What is the legacy of a Congress in addition to the scientific legacy of improving patient outcomes through education and sharing experiences? Through a Congress Legacy Project, we have the potential to create long-term value for the community where the Congress is taking place, in this case, Rotterdam/The Netherlands. We want the 2023 Congress to have also left a lasting impact on the city of Rotterdam, long after everyone has gone home.

The ILTS 2023 Congress Legacy Project was initiated by Erasmus Medical Center Transplant Institute, with the support of ILTS, working with a number of local partners: Rotterdam Partners, the official destination marketing organization agency of Rotterdam, Erasmus Debating Society and four local schools – Erasmiaans Gymnasium, Zuider Gymnasium, Marnix Gymnasium, and Libanon Lyceum.

In this legacy project, we engaged with the next generation by hosting a debate among Rotterdam high school students to learn about and debate organ donation and transplantation. The Transplant Institute invited a liver transplant patient to talk about his liver disease and transplant process. These patient lectures were held at each participating high school in the weeks prior to the debate. The high schools also incorporated the topic of organ donation and transplantation in their curriculum to prepare for this, under the lessons of biology, social sciences, philosophy and a ‘debate club’. Both the patient lecture element and the curriculum element support the ultimate key element of the debate, under the guidance of the Erasmus Debating Society. Four teams of four high school students from each of the four schools competed during the debate. The jury consisted of experts in medical, ethical and legal aspects regarding donation and transplantation in the Netherlands.

Special thanks to Kirsten de Vries, Wojciech Polak and Sarwa Darwish Murad from Erasmus Medical Center, and to Catherine Kalamidas from Rotterdam and Partners.