January, 2019
In 2018, there were over 160,000 views on the
COP Hub. All Communities of Practice (COPs) allow transplant professionals within specific specialties to connect, collaborate, and discuss relevant issues. Thank you to all COP members who participated on the hub last year. Here are some highlights from 2018.
Most visited COP Hub Communities
Transplant Pharmacy COP (Tx Pharm)
Infectious Disease COP (IDCOP)
Top COP Discussions
“New OPTN proposal to abolish Pediatric committee and convert to advisory council” – Pediatric COP (PCOP) -...
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ABIM announced that registration is now open for all 2019 Maintenance of Certification (MOC) assessments. For the specific registration and exam dates for both the Knowledge Check-In and also the traditional 10-year MOC exam in your relevant discipline(s), check out the
assessment information.
December, 2018
The Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute is accepting nominations for the 2020 Thomas E. Starzl Prize in Surgery and Immunology, awarded annually to a national or international leader in the field of organ transplantation and immunology.
The prize consists of a crystal award, an honorarium of $10,000, and travel expenses to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the spring of 2020 to formally receive the award and to present the Thomas E. Starzl Prize in Surgery and Immunology lecture. The winner will also participate in related activities and meet informally with faculty,...
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Call for Applications
Editor in Chief
American Journal of Transplantation
The American Society of Transplantation and The American Society of Transplant Surgeons seek candidates for the position of Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Transplantation (AJT). AJT is a monthly, peer reviewed journal dedicated to advancing the science and practice of organ transplantation worldwide by reporting novel and rigorous research. Candidates should possess broad knowledge and experience of organ transplantation and have a distinguished record of scholarly achievement in addition to...
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October, 2018
On October 3, members of AST’s leadership went to Washington, DC to meet with key legislators about the
Dialysis PATIENTS Demonstration Act and
Living Donor Protection Act. The AST invited members of the transplant patient community to share their personal end-stage renal disease and transplant stories.
The AST brought three kidney recipients and a kidney-pancreas candidate to over a dozen Congressional offices. The Society plans to...
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UNOS released a special public comment this week related to liver and intestinal organ allocation. This new proposal, open October 8 through November 1, removes donor service area and regions.
This is the result of current litigation related to organ allocation. Please visit the OPTN website
here to review the proposal The transplant community is encouraged to attend the national webinar to be conducted by UNOS on October 9. The webinar will provide an important opportunity to learn about the proposal and prepare for...
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The AST partnered with American Association of Kidney Patients, American Society of Nephrology, and American Society of Transplant Surgeons on a
joint letter of continuing concern related to an updated draft of the Dialysis PATIENTS Demonstration Act of 2017 (revisions to H.R. 4143) and its impact of access to kidney transplantation. (October 2018).
To learn more about the AST's public policy efforts,...
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August, 2018
In a formal announcement yesterday, the Department of Labor responded to a legislative provision authored by U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler and released a legal opinion stating that individuals who choose to donate an organ are covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and will not have to fear losing their job.
Earlier this year, Jaime successfully secured a legislative provision in a U.S. House Appropriations funding bill calling for the Department of Labor to issue formal guidance on whether the FMLA protects living donors. The Department of Labor’s legal opinion...
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July, 2018
The transplant community recently lost a trailblazer in the field of Transplant Infectious Diseases with the death of Dr. Robert (Bob) Rubin. Dr. Rubin’s contributions to the development of Transplant Infectious Diseases cannot be understated. He developed innovative practices to include infectious diseases in the routine care of the transplant recipient, including rounding with the transplant team and improving communication between the primary team and consultants. The concepts he developed in our field from identifying the a predictable time course of common infections in the transplant...
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J. Wesley Alexander, MD, ScD, internationally renowned pioneer in transplantation, died Saturday, July 7. He was 84 years old.
Dr. Alexander was named the first director of the Division of Transplantation at the University of Cincinnati (UC) in 1967, a position he held until 1999. On Dec. 11, 1967, he performed UC’s first organ transplant, a kidney transplant. He subsequently performed the first combined kidney-pancreas transplant in 1970 and first liver transplant in 1986. Additionally, Alexander played key roles in the development of UC's burn and surgical infectious disease programs. Dr...
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