Mark Tudor’s daughter, Marissa, became an organ, tissue and eye donor after her death at the age of 22 in July 2018. Her donor status helped save five lives.
Mark Tudor joined organ recovery agency ARORA of Little Rock in January. Previously he was the senior director of organ procurement organization operations at LifeNet Health in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Before that, he was director of hospital and recovery services at Gift of Life Michigan. He has more than 25 years of experience in the organ, tissue and eye recovery sector.
Tudor earned a bachelor’s in biology from Bowling Green State University and master’s in management, strategy and leadership from Michigan State University.
What are some of the challenges you face getting people to donate their organs? How do you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges we face is the distrust in the medical community. Therefore, we work with organizations such as the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation. AMAT has celebrated 30 years in specializing in minority outreach. We are extremely proud to have several community support specialists who help educate the diverse community we serve throughout Arkansas.
What did the pandemic mean for organ donation, and how has it played out?
The onset of COVID-19 was challenging, to say the least. Trying to figure out how to stay safe and still honor the donation process was difficult. We did see a decrease in donations for a few months due to the fear of transmission. We soon found out that the virus is only transmittable in the lungs, and all other organs have not shown a single transmission of COVID-19.
Does organ donation help with the grief process of losing a loved one? How?
As a donor father myself, I find great relief in my healing process knowing that my 22-year-old daughter saved five lives. Our families have met several of her recipients and we remain close to this day. It provides the ability to think of something other than the way she died. I choose to focus on the way she lived, and even after death she became someone’s hero.
Where does ARORA’s revenue come from?
ARORA’s revenue comes from the transplant hospitals when an organ is procured for transplant. It is illegal to buy and sell organs in the United States. ARORA, a nonprofit organization, is a federally regulated organization that has oversight from [the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services]. Our primary funding comes from Medicare.
Why is diversity, equity and inclusion in the organ and tissue recovery and transplant sectors important?
The only way we are going to decrease or eliminate the waiting list is to have an increase in the minority authorization rates. Building trust and engagement with our community partners and educating the residents of Arkansas fall in line with the inclusive team we are building. ARORA is very proud to look like the community we serve. We are a very diverse organization with predominantly minority leaders.
ARORA had a record 2021, recovering the most organs in its 30-year history. How did that happen, and how is 2022 shaping up?
ARORA is leading the country in percentage increase for donations in 2022 and outpacing the nation in the number of organ donations, going from 64 donations in 2020 to our projection of 158 in 2022. Putting that in terms of lives saved: That is an additional 139 people. This has been a combined team effort. Honoring the decision to donate when someone has signed up on the registry has spearheaded this change.
Do the economic challenges other businesses feel — inflation, supply chain problems — affect your business? How?
Like various health care entities, we’ve found that supplies have been difficult to obtain during COVID. We are fortunate to have sold relations with our suppliers and hospital partners that have allowed us to not miss a donation opportunity.
What’s the best leadership lesson you’ve learned?
Build a team that emulates the culture you want to achieve and allow them to do their job. Nothing destroys culture and morale more than stifling a leader’s ability to lead.
Do the economic challenges other businesses feel — inflation, supply chain problems — affect your business? How?
Like various health care entities, we’ve found that supplies have been difficult to obtain during COVID. We are fortunate to have sold relations with our suppliers and hospital partners that have allowed us to not miss a donation opportunity.
What’s the best leadership lesson you’ve learned?
Build a team that emulates the culture you want to achieve and allow them to do their job. Nothing destroys culture and morale more than stifling a leader’s ability to lead.
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