ACHLR Public Lecture - Professor Dominique Martin

Please join members of the Australian Centre for Health Law Research for a public lecture with Professor Dominique Martin presenting:

Traveling abroad for organ transplantation – who travels where and should Australia be worried?

Little is known about international travel for organ transplantation (ITOT). Many people assume that most travel consists of transplant “tourism”, in which people travel abroad to purchase an organ on the black market or use their wealth to take advantage of transplant programs in another country at the expense of local patients in need. While such practices present real concerns, some ITOT is not only ethical but necessary. Health policy makers and health professionals working in transplantation face significant challenges as they strive to support necessary and ethical travel for transplantation while deterring, preventing, or responding to unethical travel. These challenges are exacerbated by the current lack of information regarding who travels where and why.

In this talk Prof Martin draws on the work of the ITOT Research Collaborative, presenting data from their 2024 survey of transplant professionals’ experiences with ITOT that provides valuable new insights into the demographics of people who travel internationally for organ transplantation. She will discuss what is currently known about the involvement of Australia in ethical and unethical travel and explore some of the barriers to collection and reporting of ITOT involving Australia. It will be argued that Australia has a responsibility to develop new mechanisms for reporting of ITOT involving incoming and outgoing living donors and transplant recipients. Australia should also strive to collaborate more with other countries in the region to support responsible travel for transplantation and the development of ethical donation and transplantation programs.

About the presenter

Dominique E. Martin, MBBS, BA(Hons Phil), PhD, is Professor of Health Ethics and Professionalism in the School of Medicine at Deakin University in Australia. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the Australian Centre for Health Law Research (ACHLR) at QUT. Dominique’s research focuses on ethical issues in organ, cell, and tissue donation and transplantation, nephrology, and professionalism in healthcare. She currently leads the International Travel for Organ Transplantation Research Collaborative.

Dominique led the development of the 2025 National Health and Medical Research Council Ethical guidelines for organ, cell and tissue donation and transplantation in Australia. She is a member of the inaugural Lancet Commission for Transplantation and of the World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Advisory Panel on Donation and Transplantation. She is currently an Associate Editor of Transplantation, and a member of the Transplantation Working Group of the International Society of Nephrology. Dominique is also a founding member and former co-chair of the Custodian Group of the Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism.

Event details

Date: Monday 16th November 2026
Time: 5.30pm to 7pm AEST (arrival from 5pm)
Location: Owen J. Wordsworth (OJW) Room, S Block, Level 12, Gardens Point campus (or register to attend ONLINE)
Catering: Some light refreshments will be provided for in-person attendees
Cost: Free

In-person attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a brief Question & Answer session that will follow the lecture. We look forward to meeting you there.