About MOHANUSA
MOHAN USA: Promoting Ethical Organ Donation.
MOHAN USA, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) registered non-profit organization that was formed to increase awareness about organ shortage and promote transparency and ethical organ transplantation in the USA and rest of the world. Mohan USA was founded by a group in the USA that includes eminent doctors and individuals who are passionate about the cause of organ donation.
Our Mission:
MOHAN USA aims to accomplish this by partnering and collaborating with established organizations in the USA and reputed non-government organizations (NGOs) in India and worldwide that are already addressing this problem. One such NGO that we are supporting and partnering with in India, is MOHAN Foundation (www.mohanfoundation.org), that has been a pioneer in promoting ethical organ donation since 1997. They have facilitated over 12,000 successful organ and tissues transplantations. They have been invited to share their expertise with other countries, including an agreement with the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, and have won the prestigious British Medical Journal South Asia Award for Healthcare Advocacy.
Internship at MOHANUSA
We offer virtual internship and in-person internship with our partner NGO that has offices in almost 9 locations in India.
All interns are encouraged to complete the ‘Online Organ Donation Ambassador’ training prior to start of their internship in India. This training costs US $ 25/-. The training takes about 4 hours followed by a 2 hour online interaction with experts in the field. At the end of the training they will receive a certificate of completion. Click here to Register as Organ Donation Ambassador.
MOHANUSA Internships
Interns Divya Shanthi and Sweetlyn of MMM College of Health Sciences distributed information brochures and green ribbons as a welcome. Ms T. Sandhyaarti, Partner of the company welcomed the team of MOHAN Foundation. Organ Donation Ambassador Nithya Krishnamurthy presented an overview of organ donation, types of donations, statistics on organ donation rates in India and explained the concept of brain death. Nithya also went over how to register as an organ donor and presented myths versus the reality of organ donation to clear up any misconceptions. A video testimony from a heart recipient was also played to emphasize the impact one organ donor can have.
Dr. Hemal Kanvinde, Quality Assurance Officer, then comprehensively answered many questions from the audience. The audience was very engaged and requested clarification on the timeline of organ retrieval and return of the body to the family, whether those under 18 could sign up to be organ donors. The audience was also curious as to whether the Transplantation of Human Organs Act of 1994 had been amended or updated in Tamil Nadu. Employees took down notes and 10 of them picked up donor cards for themselves and their family members.
I came into MOHAN Foundation essentially as a stranger, a 16 year old American kid interning in Chennai. As a high school student from America, I can say that students do not typically go overseas to complete summer internships and instead choose to stay within the country doing summer programs or observing professors. However, doing an internship at MOHAN Foundation and going overseas unlike most of my peers was easily one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I got to work alongside a brilliant staff here, all of whom were extremely welcoming and I became close friends with them easily.
The staff helped me and vice versa as we all worked together to further the cause of organ donation in India. This cooperative spirit and the lighthearted, friendly culture maintained at the office were two of the best qualities of my internship. Many adults dread the prospect of going to work every morning, and go well into their 30s finding a job that they truly love. I’m extremely thrilled to say that in one month, I found that opportunity here at MOHAN Foundation.
While I was here at MOHAN Foundation, I completed a variety of tasks, all of which I had an absolute blast doing because of the outstanding staff here. I prepared and presented on the basic concepts of organ donation as my very first task. After that, I created a slideshow on the myths surrounding organ donation as part of the social media campaign, and that slideshow is currently on the MOHAN Foundation Facebook page. I also did some work in the graphic design department. I implemented slogans that will be used on organ donation posters that will go up on the website. I also designed a Pictionary game for the children at the schools where MOHAN Foundation will go as part of their awareness campaigns. The game can be played in both English and Tamil, and I also designed the layout and background of the word cards for the game. I attended and spoke at a student volunteer training program here in Chennai called the Angels of Change and prepared a video for this event as well.
This leads me into the work I performed the most often here at MOHAN Foundation: I helped create and edit videos which will be used in public awareness campaigns. These videos feature the inspirational stories of a heart transplant recipient, a double hand transplant recipient, and a kidney recipient. Hence, it is quite evident that MOHAN Foundation gave me a plethora of opportunities to do lots of varying work here. I will be forever grateful for the wonderful experience that they have provided me with.
Internship by Ms. Bhavana Akilan, Class 12, Saraswathi Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School, Vadapalani, Chennai.
There are some experiences that help you turn over a new leaf. My time here at MOHAN Foundation was one such priceless experience. My one-month internship was completely online since I took it up during the lockdown period. Despite this, I gained immense exposure and in-depth knowledge about the concept of organ donation. Dr Hemal, who was with me throughout, was my pillar of support and my guiding force. Ms. Ishwarya, Mr. Suresh and a few others were instrumental in shaping my journey here.
During the internship I took up various tasks here, such as learning about organ donation, organizing an online series of events, conducting public awareness campaigns and interactive sessions for varied audiences. Each of these tasks helped improve my people skills and various other soft skills. I now understand how people look at organ donation and have gained enough knowledge on the subject to discuss with the public about their apprehension.
I can confidently state that I have evolved into a much better version of myself. I am forever indebted to MOHAN Foundation for helping me see the world from an angle so beautiful that I can’t put it into words.
Organ Donation Podcasts – Bhavana was part of a series of podcasts done by another intern.
https://soundcloud.com/debobrata-banerjee/insight-of-the-work-of-bhavana-akilan-the-generation-gap-and-motivation
Ria Mohan will be attending an 8-year BS/MD program in college to become a transplant surgeon
Ria wanted to become an organ donation ambassador because she witnessed the direct detrimental consequences that those suffering from organ failure must cope with each and every day. Her aunt in India, who had to undergo dialysis three times a week, and who has been waiting for a kidney transplant for over 6 years now, motivated her to take action for her and all the millions of people waiting for life-saving organs. Ria founded the TRIO Youth Ambassadorship for Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness to inform community members of the lifesaving power of registering as an organ donor. Ria believes that by sharing personal stories, she can inspire people to join the registry so she started a podcast. She will be attending an 8-year BS/MD program in college to become a transplant surgeon and hopes to continue advocating for increased awareness of organ donation.
I am a student of Pondicherry University pursuing II year integrated MSc Statistics. I joined MOHAN Foundation as an intern for 35 days from mid-May to mid-June of 2018. During my internship I worked on a survey conducted on 400 police officials of Tamil Nadu and analysed the basic demographic features of the respondents. I was involved in public and police awareness programs, creation of databases, translations, public surveys and data analysis and visualisation.
During this internship I learned how to work practically with statistics, cleaning data using software like SPSS, tableau, excel etc,I had done some cartoon translations on Organ Donation. Conducting surveys gave me a glimpse of how the public views organ donation.
Coming to the work environment it was encouraging and very friendly. An intern is given full freedom to express their ideas and they guide accordingly.Their encouragement created a lot more interest in me to do creative things for awareness Organ Donation. I extend my support to MOHAN Foundation in future whenever needed,for creating awareness in public and to increase number of Organ Donation.