In 2004, more than 6.700 Americans died waiting for organ transplants - at least 187 were from Michigan . Dr. Robert Mentzer, a surgeon and organ-transplant advocate who recently was named dean of the Wayne State University Medical School, says the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which administers the national waiting list of organ-transplant candidates, is concerned about alternative allocation schemes that award preferential treatment. "There's always a risk that people will start thinking of donated organs as commodities rather than gifts of life," he said.