19 Years of Training Recovery Professionals. 19 Years of Advancing Research
IIAM’s Surgical Recovery Workshop is more than a training course—it’s an opportunity to sharpen real-world surgical skills, learn from experienced recovery professionals, and see firsthand the impact your work can have on medical research.
Now in its 19th year, IIAM’s bi-annual Recovery Workshop returns October 13–14, 2026, at Donor Network of Arizona in beautiful Tempe, Arizona.
Each year, IIAM brings together experienced recovery personnel from our OPO partners for an intensive 2-day program of hands-on surgical training, practical education, and knowledge-sharing focused specifically on organ recovery for research.
Learn by Doing. Improve Through Feedback.
The workshop is designed around an open, collaborative learning environment where participants can practice surgical techniques, ask questions, learn from experienced instructors, and receive immediate feedback.
The two-day program includes:
- Hands-on cadaver lab training to develop and refine surgical recovery skills
- Classroom education on the importance of offering research donations to donor families
- Training on special considerations involved in organ recovery for medical research
- Insight from researchers as to why non-transplanted donor organs are critical to advancing medicine, therapeutics and discovery
- Capturing best practices from highly experienced recovery professionals
Our instructors bring extensive surgical recovery experience and specialized knowledge of research organ recoveries. Their goal isn’t simply to demonstrate techniques to help participants build confidence and develop skills they can take directly back to their recovery programs.
Learn From the People Who See the Impact
There is another important part of the workshop: understanding why the recovery matters.
Participants will hear firsthand from IIAM’s research sponsors—the scientists who use donor gifts to advance medical discoveries. Hearing directly from researchers helps connect the recovery team to the laboratory and demonstrates how the skills of procurement professionals ultimately contribute to better understanding disease, developing treatments, and improving human health.