Harry Wilkins, MD, MHCM, is President/CEO of Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network. In that role, he provides overall leadership for the organization, guides its strategic direction and ensures that the organization stays true to its mission — to save and enhance the lives of as many people as possible through organ and tissue donation.
In addition to leading Gift of Hope through several record years of life-saving organ donation and transplantation, Dr. Wilkins led the Association for Organ Procurement Organization’s (AOPO) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion task force which formed AOPO’s inaugural DEI committee. He was also appointed as Commissioner of the Roseland Community Medical District by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
In 2022, the Chicago Defender, one of the first African American newspapers in U.S. history, honored Dr. Wilkins among their notable ‘Men of Excellence.” In 2023, Dr. Wilkins was named a Business Leader of Color by Chicago United, a nonprofit that advances multiracial leadership and inclusive business practices.
Dr. Wilkins is a fellowship-trained trauma surgeon and has held numerous medical leadership positions including Medical Director for the Midwest Transplant Network in Kansas. He also served as Medical Advisor to the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations.
Dr. Wilkins received the Health Resources and Services Administration Medal of Honor for his work in the National Organ Donation Breakthrough Collaborative. In addition, he co-authored “The Art of Effective Physician Communication,” a text used by organ donation professionals throughout the country.
Before joining Gift of Hope in October 2020, Dr. Wilkins served as Attending Acute Care Surgeon for Quincy Medical Group. Dr. Wilkins holds a Doctor of Medicine from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a master’s in Healthcare Management from Harvard University.
