2020 Board of Directors Election

Josh Levitsky, MD, MS, FAST

Josh Levitsky, MD, MS is currently a Professor of Medicine and Surgery in the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Levitsky received his B.S. from the University of Michigan and M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He then completed an Internal Medicine residency and Gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Chicago Hospitals and a Transplant Hepatology fellowship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, receiving an AASLD Fellowship Award. At Northwestern, he completed a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation. He is currently certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology.

Dr. Levitsky’s academic interests are clinical and translational in nature, with a focus on liver transplant immunosuppression, tolerance and biomarkers. He has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts, book chapters and reviews on topics relevant to liver disease and transplantation. He is a Deputy Editor for the American Journal of Transplantation. He is the principal and co-investigator for a number of NIH, pharmaceutical and investigator-initiated trials. At Northwestern, he is currently the Gastroenterology Program Director and Director of Liver Research. He has been elected to the Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators and has received several teaching awards.

Dr. Levitsky is an active member of several professional societies, including the American Society of Transplantation, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, and the International Liver Transplantation Society. He was previously a Councilor-At-Large for the American Society of Transplantation from 2014-2017. He was a prior chair of the American Transplant Congress, recent co-chair of AST’s CEOT meeting and is the current co-chair of the AST Education Committee. One of his passions is trainee education, establishing the AST Comprehensive Trainee Curriculum and regularly participating in the yearly Fellow’s Symposium. Dr. Levitsky’s dedication to the field of transplantation and AST includes all facets of clinical care, advocacy, research and education.

Councilors-at-Large

Andrew Adams, MD, PhD

Dr. Andrew Adams is a transplant surgeon/scientist and Director of Clinical and Translational Research at the Emory Transplant Center.  He graduated from Emory University School of Medicine’s combined MD/PhD program in 2005.  After completing his general surgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, he returned to Emory to complete a fellowship in transplant surgery and subsequently accepted a faculty position.

Dr. Adams is a clinically active adult and pediatric liver transplant surgeon with diverse research interests.  As an NIH funded investigator he has made pivotal contributions to the field of transplantation immunology including work emphasizing the interplay of the transplant recipient’s immune history and tolerance induction.  He is an internationally recognized leader for his work in translational transplant immunology and non-human primate models of transplantation.  Dr. Adams played a key role in the pre-clinical development of belatacept as well as optimization of its use in patients.  More recent his research efforts have focused on preclinical models of kidney and liver xenotransplantation.

Dr. Adams has contributed to the AST serving in various capacities including as a current member of the ATC program committee as well as the COTS (Community of Transplant Scientists) executive committee.  He has been an active participant in the AST’s Fellow Symposium as both a faculty speaker and member of the program planning committee.  Previously he has been a member of the CEOT planning and TIRN Scientific review committees as well as an Associate Editor for American Journal of Transplantation.  He frequently serves on ad hoc NIH Study sections as well as other grant review committees.    

In his free time he enjoys being outdoors, including hiking and snowboarding with his wife and children.

Howard Eisen, MD, FAST

I helped set up the Cardiac Transplant Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1980’s. I was then the Medical Director of the Temple University Cardiac Transplant Program which became the largest in the United States. I also was Medical Director of one of the first three Mechanical Circulatory Support Programs in the country. These efforts involved developing coordination between diverse groups of individuals. This resulted in a very large transplant program with excellent outcomes and leadership in the development of innovations in post-transplant management and clinical trials. I led the first everolimus clinical trial in cardiac transplant recipients (Eisen HJ, et al,. N Engl JMed 349:847-858, 2003). Additional clinical trials that I led or helped to lead inluded the first MMF clinical trials in cardiac transplantation, the first micoremulsion cyclosporine clinical trial as well as a randomized clinical trial which established tacrolimus as a superior immunosuppressive agent to cyclosporine. I also set up the CARGO study which resulted in the development of gene expression profiling as a standard of care for post- heart transplant management. More recently, I organized and led the everolimus versus MMF clinical trial, the largest clinical trial in cardiac transplantation which included 63 centers in 14 countries. I have also conducted transplant related resarch funded by the NIH and the AHA and have been a member of transplant related NIH Sudy Sections.

Since 2010, I have been an Associate Editor of The American Journal of Heart of Transplantation. I was a member of the AST Non-Adherence Consensus Conference in 2007. I Co-Chaired the AST Grants and Awards Committee from 2012-15. I was Chair of the AST Thoracic Committee (the predecessor of the Thoracic Transplant COP) from 2007-08 and Co-Chair from 2006-07. I chaired the AST-ACCP Grant Review Committee from 2005-07. I have reviewed abstracts for ATC meetings and have designed Thoracic Transplant Sessions for these meetings.I was one of the first four transplant Cardiologists to become a Fellow of the American Society of Transplantation. I am a frequently invited speaker and moderator at ATC meetings. I am also a Deputy Editor of Clinical Transplantation and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, the Journal of Cardiac Failure and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology- Heart Failure.

From 2016-2019, I served on the Board of Directors of the ISHLT.From 2015-18, I was Chair of the Inter-Society and International Coordination Committee of the ISHLT which resulted in new collaborations with and increased participation from Latin America, Asia, and other under-represented regions.In 2007, I organized a joint AST-ISHLT Symposium at the ISHLT Scientific Meeting. I have also been a member of the ISHLT Scientific Meeting Program Committee seven times. I was named one of the 27 top Cardiologists in the United States in 2017 by Forbes magazine. I was also elected to membership of the Association of University Cardiologists in 2019.

I have been funded by the NIH and American Heart Association (AHA) and was an Established Investigator of the AHA. I have also served on NIH and AHA grant study sections including some of which were transplant related. I am presently Chair of the Heart Failure and Transplantation Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology of the AHA.

Simon Horslen, MB, ChB, FAST

Simon Horslen MB ChB FRCPCH FAST FAASLD: I am a Professor in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University Of Washington School Of Medicine. I am Medical Director for Solid Organ Transplantation at Seattle Children’s Hospital. I earned his medical degree at the University of Bristol, England and am a Fellow and Founder Member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

I have worked in the US for 24 years initially at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and currently in Seattle. As a Pediatric Hepatologist and Transplant Physician I have many years’ of experience in liver and intestinal transplantation in children. My research interests include metabolic liver disease, acute liver failure, intestinal failure and transplantation. I have participated in several multicenter research studies as center PI for the SPLIT Registry, PALF (Pediatric Acute Liver Failure) and ChiLDREN (Children’s Liver Disease Research Network). Currently, I am President of IRTA (Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplantation Association), Past President of SPLIT (Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation) and a current member of the UNOS/OPTN Board of Governors. I have also served as a past-Chair of the UNOS/OPTN Pediatric Committee.

I have been an active and engaged member of AST for 20 years and have served as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Pediatric Community of Practice from 2011 to 2013. Over the years I have also served on the following AST committees or workgroups

• Ad-hoc Cellular Transplant Committee, 2005-2007
• Intestine Transplantation Criteria Subcommittee, 2006-2010
• Education Committee 2010-2013
• Hepatitis B Consensus Conference Workgroup 2013- 2015
• LICOP Education subcommittee
• LICOP Pediatric subcommittee
• LICOP Intestine subcommittee
• PCOP Advocacy subcommittee

Burnett "Beau" Kelly, MD, MBA, FACS, FAST

I am a dynamic surgeon-leader with expertise in liver, intestine, multi-visceral, living donor liver, and split-liver transplantation. I am passionate about bettering the lives of children and adults with organ failure through transplantation, policy formation, and improved care processes that provide patient-centered value.

I am a proud father (4 daughters and 1 son) and the oldest son of civil rights activists. I have pursued rigorous education and training, distinguishing myself as a leader, teacher, and consummate student. My MBA education, Lean process background, and QI training have focused my ability to communicate the value of a continuous improvement culture. I prioritize mentoring, and have been integrally involved in training junior faculty, fellows, residents, and students. I have directed programs, overseeing medical student and resident wellness, and also directed minority-mentoring programs. For these efforts, I received the prestigious Gold Foundation Award for teaching and humanism excellence. I have served the UNOS Liver-Intestine Committee functioning as the lead for intestine transplant program policy requirements, and the ASTS Program Planning and Ethnicity and Cultural Diversity Committees, identifying opportunities to educate colleagues on ethnic and gender disparities in the transplant community.

As a surgeon-scientist, my research identifies variations in transplant outcomes; benchmarks best practices to improve the patient/family experience, and patient throughput back to function in the community. As a scientist/entrepreneur, I have created organ donation research, generated 2 medical device patents, and developed a pulsatile perfusion program.

At present, I am an OPO Surgical Director with the responsibility of improving the quality of organ donation operations, building strong relationships, and bridging trust across the diverse and similar interests of donor hospitals, OPO’s, transplant centers, and the community. As a transplant surgeon in this role, I coordinate complex clinical and ethical patient management and create highly functional, well-coordinated operative teams during each recovery operation. I have performed over 1000 of these procedures benefitting over 2250 transplant recipients. This invaluable experience has given me a unique perspective on organ donation and allocation across all organ types, while developing my understanding of the regulatory environment, and the ways in which OPO-transplant center affiliations can be effectively leveraged to mutual benefit.

In my humble self-assessment, I possess the essential clinical expertise, vision, performance bandwidth, and creative energy to contribute to the strategic initiatives of the AST membership as an at-large Board member.

Linda Ohler, MSN, RN, CCTC, FAAN, FAST

With 30 years’ experience in transplantation, Linda Ohler served as a clinical transplant coordinator in heart and lung transplantation and VAD coordinator for 12 years at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, VA and Temple University in Philadelphia. She also served as a clinical nurse specialist and nurse manager in kidney, pancreas and islet cell transplantation at the National Institutes of Health (NIDDK) and later as a program manager for the Heart Transplant Program at Virginia Commonwealth University.  She served as a Director of Quality at Georgetown University for 4 years and later served as a Quality Consultant for Transplant programs on probation with CMS.  She is currently at New York University Transplant Institute as the Associate Director of Quality, Regulatory and Education.

Linda has served on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation and for the Washington Regional Transplant Community. She has served on 4 UNOS committees including Operations and Safety Committee.  In 2001 Linda was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.  In 2012 she received the American Society of Transplantation’s Clinician of Distinction Award at ATC in Boston and in 2017 she was selected to be a Fellow of the American Society of Transplantation.

International Presentations:

Linda has lectured on transplant related topics in 10 countries including Japan, Russia, Hungary, India, England, Italy, Canada, Spain, Brazil and Australia.

Publications

She has co-edited/written 4 books on transplantation for nurses, published on transplant related articles in peer reviewed journals including AJT and Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. Linda served as Editor of Progress in Transplantation for 23 years.   Between 2008 and 2018, Linda interviewed 30  pioneers in transplantation  and published them in a series called Courage and Character, Leaders and Legends. She has served as a co author on two consensus papers for AST including the current paper on Antimicrobial Stewardship

Nominee's Service to the AST:

• AST Education Committee 2004-2007​
• AST Website Committee 2005-2007
• AST Communication Committee Co-Chair with Dianne McKay 2007-2010
• Co-editor AST electronic Newsletter 2012-2015
• ATC planning committee 2012-2016 (includes WTC)
• CEOT Planning Committee 2018- present
• Co-Chair of executive committee for Transplant Administrators’ COP 2010-2011
• Executive Committee Transplant Administrator and Quality Manager COP 2018-present
• Chair, AST Conflict of Interest Committee 2016-2017
• AST Fellows Selection Committee starting 2019-2022
• Webinar on QAPI for AST
• Abstract Reviewer for ATC 2020,
• Submit program recommendations for ATC
  Honors
• Clinician of Distinction Award (Boston, 2014)
• Fellow of the American Society of Transplantation
• ​​AST Conflict of Interest Committee 2014-2018

Sean Pinney, MD, FACC

I am honored to be nominated for a Councilor-at-Large position on the AST Board of Directors. I am a busy clinician, researcher and administrator who, for the past 15 years, has directed the Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Program at Mount Sinai Hospital. After receiving my medical degree from Georgetown University, I completed Medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and cardiology fellowship at Columbia University. I trained in Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology at Columbia before joining the faculty there. I came to Mount Sinai in 2004 and have worked to put together a talented interdisciplinary team that has increased patient volumes and improved clinical outcomes. I currently serve as Director of Heart Failure & Transplantation for the Mount Sinai Health System overseeing all heart failure and cardiac transplant programs for our 8-hospital system.

I have been an AST member for 11 years and am grateful for the opportunity to have served as a member of the Conflict of Interest and Education Committees. I have been a long-standing member of the TCC COP and served as an Executive Committee member in 2015-17. I have also been fortunate to contribute to the educational mission of the Society by serving as faculty at ATC and CEOT, reviewing papers for AJT and moderating an AST journal club. 

I bring with me years of service to the broader transplant community. I have served on the UNOS MPSC and Thoracic Committees, and participated on its Ad Hoc System Performance Committee whose aim is to drive system improvements through collaboration. I am a member of LiveOnNY’s Medical Advisory Board and am past-president of the New York Cardiothoracic Transplant Consortium. I have been a member of ISHLT for 20 years having served on its MCS and International and Inter-Society Coordination Committees. In short, I have dedicated my professional career to advancing transplantation through patient care, education and service. I hope to have an opportunity to extend my commitment to the AST.