WTC Keynote #2 Speaker Revealed!

 
Meet Timothy Caulfield

Keynote Speaker at WTC 2025

 

We are thrilled to announce that Professor Timothy Caulfield, a trailblazer in health law and policy, will be delivering a Keynote Address at WTC 2025! Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to hear from one of the most influential voices in health science today and gain invaluable insights into the future of health and policy.

Curious About Professor Timothy Caulfield’s Extraordinary Contributions?

With nearly 400 academic articles, multiple best-selling books (including his latest #1 best-seller The Certainty Illusion), and numerous awards, Professor Caulfield is a leading voice in health law, policy, and science communication. A member of the Order of Canada and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, he co-founded #ScienceUpFirst and produced the Netflix series A user’s Guide to Cheating Death. Don’t miss this chance to hear from one of the most influential minds in the field!

Join us at 10:45 on Sunday, August 3 for a unique session on The "Health Misinformation Crisis!" - a must-attend for anyone in the transplant community. Check out the full program:
Timothy Caulfield
Professor in the Faculty of Law and School of Public Health and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. He was the Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy for over 20 years (2002-2023).
 
WTC 2025 Program Committee Meeting
Bottom row from left to right: James Rodrigue, Ala Ali, Lisiane Pruinelli, Emily Blumberg, Tim Pruett, Deepali Kumar, Dempsey Hughes, Gina M. Jamero. Top from left to right: Catherin Parker, John Gill, Peter Stock, Stephen Juvet, Anji Wall, Jonathan Malztman, Marcelo Cantarovich, Shelley Hall, Lars Pape, Lisa Potter, Yanik Bababekov, Carla Baan

Members of the WTC 2025 Program and Program Advisory Committees met in Chicago, IL, USA on April 1–2 to finalize the program and assign submitted abstracts to their respective sessions. Abstract notification emails will be sent on April 16, 2025.

To accommodate Late-Breaking Abstracts, the committee has reserved several oral presentation slots. The submission portal for Late-Breaking Abstracts will be open from April 23 to May 21, 2025. We encourage all researchers to submit their latest work and be part of the premier global event in transplantation!

EARLY REGISTRATION & HOTEL RESERVATIONS NOW OPEN!
Register by May 23, 2025 to secure your spot at WTC 2025 at a discounted rate and guarantee access to the exclusive Keynote with Timothy Caulfield.
Student Ambassador Program
The WTC Student Ambassador Program aims to promote transplantation as an exciting and rewarding field of specialization for 3rd and 4th year medical students. By engaging future medical professionals, this program will foster awareness and enthusiasm for organ donation and transplantation while enhancing participation at the WTC 2025 Congress. The application deadline has been extended to April 30 2025.
Recipients receive:
✅ Free Congress Registration
✅ Up to $2,000 Travel Assistance
✅ 4 Nights Stay in Congress Hotel
📅 Apply by April 30, 2025

Transplantation Direct - April Issue

The April issue of Transplantation Direct is ready for viewing, covering a wide range of topics that we hope you will find interesting. In kidney transplantation, we have an immune monitoring study on circulating B cell responses in patients with antibody-mediated rejection, a randomized controlled trial comparing recipient outcomes when using surgical magnetic double-J versus conventional double-J stents, and a study examining the predictive value of soluble DNA levels in donor-organ perfusates in recipients after hypothermic machine perfusion (MP). Articles in liver transplantation focus on various subjects including the use of MP to improve outcomes in disadvantaged MELD score patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, a novel screening tool to identify patients in socioeconomically depressed areas for potential early interventions, and a new machine learning model that predicts outcomes in waitlisted patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis; regarding patients with alcohol use disorder we have reports on overcoming key barriers in the management of these patients, and on outcomes after early transplantation in acutely ill recipients. Lung transplantation is also well-represented in this issue, with articles on critical factors relating to post-transplant thrombotic microangiopathy, and the use of rituximab in recipients at high risk for developing EBV-related post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders. Full details and open access to these publications are available on our Transplantation Direct website – if you were not involved in the work presented in this issue, we look forward to your contribution soon.
Browse the Table of Contents

Basic Science

Liver Transplantation

Lung Transplantation

TTS Research Grants Program

TTS provides funding to individual investigators to support their research in transplantation. The spectrum of studies includes basic, clinical/epidemiological and translational. This individual should have spent five years or less performing research in transplantation (and/or immunology relating to transplant) since obtaining their last doctoral degree (PhD, MD, PharmD, or equivalent). One of these research grants will be preferentially designated to TTS members from a low- or middle-income country. Please send application materials and any questions to jennifer.groverman@tts.org.

Letter of Intent Deadline: April 30, 2025


Transplantation Journal Highlights

Transplantation Journal - Social Media Content

Genetic Testing in Potential Kidney Transplant Recipients and Their Donors: Building on What We Know Through New Real World Evidence
Transplantation is the optimal and desired form of kidney replacement therapy, but all too often, clinicians are left pondering, “What led to kidney failure in the first place?” Further questions then naturally arise as to whether a patient’s relative might be able to safely and feasibly donate a kidney to them, and moreover as to what the risks associated with this might be. These are all key quandaries faced by nephrologists seeking to provide care for their patients leading up to transplantation.
Pregnancy After Solid Organ Transplantation: Review of the Evidence and Recommendations
Solid organ transplantation (SOT) offers people with end-stage organ disease an increased quality of life, which includes the return of fertility and the potential for pregnancy. Although the number of pregnancies has increased, definitive recommendations have been lacking. To address reproductive health in SOT recipients, the American Society of Transplantation Women’s Health Community of Practice held a virtual Controversies Conference with subject matter experts gathered to discuss topics of contraception, immunosuppression, and pregnancy in SOT recipients and pregnancy post–living donation.

Transplantation Direct - Social Media Content

The Utility of Follow-up Transthoracic Echocardiogram to Screen for Severe Portopulmonary Hypertension (POPH) in Patients Granted POPH Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) Exceptions
The current model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) exception policies for portopulmonary hypertension (POPH) require serial right heart catheterizations (RHCs) every 3 mo to maintain exception points. RHC is necessary for the initial diagnosis of POPH, but the utility of serial catheterizations has not been studied. In patients with POPH MELD exceptions, we sought to compare noninvasive and invasive hemodynamics and determine the sensitivity of echocardiography for the detection of hemodynamically severe POPH that would preclude liver transplant.
Comparison of Magnetic and Conventional Double-J Stent Following Kidney Transplantation: A Randomized Controlled Trial
This monocentric, randomized controlled trial aims to compare the outcomes of kidney transplant recipients with magnetic double-J (DJ) stents versus conventional DJ stents. Specifically, we assessed stent-related symptoms, procedural difficulties, pain and duration of removal, and associated costs.

TTS By-Election for Councilor-at-large - Europe (2025-2026)

In accordance with our bylaws, we are holding a by-election for the Councilor-at-large Europe (2022-2026) position, which is being vacated by John Forsythe. The term for this position will last until the end of the current term, September 23, 2026. Please choose one of the five candidates listed below and cast your vote. Deadline to vote is April 8, 2025 @ 23:59

Candidates

Salvatore Gruttadauria

Italy
Biography

Salvatore Gruttadauria, Italy

Dr. Salvatore Gruttadauria is the Chairmen of the Department Abdominal Center at the IRCCS ISMETT UMPC Italy in Palermo Italy.

He is Clinical Professor of Surgery at the Department of Surgery of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Professor of Surgery at the University of Catania in Italy.

Dr. Gruttadauria was trained at ISMETT by the T. Starzl transplant team and became the first Sicilian surgeon to perform a liver transplant in Sicily. In 2021, he is the first surgeon in the world to transplant a liver from a SARS COVID positive donor into an adult recipient.

President of the 2024 national meeting of the Italian Society of Organ Transplantation, has performed more than 7,000 major surgical procedures of which 1000 organ transplants. He is the author of more than 300 scientific publications with 40 of h index.

Nassim Kamar

France
Biography

Nassim Kamar, France

Nassim Kamar is a Professor of Nephrology at Toulouse University Hospital in France and is the Head of the Department of Nephrology and Organ Transplantation. He is the Director of the heart, liver, pancreas and kidney transplant programs. Currently, he is the President-Elect of the Francophone Society for Transplantation.

He received his medical degree from Dijon University, France. Thereafter, his internship was conducted at Toulouse University, where he graduated with a specialty in Nephrology. He received additional training in renal replacement therapy and medical pedagogy. He also completed a 1-year postdoctoral fellowship in basic research at La Charité Hospital, Berlin, Germany. Prof Kamar was awarded his Ph.D. degree in 2006. He is member of a research group at the INSERM UMR 1291, Toulouse Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Disease (Infinity).

Prof Kamar’s interests are viral infection, particularly hepatitis E virus, hepatitis C virus, BK virus, and cytomegalovirus infections that develop after solid organ transplantation. He is also interested in immunosuppression after transplantation. Prof Kamar has published more than 760 papers in peer-review journals.

Between 2013 and 2017, he was a member of The Council of the International Transplant Infectious Disease Society.

In 2008, he received an award from la Fondation du Rein. In 2009, he received the Grand Prix de Médecine from the Académie des Sciences Inscriptions, et Belles-lettres de Toulouse. In 2015, he received the Palme de Médecine des CHU.

His vision for TTS is to encourage collaborative participation and representation for TTS members from all around the world.

Nithya Santhana Krishnan

United Kingdom
Biography

Nithya Santhana Krishnan, United Kingdom

Professor N S Krishnan  MBBS, FRCP, MD
Consultant Transplant Nephrologist
Professor, The Center of Health & Communities, Coventry University<
Associate Professor, University of Warwick
Former Co-Chair, Education Committee and CME Committee, TTS
Executive Board, Commonwealth ‘Tribute to Life’
Member of Scientific Advisory Board, Mohan Foundation, India

Professor Krishnan is a physician with a national and international profile in various clinical, research and educational areas in nephrology and transplantation.  She is leadership trained, including the Harvard Leading Innovations in Health Care & Education< program, and has over 250 peer-reviewed academic outputs. Her main research interests include antibody incompatible transplantation, prediction models in transplantation using AI, long term outcomes of transplantation, live donation, nonadherence in young adults and health inequalities. She is particularly passionate about helping women around the world, to break the glass ceilings and fly off from glass cliffs.

As Consultant Transplant Nephrologist at UHCW she conceptualized and devised a formal partnership in Transplantation, between UHCW and Oxford, forming the COxTNet, which has pioneered the way for collaborative partnerships between other units in U.K.

As the Education Committee Co-chair of The Transplantation Society, she has been involved in setting up training programs in transplantation to benefit trainees globally. She has actively helped with the launch of the Commonwealth ‘Tribute to life’, a consortium in transplantation to enable organ donation and transplantation in developing countries.

As the first Professor of Clinical Health at Coventry University, she is leading the educational and research collaboration with MOHAN Foundation, India, and developing online training modules for nurses, coordinators and doctors in transplantation world-wide.

She has won the following national and international awards:

  1. For the Sake of Honour Award, the La Renon TANKER Foundation, India, January 2021
  2. Women’s Role Model Award, British Asian Physicians of Indian Origin, U.K, November 2020
  3. Finalist, Asian Women Achievement Awards, Professions Category, U.K, July 2020

Marti Manyalich Vidal

Spain
Biography

Marti Manyalich Vidal, Spain

Dr. Marti Manyalich, MD, PhD, is a globally recognized specialist with decades of experience in the field of organ, tissue and cell donation for transplantation. In 1991 he founded  the Transplant Procurement Management (TPM) program dedicated to empowering health professionals in donation and transplantation worldwide and President of the DTI Foundation (Donation & Transplantation Institute) a non-profit organization based in Barcelona with the aim to raise organ donation in the world to improve society’s quality of life by training health professionals in organ donation & transplantation, trough cooperation projects and consultancy.  

Dr Marti Manyalich is also former Assessor on Transplantation at the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, as well as professor of international Master in donation & Transplantation of organ tissues and cells at University of Barcelona. He has written many scientific publications and holds memberships in the most relevant international organizations in this field. As an example, he has been president of ISODP & ETCO, vice president of EATB and TTS European Councillor, honorary member of ESOT, among other positions and recognitions for his outstanding career."

Georgios Tsoulfas

Greece
Biography

Georgios Tsoulfas, Greece

Dr Georgios Tsoulfas received his MD from Brown University School of Medicine and completed a general surgery residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, as well as a transplant research fellowship at the Starzl Transplant Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. He then completed a two-year transplantation surgery fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and then joined the Division of Solid Organ Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center as an Assistant Professor of Surgery. He moved back to Greece in 2008, where he is currently Professor of Transplantation Surgery and Chief at the Department of Transplantation Surgery at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine and the Center for Research and Innovation in Solid Organ Transplantation.  He has published over 200 papers in peer-reviewed Journals and in PubMed, as well as 35 book chapters with an H-index 34 and an i10-index 82 and over 7500 citations.  He has edited 8 books and is a reviewer for 30 International Journal and on the Editorial Board of several others, including International Surgery and Annals of Surgical Oncology.

 The recipient of awards such as the Edward E. Mason award for excellence in patient care and education, he is a member of a number of professional organizations including the the TTS, Society of Surgical Oncology, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Association for Academic Surgery, International College of Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, International Liver Transplantation Society, Society for Laparoscopic Surgeons and International HepaticoPancreaticoBilliary Association.  Also the recipient of the American College of Surgeons International Guest Scholarship. He has served as a member of multiple committees, including the International Relations Committee of the American College of Surgeons and the International Relations Committee of the American HepaticoPancreaticoBiliary Association (AHPBA).  Currently the president of the Greek Chapter of the International College of Surgeons, he has served as World President of the International College of Surgeons and Chair of the International Relations Committee of the American College of Surgeons. He has served as a member of the AHPBA and the IHPBA Education and Training Committees and the E-AHPBA Education Committee (Training Program Accreditation), the ASTS CME and Professional Development committee and the AASLD Training and Workforce Committee.  He is also a member of the Executive Council of the Hellenic Surgical Society and President of the Hellenic Transplantation Society.

Clinical and research interests include hepatobiliary surgery, primary and secondary hepatic malignancies, ischemia/reperfusion injury, solid organ transplantation, as well as medical/surgical education and the use of technology, including applications of artificial technology and 3D printing in surgery.


Women in Transplantation Research Grant for Indigenous Populations

This grant will provide funding of up to $20,000 USD per grant to support research focused on sex and gender equity, advocacy, and health in solid organ transplantation amongst Indigenous peoples globally. This may include basic, clinical, or translational research. The recipient must be a clinician, health policy administrator, social scientist, clinical and/or basic science researcher in solid organ transplantation or donation, and/or Indigenous health relating to solid organ transplant.

Application Deadline: May 1, 2025


Call for Abstracts and Awards Deadlines

IPTA 2025

Call for Abstracts EXTENDED Deadline: April 8, 2025
VIEW Abstract Topics

Congress Awards Application Deadline: April 25, 2025

IXA 2025

Call for Abstracts Deadline: May 1, 2025
VIEW Abstract Topics

Congress Awards Application Deadline: May 26, 2025

TID Best Practices Surveys

The TID section invites you to participate in the following 3 surveys.

These surveys aims to assist in mapping best practices in different scenarios and across different regions with the goal of sharing learnings with the global transplant community to guide practice and optimize patient outcomes.

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Contact

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Address

The Transplantation Society
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