Transitioning care of pediatric transplant recipients to adult care has an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Adolescents and young adults are faced with numerous challenges during this developmental phase, which can make the transition more difficult. Many transplant programs have created successful transition of care programs thus reducing the morbidity and mortality of this patient group. In addition to these programs, institutions have worked to develop programs aimed to empower adolescents in taking charge of their health. Our goal is to present the problem, current challenges, successful transition of care programs and solutions from an international perspective.
Learning Objectives
Discuss the current statistical trends of healthcare outcomes for solid organ transplant patients in the U.S. and Europe
Evaluate the efficacy of transition of care clinic strategies that are currently being used and how we can implement change
Discuss how providers can advocate for patients at the healthcare policy level to assure transition of care clinics are sustainable and funded
Identify strategies directed at parental coping skills to better assist transition process
MS, CCRN, CPNP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program for Pediatric Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure, and Cardiac Transplantation
Hannah received a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 2009. In 2014, she received a Master of Science in nursing from Columbia University School of Nursing and was the recipient of the 2021 Early Career Alumni Award as an Emerging Nurse Leader.
Hannah has taken the lead role in the development of a Solid Organ Transplant
Transition Program. She collaborates with a multidisciplnary team of transplant
physicians, pharmacists, and psychologists; uses evidence-based research to guide
clinical decision-making; and improves clinical outcomes for pediatric organ transplant patients transitioning from pediatric to adult care.
Advanced Practice Nurse
Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware
Dana Mannino, MSN, NP-C is an Advanced Practice Nurse within the Division of Solid Organ Transplantation at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. Dana is the Allied Health Co-Chair for the Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation’s (SPLIT) Education Committee. She is also a member of the SPLIT Allied Health Committee.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics in Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center
Director PLATINUM (Pediatric Liver to Adult Transition) Program
Pediatric Hepatology & Gastroenterology
Center for Liver Disease & Transplantation
New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia University
Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and an Attending Pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley
Children’s Hospital.
Having completed a dual residency in both internal medicine and pediatrics at
Georgetown University Medical Center, Dr. Vittorio has a particular interest and
specializes in the transition of adolescent and young adult liver transplant recipients
from pediatric to adult health care services. She is the founder and director of the
PLATINUM (Pediatric Liver to Adult Transition) Program at CUIMC. This program
focuses on the enhancement of self-management behaviors and transition readiness
in pediatric liver transplant recipients through a structured, multidisciplinary approach to transition planning.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Liver and Intestine Transplant
Transition Program Specialist, MyPATH
Department of Transplant Surgery
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Dr. Beverly Kosmach-Park is the Clinical Nurse Specialist in Transplant Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, working with patients and families throughout the transplant process from evaluation to transition to adult care. As Transition Program Specialist for MyPATH, a program for adolescent liver and intestine recipients, she collaborates with the multidisciplinary team to help youth prepare for transfer to adult providers. Beverly is an active AST member and has served on the Executive Committee for the Pediatric Community of Practice chairing a task force that designed the AST Transition Toolkit and launched the Transition Portal. She was a board member of the International Transplant Nurses Society (ITNS) for 9 years, serving as President and Education Director and is currently a council member of the Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplant Association. Beverly is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and Director of Camp Chihopi, an annual camping event for transplant recipients.
Professor of Transitions in Care Research Center Innovations in Care
Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences Rotterdam, The Netherlands
AnneLoes van Staa RN MD PhD trained as a nurse, medical doctor and anthropologist. She works as Professor of Transitions in Care at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Her research focus is on young peoples’ lived experiences with chronic illness and transition in care, and on professional self-management support. She combines participatory mixed methods research with professional practice development. She has co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed research papers. In 2019, she was awarded the first Dutch Delta Award, a national prize of €500K, for excellence in uniting applied research, practice improvement, and professional education.