Edward (Ed) Zavala, MBA, FAST, a national leader in transplant administration, organ procurement policy and education, will retire June 30 from his position as administrator of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center.
Zavala, who was recruited to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2003, will maintain his faculty appointments as research professor of Surgery in the School of Medicine and adjunct professor of Management in the Owen Graduate School of Management, and he will continue to provide consultation to the Vanderbilt Transplant Center.
The third largest in the United States, and a world record holder in heart transplants, “the Vanderbilt Transplant Center is an elite center serving adults, children and our veterans, and performing some of the most complicated transplant procedures in the country,” said Zavala, 73.
“Nothing is more profound than knowing you have helped the lives of patients fighting for their tomorrow,” he said. “It has been my incredible honor to serve this center and work alongside such talented, innovative and brilliant leaders, faculty and staff. The memories will last a lifetime.”
“Ed is universally considered the finest transplant administrator in the country, and we have been so fortunate to have his services here at Vanderbilt in building one of the finest transplant programs in the world,” said Seth Karp, MD, H. William Scott Jr. Professor of Surgery and chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences.
“His combination of compassion, competence and vision has been instrumental in the success of the programs, and we look forward to continuing to rely on his expertise into the future,” Karp said.
“When we were recruiting for a new transplant center administrator in 2003, as the then transplant center director, I knew Ed Zavala was the most innovative and well-regarded individual for the job at that time,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer.
Pinson continued: “We were so fortunate he agreed to come and VUMC has benefited so significantly ever since. He helped architect our transplant center management services organization that provided so many building blocks foundational to today’s phenomenal successes. He informed transplant staffing standards. He improved transplant contracting. He supported our clinical improvements and our research efforts. And he drove many transplant professional training programs. He developed the first in the U.S. nurse practitioner program in transplantation with School of Nursing; he helped established the transplant pharmacy residency; he established transplant administration residency. He has been a great mentor to many professionals. These are just some of his accomplishments. We are so grateful for his more than twenty years of contributions.”
“Ed is a dedicated and strong leader who has built a successful team that will continue advancing the results and reputation of Vanderbilt’s Transplant Center,” added Wendy Monaci, MBA, VUMC Executive Vice President, Adult Ambulatory Operations.
Zavala was already a well-established and highly regarded transplant administrator when he was recruited to VUMC. He previously served as administrative director of the University of California, San Diego, Center for Transplantation, and as administrator of transplant services for the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati.
He helped expand the reach of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center through the training of health care professionals.
These educational innovations included the annual Vanderbilt Transplant Nurse Practitioner Symposium (with Haley Hoy, PhD, ACNP), the Transplant Pharmacy Residency PGY2 Program (with Christie Truscott, PharmD, and the VUMC Department of Pharmacy), and a Transplant Administration elective for second-year MBA students at Owen.
In 2011, he established the nation’s first Transplant Administrator Fellowship Program.
On the national level, Zavala served two separate terms on the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network/United Network for Organ Sharing (OPTN/UNOS) Board of Directors as the minority transplant representative and member-at-large and chaired the OPTN/UNOS transplant administrators and communications committees, among other roles.
Zavala has authored or co-authored more than 180 abstracts and publications, given more than 140 invited lectures, and taught 56 courses on transplant administration.
In 2012, he was the first to receive the Leader in Transplant Administration Award from the OPTN/UNOS Transplant Administrators Committee for his significant contributions to and positive impact on the field.
In 2023, Zavala was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Transplantation (FAST), the largest transplant organization in North America, and recognized as the premier transplant society.
“Ed is considered to be one of the eminent thought leaders in transplant administration.” said Joseph Magliocca, MD, professor of Surgery and Pediatrics and surgical director of Pediatric Liver Transplant.
“His contributions to the Vanderbilt Transplant Center have been invaluable to its success,” said Magliocca, who holds the Cindy and Dave Baier Directorship. “He has had a significant impact on my own personal education of the intricacies required in running a successful transplant center. We are truly fortunate that he has been a part of our team.”
“Ed is a legend in the transplant administrator world,” added Lee Ann Liska, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer of Vanderbilt University Hospital. “He is so highly respected nationally and recognized for his decades of contributions to transplantation leadership.
“We will miss working with him daily and wish him the very best in his retirement,” Liska said.
