February, 2016
Legislation seeks to promote and protect living organ donors from discrimination
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Society of Transplantation (AST), the largest organization of transplantation professionals in North America, applauds the introduction of the Living Donor Protection Act of 2016 by Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York, and Congressman Michael Burgess, MD of Texas.
The legislation seeks to:
Prohibit denial of coverage or increase in premiums of life or disability insurance for living organ donors...
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As part of an effort to engage the medical community in enhancement of the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is reaching out to all physicians board certified in nephrology for feedback on the MOC exam blueprint. The blueprint is the tool ABIM uses to design an exam to assure content appropriately covers the field. ABIM will use your feedback and that of your colleagues to update the content of the Nephrology MOC exam.
"This blueprint review process will help to ensure that the MOC exam is reflective of what nephrology specialists in...
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Each COP is governed by an Executive Committee (EC) elected by that COP’s members. The EC defines and plans COP initiatives with input and involvement from fellow COP members.
Visit the
elections page to nominate yourself or a colleague. Any AST member may submit a nomination. Nominees must be members of the COP to which they’re being nominated and AST members in good standing.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, February 26, at 5:00 pm EST.
The American Society of Transplantation (AST) held an APOL1 Consensus Building Meeting December 17-18, 2015 to bring experts in the field together to address the potential impact of the APOL1 gene variants on organ donation and transplantation.
Sponsored by Novartis, the AST's APOL1 Consensus Building Meeting meeting included nationally recognized experts in kidney disease, transplantation, and public policy. A number of governmental stakeholders participated in the meeting, including key leaders from HRSA, NIAID, NIDDK, NIMHD, AOPO, and UNOS....
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Dr. Larry Melton, AST board member, represented the AST at a small political fundraising dinner for the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Congressman Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) at the Bryan Cave offices on Monday, February 1.
Congressman Brady, a recipient of last year's AST Congressional Leadership Award and attendee of the AST's annual Capitol Hill leadership reception, has primary jurisdiction over most of the AST and transplantation government relations and public policy agenda: HHS, CMS, patient and provider coverages, quality measures, safety, and all policy matters...
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January, 2016
The AST is pleased to announce a new Resident/Student American Transplant Congress (ATC) Travel Award Program, targeted at residents and students who have expressed interest in obtaining more exposure to the field of transplantation before committing to training in transplantation.
Application deadline: March 15, 2016
Notification of application decision: March 30, 2016
Objective
The goal of this award program is to stimulate interest in a potential career in transplantation by supporting medical students and residents (medical, surgical, or pediatric) with an interest in transplantation...
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Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the AST whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.
AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know: same products, same prices, same service.
Support the AST by starting your shopping at
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Rate of organ transplants, deceased donation increased substantially
Organ transplants performed in the United States in 2015 exceeded 30,000 for the first time annually, according to preliminary data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).
Read the full story here
Charles L. Plante, a lobbyist for the National Kidney Foundation who was credited with playing a pivotal role in enacting the legislation that authorized Medicare coverage for dialysis treatments for kidney disease patients, died Dec. 21 at his home in Middleburg, Va. He was 84.
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December, 2015
The Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute is accepting nominations for the 2017 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 2017 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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