Immerse yourself in the latest research and breakthroughs in the field of transplantation at WTC 2025, hosted in the dynamic city of San Francisco. This global congress draws experts, healthcare practitioners, and researchers and provides them with an opportunity to explore in-depth the sector’s newest developments. Early registration has been extended to May 28. To register, click here.

Join your colleagues in sharing innovative approaches to clinical practice, gaining insight into transplant finance, and expanding your leadership skills at the AST Medical Directors Forum.

Registration for the Fellows Symposium on Transplantation is now open! This comprehensive program is designed for clinical fellows and residents, surgical fellows, research fellows, pharmacists, and other trainees planning a career in transplantation medicine, surgery, or research.

Fellows, residents, trainees, and pharmacists who meet the eligibility criteria can apply for a travel grant. Fellows and those who do not meet the travel grant criteria may register as general attendees. Medical students are also welcome to attend.

On behalf of the AST, the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT), and The Transplantation Society (TTS), we are excited to announce that registration is officially open for the International Transplantation Science Meeting 2025. 

ITS 2025 marks the fourth tri-society event in this global collaboration, bringing together top experts, early-career researchers, and transplant professionals worldwide. This meeting offers an exciting forum to explore cutting-edge basic and translational science in and beyond the field of transplantation.

We’re excited to introduce the AST Mentorship Program, a new member benefit designed to foster meaningful, career-shaping connections across the transplant community.

Whether you're looking to give back as a mentor or grow as a mentee, this program supports all transplant professionals — including students and trainees — with a flexible structure that fits your schedule and preferred way to connect: remote, hybrid, or in-person.

Check out these complimentary on-demand sessions from CEoT 2025 — featuring OPTN modernization discussions and expert insights on the future of transplantation. 

Join your colleagues and the entire transplant community for the 2025 AST Virtual Run and Fitness Challenge, taking place until June 15!

Together, we’re aiming to complete 48,149 miles — one for every organ transplant performed in the U.S. last year. Whether you walk, run, bike, swim, or choose any other form of exercise, every mile counts toward our shared goal.

Together, it is our goal to complete a mile for every organ transplanted last year. Can we count on you to help us reach this goal? All funds raised will support a transplant research grant.

The Living Donor Protection Act (LDPA) has been reintroduced in Congress, and we need your support. This bipartisan legislation would prohibit insurance discrimination against living organ donors, ensure they can use FMLA leave during recovery, and require updated educational resources to promote donation.

Take action now — urge your lawmakers to support the LDPA.

We’re excited to announce the results of the recent Communities of Practice (COP) Executive Committee election. Thank you to all who participated and to those who ran for leadership roles. To view the full list of newly elected members, click here. 

In September 2024, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Board of Directors approved an application for accreditation of transplant nephrology training programs. This application and the subsequent ACGME Board approval was the direct result of work done by a joint AST-ASN Task Force. As the next step in this process, ACGME has recently released transplant nephrology graduate medical education program requirements for review and comment. Please visit this ACGME webpage to review the proposed transplant nephrology program requirements and submit your feedback using the provided comment form by June 18.  

Funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) put critical transplant research at risk. NIH-funded studies have driven advancements in transplantation, improving patient outcomes and paving the way for innovations like new immunosuppressants, immune tolerance strategies, and even organ regeneration. Without this support, progress in the field could slow, affecting countless patients and families.

We need your help to ensure that transplant research remains a priority. Use our advocacy page to contact your members of Congress and urge them to protect NIH funding. Together, we can make a difference. Take action today!

The AST developed a survey aimed at soliciting your perspectives on legislative and regulatory issues that significantly influence both patient care and professional practice. Our goal is to establish a platform for our membership to share their invaluable ideas and perspectives and actively engage with the Public Policy Committee and AST leadership. We look forward to your input as we navigate the dynamics of our ever-evolving landscape of transplant care and practice.

Source: Transplant Infectious Disease
Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) is commonly used after orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) for opportunistic infection (OI) prophylaxis, but its contribution to hyperkalemia is uncertain. Whether switching to atovaquone (ATQ), which has a narrower antimicrobial spectrum, affects infection risk and improves hyperkalemia has not been investigated. This study evaluated whether transitioning from TMP/SMX to ATQ in the setting of post-OHT hyperkalemia is beneficial in lowering risk of recurrent hyperkalemia while maintaining OI prophylaxis efficacy.

Source: The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation
As we have previously shown, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis lung transplant recipients (IPF-LTRs) with short-telomere length (STL) are prone to develop significant cytopenias and poor tolerance to cell cycle inhibitors, specifically Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), post-transplant. We investigated the use of Belatacept as an alternative immunosuppressive agent in a prospective, open-label cohort of 9 ST-IPF-LTRs at our institution. 

Source: JAMA Network Open
Organ transplantation research and health policy are largely based on registry data that lack granularity, and recent federal initiatives have called for modernization of the transplant data collection process.1 Common data models (CDM) are standardized metadata language that allow users to share data and their meaning across applications.2 The Consortium for the Holistic Assessment of Risk in Transplant (CHART) developed a CDM to allow data collection that begins at transplant referral for research and quality improvement.3 The purpose of this cohort study is to demonstrate the validity of the CDM.

Source: JAMA Network Open
Heart transplantation in children with end-stage heart failure is constrained by the limited availability of donor organs as the number of children listed for a heart transplant (HT) continues to rise. One potential source of donors for older children in the U.S. may be young donors with a history of drug use (HDU), who, if lacking additional risk factors, may be reasonable to consider.