{"id":23,"date":"2016-09-09T11:52:04","date_gmt":"2016-09-09T11:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mnitf.org\/?page_id=23"},"modified":"2026-07-25T02:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T02:14:10","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mnitf.org\/es\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Qui\u00e9nes Somos<\/h2>

We are here to save and improve lives<\/h4>\n\t
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LA FUNDACI\u00d3N DEL INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE TRASPLANTES MENDEZ (MNITF, por sus siglas en ingl\u00e9s) es una entidad p\u00fablica sin fines de lucro dedicada a la misi\u00f3n de avanzar en la ciencia y la pr\u00e1ctica de los trasplantes de \u00f3rganos y de las terapias para enfermedades de \u00f3rganos en etapa terminal a trav\u00e9s de la investigaci\u00f3n, la educaci\u00f3n y la innovaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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OUR TEAM<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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JUSTIN DOOLEY<\/span><\/strong>
\nChairman<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Justin is the President and CFO of Chassi, an enterprise software company, and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for MNITF.<\/p>\n

Before joining MNITF, he was the President of First Virtual Group, a multi-billion-dollar holding company with global interests in real estate, agribusiness, financial asset management, and philanthropy. In addition, he was part of the executive leadership of Siebel Systems, from its start-up through its addition to the S&P 500.<\/p>\n

Justin holds an MBA from Stanford University\u2019s Graduate School of Business. He also earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois, where he serves on the President’s Council and is a University of Illinois Foundation Member.<\/p>\n

Justin is married with two sons.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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NICOLE MENDEZ<\/span><\/strong>
\nExecutive Director<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Nicole Mendez has been with MNITF since 1995. As a marriage and family therapist, she recognized early on that the psychosocial needs of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and kidney transplant recipients were largely unmet. She founded MNITF’s Community & Patient Education Department and its One-on-One Kidney Transplant Program to improve access to transplantation and support long-term patient success.<\/p>\n

In 2012, she launched MNITF’s innovative Edutainment initiative, creating and producing award-winning digital series and film projects that educate and engage audiences on critical kidney disease and transplant issues. Projects include\u00a0Arreglando a Paco<\/em>,\u00a0Unidos por el amor<\/em>, and the feature films\u00a0La cadena de Navidad<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0A Heart Full of Hope<\/em> \u2014 all focused on reducing disparities among populations at risk for kidney disease and improving access to kidney transplantation.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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RESEARCH<\/h3>\n\t
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We strive to improve the lives of those with end-stage organ disease and those with organ transplants. In 2014, the Mendez National Institute of Transplantation (MNIT) and MNITF merged and created the Research Grant Program, which awards grants semiannually to improve clinical outcomes and positively impact the field of transplantation. MNITF\u2019s research excellence has been made manifest through our awards, patents, and strong publication record in scientific literature, which has helped change clinical practices worldwide. The MNITF continues the vision and legacy of our founders by awarding grants semiannually to researchers to improve clinical outcomes and positively impact the field of transplantation. We are uniquely able to advance transplantation-related research through nonprofit\/private partnerships during this unprecedented time of scarce federal funding.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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EDUCATION<\/h3>\n\t
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We create education and outreach programs for underserved populations to increase access to transplantation. Our award-winning series,\u00a0Arreglando a Paco<\/em>, provides vital information about kidney transplantation to Latinos and those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In 2017\/2018, we expanded our outreach nationally with the Get the Facts! Get Checked! Get Healthy! PSA campaign to promote kidney disease awareness and prevention. In 2023, we launched the\u00a0Unidos por el amor<\/em>\u00a0series and docuseries in an effort to decrease the disparities of kidney disease and increase access to transplantation and living donation among Black and African Americans. In 2024, we released La cadena de Navidad<\/em>, a feature film highlighting kidney donor chains and kidney disease prevention. In addition, our social media campaigns focus on kidney disease prevention and healthy living.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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INNOVATION<\/h3>\n\t
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We have contributed to many major advances: the use of young and old donors; transplantation across the ABO barrier; absorbing antigraft antibodies and the development of immunosuppressive protocols; work on xenoantibodies; islet encapsulation; and the innovative application of new technologies to detect donor- transmitted infections such as hepatitis, HIV, Chagas disease, and West Nile Virus. These innovations have made a real-world difference to patients and represent our continuing mission to develop and bring new clinical and basic developments to the transplant community. Our Research Grant Program supports innovative and impactful research to advance transplantation. For public education, we focus on innovative and entertaining ways to provide vital healthcare information to prevent kidney disease and failure and increase access to transplantation.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE<\/h2>

Advancing the science and practice of transplantation<\/h3>
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MNITF\u2019s commitment to advancing the science and practice of transplantation has never been stronger. When the events of 2020 unfolded, we rapidly worked to address how best to serve the transplant community. As the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest gripped our nation, we funded groundbreaking research projects related to COVID-19. We also deepened our commitment to developing\u00a0Unidos por el amor<\/em>, an award-winning \u201cedutainment\u201d series. We have created more research and education opportunities to broaden our impact on helping those affected by kidney disease and kidney failure. We have also added new board members, who come from various industries, to increase our national profile and open up new funding opportunities. The Unidos por el amor<\/em> series addresses the significant healthcare disparities that exist for African Americans in accessing kidney transplantation through a heartwarming fictional story intended to entertain while providing vital healthcare information. In addition, we just launched the award-winning feature film, La cadena de Navidad<\/em>, available on streaming platforms. Our friends, supporters, and donors remain the lifeblood of MNITF. We thank you for your ongoing dedication to our mission.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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\u00a1Ay\u00fadanos a salvar y mejorar las vidas de quienes padecen una enfermedad org\u00e1nica en etapa terminal!<\/h2><\/div>
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DONAR<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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