NATCO History
Our Story
The 1960’s was a very optimistic time for transplantation, as can be seen by the many “firsts” in transplantation. Those who dedicated their lives to this work, assisting with the management of the donor, recovery of the organs, and care of the recipient, may not have had the title of “coordinator” yet, but coordinators they were. They were the pioneers of our profession
During the late 1970’s, prior to the official forming of NATCO in 1979, early practitioners in the field came together to help define the role of the coordinator in the donation and transplantation process. The first gathering of professionals took place in Los Angeles in 1975, marking the numbering of our current annual meetings.
As coordinators continued to network, learn from one another, and develop their profession, they developed training courses for new practitioners. This tradition continues today with a modern and updated version of the Introductory Course being held each year. We are proud to have completed our 37th annual course in 2019.
With the advent of new technologies, NATCO continues to offer top quality programs on state of the art platforms. We are able to draw from a rich history of top experts in the field who continue to promote the profession of donation and transplant coordinators. NATCO’s membership continues to grow to include all the various members of the multi-disciplinary team.
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