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About this Activity

Paediatric organ transplantation occupies a uniquely complex space in clinical medicine — technically challenging, emotionally charged, and often misunderstood.

Despite the profound life-saving potential, awareness around paediatric donation remains low, and persistent myths continue to obscure the realities of access, outcomes, and decision-making.

This session, presented as part of our Organ Donor Awareness Month series, invites specialist practitioners to look beyond assumptions and engage with the critical truths behind paediatric transplantation. 

Drawing on both evidence and lived clinical experience, Dr Marisa Baretta, Paediatric Hepatologist at Wits University’s Donald Gordon Medical Centre, will unpack the urgent issues facing children in need of transplant — from the systemic scarcity of paediatric donors to the often-invisible barriers to timely referral and equitable access.

 

Framed around clinical insight and real-world stories
This session is both a challenge and a call to action — to shift the narrative, build awareness, and ensure that small patients are not left behind in the transplant conversation.
 


Presented as part of Organ Donor Awareness Month

 What You Will Learn


In this session, Dr Marisa Baretta will guide us through the realities of paediatric organ donation and transplantation, unpacking the challenges, misconceptions, and critical decision points that shape outcomes for children in need of transplant. We will explore:


Deconstructing the data
•What low donor numbers truly mean for clinical practice and patient outcomes.

Myth-busting:

Exposing the most persistent misconceptions influencing both public perception and clinical decision-making.

Sickest First:
How allocation works for children and why prioritisation matters

The Vital Role of Paediatric Donors:
•Why their contribution is more important now than ever before

Ethical and Clinical Complexity:
Navigating high-stakes decisions under intense pressure
 

 


Meet Your Speakers

 
Your Speaker
Speaker 1
Dr Marisa Beretta

Paediatric Hepatologist at Wits University Donald Gordon Medical Centre

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Your Host
Speaker 5
Linda Ravenhill

Editor, Medical Education Network
 

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About Your CPD Accreditation

This activity review is accredited for 1 Level 1 Clinical point on completion of at least 90% of this webinar.

HPCSA-registered healthcare professionals
On completion of both activities, HPCSA-registered healthcare professionals will receive 1 Level 1 Clinical CPD point.
The Medical Education Network will submit a record of your completed activities to the HPCSA at the end of each month. You will receive a notification email from us informing you that this has been done.

Non-HPCSA-registered healthcare professionals.
If you are a non-HPCSA-registered healthcare professional, this activity may contribute to your accreditation requirements. Please keep a record of your certificate obtained on passing this questionnaire for submission to your respective Registration Council.  For more details on the number of points you will be awarded, please contact your Council directly.


 

 

 


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