Dianne B. McKay Personal Statement

I am honored to be the nominee for President-elect of the American Society of Transplantation (AST). My interest in serving the AST as its President-elect and President is an extension of an unwavering commitment to the organization for over 25 years ever since I joined as a young physician/scientist. I am committed to the society’s mission and vision and have had the privilege of serving in many AST committees, task forces, communities of practice and to be part of its leadership as a Councilor at Large and Secretary. My clinical career focus has been entirely on transplantation. I have been devoted to the day-to-day care of kidney transplant patients and their live donors, and have also been fortunate to be involved in the care of liver and heart transplant recipients. I have been directly involved in the administrative/regulatory aspects of the field and have been a steadfast advocate for policies that promote greater access and better care of our patients. My investigational career has been focused on understanding aspects of the immune system as they apply directly to the transplanted patient and the donor organ. I have supported the field of transplantation research, not only by my direct laboratory investigational efforts, but also by my support of transplant research in my service as a grant reviewer and on national task forces directed at informing the NIH of the importance of transplantation research (e.g., NIDDK, Kidney Research National Dialogue, NIH). As my role in the leadership of the AST progresses I look forward to the challenge of promoting advances in the field of transplantation, both related to patient access and meaningful research.

My experience as a recent AST board member has shown me the inside of an organization that significantly impacts the lives of those with end-organ disease. I have seen how the organization with its diverse group of professionals can unite to shape advocacy and policy, and establish best practices. The field has advanced dramatically since I first joined the AST and I have observed significant advances made in the medical and surgical care of the transplant patient, advances in donor management, public policy, basic and translational research, drug development, quality metrics and health outcomes. All of these advances have been made with the coordinated efforts of multidisciplinary teams of individuals inspired to make a difference for patients and their families. I have great respect and appreciation for the individuals that contribute to the AST community and I am devoted to uniting their efforts toward achieving the AST’s mission and vision. I strongly believe in the power of teams to achieve a common good. My past experience working with the transplant community has given me the ability to understand the issues of the field from the perspective of the practicing physician, surgeon, pharmacist, social worker, dietician, administrator, researcher and others who care for patients with end organ disease. I believe that my career experience has equipped me with the tools needed to understand the complex and varied challenges to the transplant field, and I have the unwavering passion and drive to unite the varied members of our community. Our goal must be to advance the field of transplantation and further integrate the AST with the patient, the provider, the payer and the basic and translational scientist.

I have longstanding experience as a basic scientist in transplant medicine. I undertook post-doctoral training in a basic science laboratory at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute after my clinical fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. After this training I ran an NIH funded laboratory at the Scripps Research Institute for over ten years. I currently have an active laboratory at UCSD that is well funded. I have served on multiple NIH study sections; as permanent member on the Surgery Anesthesia and Trauma Study Section, and as an ad hoc member of fellowship reviews (K series), investigator initiator reviews (R01) and program projects (P01) as well as several special emphasis panels. I also review society grants, including those for the AHA, ASN, and others. I understand intimately what it takes to do good science and what it takes to maintain high-level funding. Looking forward, this experience is important for understanding the enormous challenges to our current funding environment for the investigator, for the field of transplantation and for society as a whole. I understand the importance of developing thought leaders in our field and for the need to develop adequate funding models in order to foster the next generation of scientists and physician-scientists. I firmly believe in the importance of research and believe it must remain the foundation of our society.

I have great respect for my colleagues who have built the AST to where it is today, including not only past presidents but also the board members and committee members who have volunteered countless hours in service of patients with end stage organ disease. I thank you sincerely for considering my nomination and would be honored to serve as your President to help achieve the mission and vision of the AST.