Pennsylvania Launches Free Online Course for Organ Donation Education

Pennsylvania's Department of Education and Health have launched a new online course aimed at secondary school educators, designed to bring accurate and engaging lessons on organ and tissue donation into classrooms across the state. The initiative, developed through a collaboration with Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 (IU13), offers a free, self-paced course that provides educators with four hours of Pennsylvania Act 48-approved continuing education.

It equips teachers with classroom-ready lesson plans, activities, and instructional resources aligned with Pennsylvania's Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness (OTDA) curriculum. The flexible format allows educators to complete the training at their convenience, making high-quality professional development more accessible.

According to Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen, the new training course will be used across the Commonwealth. "When educators incorporate this information into their curricula, not only will students discover being a donor is a selfless act, but they can also learn the science behind it. Perhaps this will inspire some students to continue to advance this important field of medicine," Dr. Bogen said.

The course covers a range of topics, including the need for organ donors, the impact of the national transplant waiting list, common myths and misconceptions about donation, and the differences between living and deceased donation. It also delves into the science of organ and tissue donation and transplantation, including advances in transplantation medicine and current medical practices.

Developed through a statewide collaboration, the course is part of Pennsylvania's ongoing efforts to increase organ and tissue donation awareness. The initiative began in 1994 with the passage of the Governor Casey Act (Act 102), which established a comprehensive statewide effort to increase organ and tissue donation awareness. In 2018, Act 90 strengthened that commitment by requiring the development of a curriculum framework for organ and tissue donation education.

Since 1996, the OTDA Education Project has been a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Lancaster-Lebanon IU13. The new eLearning course builds on that foundation by transforming the expert-developed curriculum into a flexible, scalable professional development experience that can reach more educators across the Commonwealth.

The course also introduces educators to Pennsylvania's OTDA Grant Program, which provides funding and support to help schools implement organ and tissue donation education initiatives. Together, these innovative statewide resources help schools expand access to high-quality donation education and prepare more students to make informed, evidence-based decisions.

Educators who successfully complete the course will earn four Pennsylvania Act 48 continuing education hours. The interactive online program features knowledge checks, quizzes, anatomical illustrations, and downloadable teaching materials that educators can immediately incorporate into their classrooms. The curriculum also includes practical guidance for leading meaningful, age-appropriate classroom discussions, research projects, and other student-centered learning experiences.