Motivations of Anonymous Living Liver Donors and Double Donors

Supervising Faculty: Jennifer Steel, PhD

Contact: Jennifer Steel, steejl@upmc.edu 

Area of Research: Health Psychology

Description of Research: Living donation is a strategy to reduce the waiting list for those who are awaiting a kidney or liver as a result of organ failure.  Living donors are individuals who donate their liver and/or kidney to a family member, friend, or stranger.  We are interested in the motivations and psychosocial outcomes of living donors who have donated anonymously to a stranger and living donors who have donated both a kidney and a liver.  

Duties of Students: The student will also assist with telephone interviews involving the long-term follow up of donors after surgery with kidney and liver donors.  Additional responsibilities include entering data into RedCap and abstracting data from the medical record.  Students may also attend research and medical meetings.  Students would also be able to write papers for publication and/or honor’s thesis from this data set.

*We have pandemic specific requirements that may apply in which students may be required to work after 5pm or on weekends in the office and/or remotely from home depending on the task.

Requirements:

  • Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • 12 credits of Psychology (including current term)
  • STAT 0200/1000/1100 Statistics
  • PSY 0036 Research Methods Lecture
  • PSY 0037 Research Methods Lab
  • Minimum two-semester commitment and at least 2 credits

Terms offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Number of Students: 5

To apply: Complete the application at: https://forms.gle/jakVpdepqHeGxk5Z7. Following this, send an email to Dr. Steele at steejl@upmc.edu to let her know that you have completed an application.