. 9-Feb. 19, the students from the schools competed to sign up the most people on the Gift of Life Organ, Tissue & Eye Donor Registry. A total of 5,014 names were received during the challenge.

John Gerlach, associate professor of medical technology at MSU, is director of the MSU Tissue Typing Lab that assists in matching donor tissues with the patients waiting for transplants.

“Being a registered donor on the state's donor registry means that you are truly an altruistic individual offering hope to the many individuals needing organs,” he said. “The MTSA did a marvelous job bringing this message to the MSU community. It was a great group effort in helping others give the ‘Gift of Life.’”

MSU won the first University Challenge in 2004 when only MSU and the University of Michigan competed in the program. More schools were invited to participate in 2005 and MSU reclaimed the top honors in 2006.

“With the increased competition, the students devised a solid strategy and really followed it through,” said Kathy Doig, director of the Medical Technology Program at MSU. “Their strategy and commitment makes the entire department proud.”

The Medical Technology Program at MSU has 301 undergraduate students and is located within the College of Natural Science. The program prepares students for the laboratory profession and advanced study in the clinical laboratory sciences as well as careers in a variety of medical fields.

Gift of Life Michigan is the state’s full-service organ and tissue recovery organization that acts as the intermediary between donors, physicians and hospital staff. Gift of Life Michigan, in collaboration with the Michigan Eye-Bank, provides all services necessary for organ, tissue and eye donation.

For more information, visit the Web at http://www.giftoflifemichigan.org/.

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