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Transplant News

March, 2020

March 20, 2020
A number of transplant organizations from around the world have partnered to develop this educational webinar for the organ donation and transplantation communities. Our goal is to share experiences to date and respond to your questions about the impact of COVID-19 on organ donation and transplantation. View Video
March 20, 2020
A number of transplant organizations from around the world have partnered to develop this educational webinar for the organ donation and transplantation communities. Our goal is to share experiences to date and respond to your questions about the impact of COVID-19 on organ donation and transplantation. Monday's Town Hall webinar has reached its limit of 1,000 registrants. It is not possible to raise the participant cap at this time. Understanding that a number of interested parties will miss out on the live webinar due to the registration cap, a recording will be made available as soon as... Read More...
March 07, 2020
On March 7, 2020, the American Society of Transplantation proudly presented the AST Innovation Award to Dr. Peter Reese and Dr. David Goldberg and the THINKER project, at the Cutting Edge of Transplantation (CEoT) meeting in Phoenix, AZ. Optimizing the use of organs from HCV-infected donors at a time when there have been so many potential donors with untreated hepatitis C is one of the biggest, most immediate opportunities to bring transplant’s benefits to more patients. Dr. Reese and Dr. Goldberg, along with their team of collaborators including the Gift of Life Donor... Read More...

February, 2020

February 11, 2020
The AST was saddened to hear about the recent passing of David O. Taylor, MD. David was a leader in the field of advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology and a long-time editor of the AST/ASTS joint journal the American Journal of Transplantation. His service to the AJT also included Deputy Editor for the heart transplant portfolio, a role he started in July 2019.  David previously served as chair of the Thoracic Transplantation Committee for the AST, and served as President of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. He spent most of his career at the Cleveland... Read More...
February 07, 2020
On behalf of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, we are pleased to announce the selection of Sandy Feng, MD, PhD, as the next Editor-in-Chief of our shared journal, The American Journal of Transplantation (AJT). Dr. Feng is a Professor of Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, where she performs liver, kidney, and pancreas transplants. Dr. Feng is also the Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Surgery and the Director of the Abdominal Transplant Surgery fellowship program. She has mentored many medical students,... Read More...

January, 2020

January 06, 2020
In December 2019, Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI) and Michael Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) along with Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Jason Smith (R-MO), Donald McEachin (D-VA), and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) introduced H.R. 5534, the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2019. The American Society of Transplantation (AST), representing a majority of the nation's medical professionals in the field of organ transplantation, has been advocating for this change for over a decade and strongly supports this legislation. AST and transplant community are grateful for our... Read More...

December, 2019

December 30, 2019
The Transplantation Society in collaboration with the American Society of Transplantation (AST), acknowledges the contribution of basic science to the field of transplantation by offering Mentee-Mentor awards. The International Transplantation Science Mentee-Mentor Awards aim is to encourage young investigators to submit their research to TTS 2020 and help cover expenses to attend the Congress in Seoul. For more information about the awards and eligibility,... Read More...

October, 2019

October 15, 2019
The OPTN Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplantation Committee seeks public comment beginning October 15, 2019, on a proposed change to a closed variance for allocation of the second segment of split livers. The proposed amendment would align the geographic distribution area within the variance to the geographic distribution units currently in use, as well as those to be used upon future implementation of the acuity circles distribution policy. This proposal will be posted to the ... Read More...

July, 2019

July 24, 2019
Dear Transplant Professionals, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ASHP) recently published data on shortages of tacrolimus, an anti-rejection medicine used to prevent rejection after organ transplantation.1-8 At the time this information was published, these shortages apply to some generic versions of tacrolimus, and dates for resolution of the shortages range from July 2019 to April 2020. Generic formulations have been evaluated by the FDA and are equivalent to brand-name (innovator) medicines.9  If this shortage affects your patients,... Read More...
July 10, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Society of Transplantation (AST), representing a majority of the nation's healthcare professionals involved in the field of solid organ transplantation, strongly applaud today's kidney patient-focused Executive Order from President Donald Trump and his healthcare team. Today's health policy announcements will hopefully serve to empower kidney patients, their families, and those individuals donating or awaiting a lifesaving donor organ.  AST President Emily Blumberg, MD, stated today, "The AST strongly commends the Administration, Secretary of HHS Azar, as... Read More...

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