2002-2023

The MDFF invests in the future by supporting the University of Maryland and other organizations through gifts and scholarship endowments.

2023

The MDFF adopts a new mission to prevent families from experiencing the heartbreaking loss of a loved one due to an organ shortage. With this goal in mind, our initiative to increase the availability of life-saving organs emerged.

2024

The MDFF requests the University of Maryland School of Public Health research and report on (1) organ donation and transplantation practices around the world and (2) organ donation messaging and measures of effectiveness.

2025

The MDFF proposes support for collaborative research efforts between the Fischell Department of Bioengineering and the School of Medicine at the University of Maryland. The ultimate goal is to reduce the organ waiting list to zero.

The MDFF gifts $500,000 to the University of Maryland to support bioengineering research on organ transplantation, from extending organ viability to improving patient outcomes. Most of the funding supports an endowed graduate fellowship at the A. James Clark School of Engineering, as well as the University of Maryland School of Medicine and their Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine. The goal furthers the institutions’ shared mission to end the organ shortage crisis.

The gift also supports an exciting new symposium at the St. John Center that will bring together experts, clinicians, researchers and students to share the latest advances in organ transplantation research, inspire collaboration and attract more partners to this life-saving mission. The first symposium is scheduled for October 2026.

2026

The MDFF welcomes the opportunity to submit a Practicum Proposal to Georgia Tech’s Data Science team for possible inclusion as a student project. The applied research initiative focuses on evaluating kidney procurement, allocation, and transplant outcomes in the US using both publicly available and restricted-access datasets.

Stay tuned, more on the way!