Former NYC Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, Council Member and Transplant Patient Justin Brannan Back HEiTC Policy Push, Join Coalition as Advisors

(New York, NY, February 19, 2025) – HEiTC, the Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition – founded by Al B. Sure!, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Rachel Noerdlinger to expand access to donated organs and quality post-procedure care – has added former New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, a veteran public health official and fellow at Harvard University and the Meharry Medical College’s School of Global Public Health; and sitting Council Member Justin Brannan, who has publicly shared his journey to receive a cornea transplant; have joined the growing effort.

“Access to organs and quality healthcare should be a basic right, but many of the 100,000 Americans who need a transplant still face many struggles,” said Al B. Sure!, Executive Chairman of HEiTC. “Dr. Vasan and Council Member Brannan, who has been my guiding light in this journey, understand this all too well because they have both uniquely lived it as a public health expert and a transplant recipient. Their support for HEiTC reflects the reality that many elected officials and public servants realize that access to quality organ transplants and care is not a political issue, but a moral one we must rectify.”

“Dr. Vasan and Council Member Brannan’s support reflect the notion that so goes New York, so goes the nation,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, Senior Advisor for HEiTC. “They will not only help guide us with medical and governmental expertise, as well as lived experiences, but send a message to the nation that New York City stands for what is right, just, and fair for the American transplant community.”

“Having served in the highest levels of New York City government myself, I can say that City Hall produces the best and the brightest,” said Rachel Noerdlinger, Co-Founder of HEiTC. “That is certainly the case with two of my dearest friends, Dr. Vasan and Council Member Brannan, who we are thrilled to welcome into HEiTC. They will help guide how we advocate for fair access in 2025, which will be a pivotal year for our movement.”

“Organ failure does not discriminate against rural or urban communities, yet residents of both face unique, insurmountable barriers to getting a transplant – despite it being the unilaterally best treatment,” said former New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, Medical and Policy Advisor to HEiTC. “Getting a transplant is just the first step in a lifelong journey to protect this gift, which requires quality, daily maintenance. This care should be accessible, affordable, and of the highest quality regardless of who you are, what you do for work, or where you live.”

“A failing organ doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican. And a person who needs a transplant doesn’t care which their donor was either,” said New York City Council Member and Transplant Patient Justin Brannan, Policy Advisor to HEiTC. “Access is a bipartisan issue we should all agree to address, whether it’s to actually get an organ or have the right set of tools for every day that comes after. I’m more than honored to join true advocates and many of my fellow New Yorkers to urge transplants for all.”

Dr. Ashwin Vasan:
Dr. Ashwin Vasan is the former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He is a primary care physician, epidemiologist, and public health expert with nearly 20 years of experience working to improve social welfare and public policy for marginalized populations in New York City. He has served on the faculty at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is also an advocate of health equity, once noting, “Medicine has not been immune to the legacy of racism, and it has infected the way we care for minoritized communities across this city and this nation for too long.” In December 2023, he was appointed the James McCune Smith Distinguished Fellow at Meharry Medical College’s School of Global Health, the oldest historically Black medical school in country. He also serves as a Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Council Member Justin Brannan:
Council Member Justin Brannan is the current New York City Councilmember for the 47th district, based in Bay Ridge and Coney Island, Brooklyn. He received a cornea transplant and has pushed for free vision care & eyeglasses for the poor.  After his cornea transplant, needed due to a rare eye disease (keratoconus), he began a campaign that raised awareness about the importance organ donation.  He studied journalism in college before becoming a professional musician, his bands releasing several albums and touring the world. He later became involved in union organizing and intergovernmental affairs at the NYC Department of Education. He also passed a law in New York City that provides free eye exam and eyeglasses to residents whose annual income is within 250% of the federal poverty level.