Heather O’Dell, MSN, ANP-BC, MMHC, Interim Associate Nursing Officer for Transplant and Associate Operating Officer for the Vanderbilt Lung Institute, has been named Executive Director and Associate Operating Officer for the Vanderbilt Transplant Center (VTC). She will begin serving in this new role July 1.
O’Dell succeeds Edward Zavala, MBA, the VTC’s founding administrator who is stepping down from his administrative leadership role June 30 after more than 22 years of service to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
In her current role as Interim Associate Nursing Officer for Transplant and Associate Operating Officer for the Vanderbilt Lung Institute, O’Dell has had fiscal, operational and clinical responsibility for teams covering more than 15 service lines that support growth and excellence of transplant and pulmonary care services across the health system.
“Heather is a proven leader and has already contributed to the success of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center. I am delighted to have her in this important position,” said Wendy Monaci, MBA, Executive Vice President for Adult Ambulatory Operations.
In 2024, the VTC established a new record for solid organ transplants, performing a total of 875 lifesaving procedures among its adult and pediatric transplant programs. Through dramatic growth, the VTC is now the nation’s third busiest transplant center by volume, saving 136 more critically ill patients in calendar year 2024 than in 2023.
Vanderbilt Health has transplanted more than 13,000 organs since performing its first kidney transplant in 1962. In 2024, Vanderbilt Lung Transplant performed 99 transplants, the most ever in one year.
As VTC’s Executive Director and Associate Operating Officer, O’Dell will be responsible for general administrative oversight of the center’s daily transplantation services and for continuing its mission for delivering high quality cost-effective patient-centered care, maintaining community relations and fostering new referral networks.
In this new role, O’Dell will also work closely with medical, surgical and nursing administrative leaders from across VUMC to support the center’s goals.
“We are so thrilled to work with Heather in her new role. She has the experience and tenacity to succeed and will continue to drive our success and contribute to our bright future,” said Lee Ann Liska, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer for Vanderbilt University Hospital.
O’Dell, a “Triple Dore,” earned both undergraduate and Master of Science in Nursing degrees from Vanderbilt. She went on to earn a Master of Management in Health Care from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
She began working in organ transplantation as a nurse practitioner in Vanderbilt’s Liver Transplant Program, where she was beloved by patients and recognized for her deep commitment to their care.
Over the past decade, O’Dell has progressed through several key leadership roles within the VTC while its programs have experienced exceptional growth.
“Heather’s hard work and dedication have been instrumental to the success of this program. I am thrilled to continue working side by side with her in this important leadership role,” said Joseph Magliocca, MD, director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center and holder of the Cindy and Dave Baier Directorship.
In the past 10 years the VTC has doubled transplant procedure volumes, launched the first 25-room integrated abdominal transplant multispecialty clinic at Village at Vanderbilt, and launched successful innovations such as the living liver donor program.
O’Dell has played an integral role in expanding organ access through initiatives like the use of hepatitis C-infected donor organs for noninfected recipients, a subject on which she has presented nationally.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as Executive Director and Associate Operating Officer of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center,” said O’Dell. “Ed Zavala’s tenure as transplant administrator leaves big shoes to fill, and I am profoundly grateful for his mentorship.
“Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside some of the most talented and compassionate professionals in health care. I look forward to continuing our shared mission — to expand access to transplantation, advance innovation and deliver the highest quality, patient-centered care to those who need it most.”
