BY EMILY HALNON
BIO
- J.D. ’02, The University of Baltimore School of Law
- Health Law Shareholder at Baker Donelson
- Advisory Board, Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation
- Advisory Board, Carlos and Marguerite Mason Center for Organ Donation and Transplant Education and Policy in the Mercer University School of Medicine
- Member, Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network
- Advocate, equity in organ transplantation
Organ donation changes lives, and in many instances, saves them. But the process isn’t as simple as checking a box on a driver’s license. Donation and transplant exist at opposite ends of a process that can be rife with legal challenges for donors, recipients, families and doctors—and very few lawyers with the expertise to help them navigate.
When Melodie Hengerer, J.D. ’02, realized this need existed, she pivoted her legal career. Her sole focus is now on organ transplant and donation, and working with health care providers, tissue banks and organ procurement organizations (OPOs) to guide them through legal and regulatory issues so they can get organs to people who need them. In fact, the bulk of her clients are OPOs—federally regulated nonprofits that serve as a conduit between donors and recipients at transplant centers—that help with everything from authorizing donation to assessing the clinical suitability of an organ for donation.
“My clients operate in a world of high stakes—literally, life and death. It’s an honor to be the one helping them face challenges while doing work that I absolutely love,” she said.