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Blog Spotlight: He’s a Legendary Transplant Surgeon. At 88, His Work Isn’t Done
October 22, 2025
Legendary transplant surgeon, Dr. Clive O. Callender, sits with Word In Black writer, Anissa Durham, in the latest installment of the series “On Borrowed Time”, which explores the current landscape of the organ transplantation ethos in the lives of Black patients.
As one of the first Black transplant surgeons in the country, Dr. Callender recounts his humble beginnings from naps on the hospital floor in Washington, D.C.’s Freedmen’s Hospital during his residency to founding The National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP), and most of all, raising a family. Dr. Callender’s life’s work centers around helping one Black patient at a time.
With over 600 transplant surgeries under his belt and hundreds of awards later, the pioneer in the organ transplantation space still has work to do — even in his golden years.
Read more about how Dr. Callender’s journey continues to reshape the future of organ donation in Black communities here.
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