August 24, 2017 Posted by rgill
As you probably know, much is happening regarding liver allocation policy. The transplant community is at a crossroads with the OPTN/UNOS Liver and Intestinal Organ Allocation Committee’s recently released public comment proposal on enhancing liver allocation. I encourage all AST members to carefully review and comment on this proposal.
After carefully considering all the feedback received during the August 2016 public comment period that addressed geographic disparities in access to liver transplantation, the committee spent time considering potential alternative solutions and...
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July 31, 2017 Posted by rgill
Since the early years when transplantation was viewed as an experimental procedure, the field has made significant advances. However, as we all know, there is still considerable progress required to improve the lives of our patients. To overcome challenges in transplantation, it is important to collaborate amongst our broad range of expertise in the field. In addition to AST's Communities of Practice, there is now an exciting new way to share your ideas.
I am happy to announce that the AST, in collaboration with its Community of Basic Scientists and Trainee & Young Faculty COP...
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July 26, 2017 Posted by rgill
To foster the next generation of transplant physicians and investigators, the AST is committed to providing opportunities to expose trainees to the field of transplantation. These include mentoring our young professionals and students through programs including the Fellows Symposium and the ATC Student/Resident Travel Grant program.
The ATC Student/Resident Travel Grant program, developed by Dr. Sharon Bartosh, is designed to inspire medical students and residents who have not yet committed to a...
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July 06, 2017 Posted by rgill
In just a few months, the AST will host its annual Fellows Symposium in Grapevine, Texas. This meeting provides a unique opportunity for physicians in training to spend dedicated time to enhance their knowledge and confidence in key areas of transplantation medicine.
Registration for the Fellows Symposium will close on July 26 at 12:01 AM EST.
To give prospective attendees further insights about the meeting, I have invited former Fellows attendee, Hector...
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June 30, 2017 Posted by rgill
It was an honor to be inducted as President of the American Society of Transplantation (AST). Being a member for more than 13 years, I am proud of the work the Society has done, and I am excited about its growth potential going forward. The AST is made up of members of diverse backgrounds and concentrations in transplantation, but our work has one final goal – to improve the lives of our patients.
To achieve our goal of better overall care for patients, the AST is advancing several initiatives that are aligned with our strategic priorities. Below are some highlights:
...
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May 08, 2017 Posted by achandraker
We were pleased to have Dr. Daniel Schwartz from CMS present at CEoT 2017 as part of our “Transplant Value- How to Survive the Next Decade” session. Dr. Schwartz focused his presentation on valuing the public payor perspective in transplantation. As part of his talk, he provided an overview of the recent CMS regulatory changes regarding how transplant programs outcomes requirements are reviewed. I asked Dr. Schwartz to write a blog on this topic to ensure that this information is reaching our members who were unable to join us in Phoenix for the CEoT meeting, as it impacts all of us....
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March 27, 2017 Posted by achandraker
At AST, we take pride in the success of our 14 Communities of Practice (COPs), which are specialty-area groups within AST that allow members to network, advocate for issues, and exchange knowledge and ideas. This idea of specialty breakout groups is unique to AST and is very beneficial to our members and our society.
This year, the AST will be adding a 15th addition to its COP portfolio, the Organ and Tissue Preservation COP. This exciting new COP will officially launch at the American Transplant Congress (ATC) meeting next month. This group...
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March 13, 2017 Posted by achandraker
At the end of February, AST held its 5th annual Cutting Edge of Transplantation (CEoT) meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. We considered it a successful event, as nearly 400 transplant professionals attended in a collaborative meeting entitled One Transplant for Life: Many Pathways to Success. The location didn’t hurt, either, as attendees flew from all over the world to participate in a meeting surrounded by warm weather, palm trees, and pools.
The meeting started with something a little bit different: Transplant Tolerance Shark Tank (ably moderated by Tony Jevnikar and Ken Newell). This...
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March 08, 2017 Posted by achandraker
Last week, the transplant community lost an icon. At the age of 90, Dr. Thomas Starzl passed away peacefully at his home in Pittsburgh. While he was a transplant legend, he was also a longtime member of AST. In 2006, AST awarded Dr. Starzl with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
There have been countless tributes since Dr. Starzl's passing, noting his incredible accomplishments. For this blog, I have invited Dr. Angus Thomson, Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Immunology from the University of Pittsburgh, to write a guest...
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February 15, 2017 Posted by achandraker
The number of both deceased and living organ donations continues to grow. However, there is little content online to educate living donors about the potential medical, psychosocial, and financial impacts of being a living donor.
As a result, the AST website now includes a Live Donor Toolkit, which provides much needed resources for these donors. For this post, I have invited donor advocate, Rebecca Hays, to do a guest post about this new resource. ...
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