Ethics in Transplantation: A Foundational Conversation with Dr. Anji Wall, MD, PhD and Dr. Brendan Parent JD, PhD

*This episode launches a new series within the REIMAGINE Podcast exploring the ethical questions that shape organ donation and transplantation.*Ethics in transplantation is rarely abstract. It lives in real decisions—who receives a scarce organ, how innovation should be introduced responsibly, how informed consent should be approached, and how systems can remain both fair and compassionate.In this foundational conversation, Gabe sits down with bioethicists Brendan Parent and Anji Wall to explore how ethical questions arise in clinical practice and policy, how ethicists actually approach “should” questions, and why transplantation presents a uniquely complex ethical terrain.Together they discuss the role of bias, informed consent, scarcity, and innovation, as well as emerging challenges surrounding technologies like normothermic regional perfusion and xenotransplantation. The conversation also explores how ethical inquiry can help guide innovation rather than simply reacting to it.This episode sets the stage for an ongoing series examining ethics across transplantation policy, living donation, emerging technologies, and the evolving responsibilities of clinicians and institutions working in this space.GuestsBrendan Parent, JD, PhDAssociate Professor in the Section of Medical Ethics and Director of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He also directs Transplant Ethics and Policy Research for the institution. His work focuses on ethical and policy considerations that shape a fair and equitable transplant system.Anji Wall, MD, PhDTransplant surgeon and prominent bioethicist at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Her work focuses on clinical ethical issues in transplantation, including organ allocation, living donation, and the intersection of clinical practice and policy.Music By Geoff BowmanProduced by Leila Adler