People serving on the OPTN Board of Directors, OPTN committees, OPTN review boards, or other OPTN volunteer groups must agree to abide by the OPTN Code of Conduct. A code of conduct is a framework for developing high standards for professional ethics and conduct.
The OPTN also has rules about who may make public statements on behalf of the OPTN. Per the OPTN Management and Membership Policies, only the OPTN President is authorized to speak on behalf of the OPTN. Any other OPTN volunteer must be specifically authorized by the OPTN President to speak on behalf of the OPTN. In this case, the volunteer would be provided with prior written authorization that states the purpose for which the volunteer is authorized to speak on behalf of the OPTN, and the duration of the authorization.
The OPTN also provides social media guidelines for OPTN volunteers, which may help answer questions about what is considered a public statement.
OPTN social media guidelines
OPTN Directors, Committee members, and volunteers may use unofficial social media, including personal and non-OPTN business accounts. In doing so, OPTN Directors, Committee members, and volunteers must adhere to the OPTN Code of Conduct, including protecting the confidential information of the OPTN, and abide by the OPTN Management and Membership Policies regarding public statements to avoid any appearance of endorsement by the OPTN, including the Board of Directors and its committees. The following guidelines apply:
- OPTN Directors, Committee members, volunteers may share personal experiences and opinions on personal social media accounts.
- OPTN Directors, Committee members, volunteers must ensure that personal and non-OPTN business social media accounts avoid the use of OPTN titles in a way that could imply OPTN endorsement of the content.
- Where confusion or doubt is likely to arise regarding the personal nature of social media activities, OPTN Directors, Committee members, volunteers are encouraged to include a disclaimer clarifying that their social media communications reflect only their personal views and do not necessarily represent the views of the OPTN. For example, OPTN Directors, Committee members, volunteers may consider adding a disclaimer to the biography section of social media accounts stating, “Views are my own,” or “All opinions are my own.”
- OPTN Directors, Committee members, volunteers may use personal and non-OPTN business social media accounts to forward, like, or link to official OPTN information, provided it is done in a manner that does not express or imply that the OPTN has authorized any personal content shared with the official information.
Anyone may submit a complaint or concern if they believe that an OPTN volunteer may have violated the OPTN Code of Conduct. Visit the reporting allegations of misconduct web page for more information.
Frequently asked questions
People who volunteer with the OPTN are encouraged to share their opinions on OPTN matters. However, only the OPTN President is authorized to speak on behalf of the OPTN, unless the OPTN President has specifically granted prior authorization in writing to other volunteers to speak on behalf of the OPTN. Without such authorization, when commenting on OPTN matters, OPTN volunteers must state that they are commenting in an individual capacity and not on behalf of the OPTN.
To avoid any appearance of speaking on behalf of the OPTN, volunteers may wish to include a disclaimer in their presentations:
- The views expressed in this presentation are my own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), nor any other organization of which I am affiliated.
Depending on your role with the OPTN, you may have access to confidential information. As required by the OPTN Code of Conduct and Confidentiality agreement, it is your responsibility to protect confidential information of the OPTN. You should notify the OPTN President if you receive a request from the media to speak about confidential matters, as personal opinions or speculation should not be shared regarding confidential matters.
Volunteers may receive requests on behalf of their employers or related to their area of expertise and may be actively involved in other organizations within the organ donation or transplantation community. It is critical to share with the reporter that you are not speaking on behalf of the OPTN when commenting on OPTN matters. If you are asked to speak on an OPTN issue, please notify the OPTN President. The President will confirm prior authorization in writing, if approved to speak on behalf of the OPTN, and assist as needed.
Meeting attendance and participation are critical in advancing the work of the OPTN. The OPTN Board and Committees are populated to bring diversity of opinion and expertise. The general bar for participation is 80% attendance across all assigned meetings. Virtual attendance at in-person meetings counts towards the 80% benchmark. If you miss two consecutive meetings, staff will contact you to check in regarding the absences. Your attendance is necessary to vote and advance ideas. The 80% attendance will be reviewed on an annual basis by committee term (July-June) and addressed on a case-by-case basis.
No. The OPTN strives to seek a diversity of expertise and opinion within its volunteer workforce. Individuals are encouraged to bring their thoughts and opinions to the table, but this must be done in a respectful manner. When a decision is made and ultimately approved by the Board, Committee or Review Board, participating members sharing personal opinions regarding the outcome should continue to do so in a respectful manner and make it clear that these thoughts are their own and not representative of the OPTN.
When sharing personal opinions or thoughts outside of the Board or committee, it is important to avoid any appearance of endorsement by the OPTN. Where confusion or doubt is likely to arise regarding sharing thoughts, a disclaimer is encouraged. The disclaimer above or the OPTN Social Media Guidelines may be a resource here.
Many members serve in various roles across the community (e.g. other societies and organizations, patent holders, start-up companies, studies, etc.). Disclosing these activities as potential conflicts of interest and recognizing them if related issues arise during meetings is critical to managing them appropriately. You may be excused from a discussion or abstain from voting on topics where you have specific outside interests (fiduciary or financial) to avoid any perceived or real conflict of interest. Conversely, it would be highly inappropriate to take information learned through the OPTN to benefit you personally in relation to these outside activities. Such behavior is disallowed in the OPTN Code of Conduct. This duty is not intended to preclude volunteers from taking effective practices learned via participation in OPTN work and applying them within their organization to improve performance.
Any report made regarding potential OPTN Code of Conduct violations will be reviewed an Compliance Officer. If a violation did not occur, the OPTN Compliance Officers may recommend that no action be taken regarding the volunteer.
Once a report of a potential violation is received, the individual accused of the violation will be notified by one of the two Compliance Officers. The individual will have seven days to respond and may request an informal discussion with a Compliance Officer and may request the presence of a third party at the informal discussion.
If the Compliance Officers confirms that a violation of the Code of Conduct occurred, the Compliance Officers will recommend an appropriate resolution to the OPTN Executive Committee. The OPTN Executive Committee will decide the action appropriate for the violation unless the recommendation is to remove a Director, Committee Chair, or Committee Vice Chair from their position, in which case the OPTN Executive Committee may recommend that the OPTN Board of Directors remove the individual according to Article 3.5 Removals of the OPTN Bylaws. Committee members and other volunteers may be removed from their position by the OPTN Executive Committee or according to review board operational guidelines.
An individual may request to appear before the OPTN Executive Committee when a Compliance Officer is recommending action on a confirmed violation.
An individual may request to appear before the OPTN Board of Directors when the OPTN Executive Committee recommends that the OPTN Board of Directors remove the individual, according to Article 2.5 Removals of the OPTN Bylaws.