Dr. Velma Scantlebury, professor of surgery at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and director of the USA Regional Transplant Center, has been appointed to serve on the advisory committee on organ transplantation for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In this role, Scantlebury will be part of a group who advises the Secretary of Health on all aspects of organ donation – procurement, allocation and transplantation.

Scantlebury, the nation’s first African-American female kidney transplant surgeon, has performed more than 800 transplants in children and adults. Her research interests include outcomes of organ donations and transplantations in African-Americans, and she was recently honored with the National Kidney Foundation’s “Gift of Life Award” for her work in transplantation among minorities.

HRSA provides national leadership, program resources and services needed to improve access to culturally competent, quality health care. As the nation’s access agency, HRSA focuses on uninsured, underserved, and special needs populations in its goals and program activities.