As a long time advocate of organ transplant Diane had the opportunity to make advances in the field…and she did. Why would an organ transplant organization split off and get into the DMV business? How can you save a life? For more than 40 years, Mid-America Transplant has facilitated and coordinated organ and tissue donation, and now serves 84 counties covering eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and northeast Arkansas. It is federally designated as one of 58 such organizations in the U.S. Mid-America Transplant is a not-for-profit organization. As President and CEO of Mid-America Transplant, Diane Brockmeier oversees strategic operations, including key partnerships with more than 120 hospitals in the counties served by the organization. She has been with Mid-America Transplant for 30 years, first as a nurse and organ procurement coordinator and then rising through the ranks to oversee all organ procurement and clinical services as the chief operating officer before becoming president and CEO in February 2016. Strategically, Brockmeier was the driving force in implementing several innovative best practices over the past several years. Her key accomplishments include overseeing the design, construction and use of a first-in-the-nation, on-site surgical suite for organ and tissue recovery. Brockmeier enhanced the initial vision to include on-site catheterization and CT scanning, which led to praise by donor hospitals and transplant surgeons for its enhanced quality control and convenience. Brockmeier was instrumental in quality and organizational changes that resulted in Mid-America Transplant being awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2016. This prestigious award recognizes the organization for its ability to support the community by saving lives through increased organ and tissue donations and marks the first time an organ procurement organization has been named a Baldrige recipient.
Brockmeier’s ability to anticipate and understand industry trends also has led to her active role in the National Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, where she has chaired and served on numerous committees related to standards and accreditations, strategic planning and procurement. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and is a committee member of the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx