The recently created Vanderbilt Center for Transplant Science has announced the appointments of several new positions forming its leadership team.
Ashley Spann, MD, MSACI, has been named the associate director of Transplant Research Informatics; Ciara Shaver, MD, PhD, has been named associate director for Translational Research; and Johanna Cimilluca, MPH, MS, DrPH,has been named administrative officer for the center.
The Vanderbilt Center for Transplant Science was created in 2024 to save the lives of patients waiting for a transplant and improve outcomes for patients after they receive a transplant. The center brings together the institution’s major scientific strengths — including cutting-edge immunology, informatics and organ preservation technology — to solve the biggest problems facing transplantation.
Spann is assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition with a secondary appointment in Biomedical Informatics. She will lead the development and integration of data-driven innovations aimed at advancing transplant research and improving patient outcomes.
Spann combines the perspective of a skilled transplant clinician with deep expertise in informatics. She has published and presented widely on methodologies and best practices for leveraging informatics techniques and artificial intelligence for the management of patients with chronic liver diseases. She held an integral role in the creation of the Epic Systems Hepatology Steering Board to influence EHR standards related to the care of patients with liver disease, for which she served as the inaugural chair. Her work has spanned a wide variety of informatics domains, with interests in quality improvement, predictive modeling and artificial intelligence, and targeted implementation of clinical decision support tools for optimizing care delivery for patients with liver disease.
As associate director, Spann will oversee informatics initiatives designed to optimize transplant data resources, enhance efficiency in transplant research, and foster innovative approaches in the field. She will lead efforts to build multi-institutional transplant data consortia that will leverage Vanderbilt’s exceptional capabilities in informatics. A passionate advocate for research inclusivity, she is committed to building a collaborative and supportive environment that enables researchers, clinicians and students to drive impactful discoveries in transplantation.
“Dr. Spann has all the right skills and experiences for this role,” said Peter Reese, MD, PhD, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Transplant Science. “Her expertise in hepatology and strong ties to VUMC’s Department of Biomedical Informatics will be instrumental in pushing forward our goal of transforming transplant care through first-in-class data assets and technology.”
Shaver is assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine with a secondary appointment in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. Her research program in the Laboratory for Science and Translation in Critical Illness focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying acute lung injury and repair in organ donors, after transplantation and during critical illness.
Her bench-to-bedside research approach encompasses translational studies using patient biospecimen repositories as well as basic science studies using ex vivo lung perfusion and animal models of organ injury. More recently, she has worked with Matthew Bacchetta, MD, MBA, MA, H. William Scott Jr. Professor of Surgery, to develop xenogeneic cross-circulation to improve availability of donor organs suitable for transplantation. She is also the director of the Lung Explant Biorepository and the Lung Transplant Biorepository.
In her role as associate director of the center, Shaver will use her expertise in transplant medicine and in translational and basic research to foster interdisciplinary translational discovery to improve understanding of transplant science and improve outcomes for patients receiving solid organ transplant at Vanderbilt. She will lead efforts to enhance translational science opportunities in clinical trials and observational studies across all organ transplants and target recruitment of additional faculty with translational research skills. She also brings expertise in maximizing the value of biobanking in transplantation.
“Dr. Shaver is a true physician-scientist in transplantation, bridging the intense clinical work of lung transplantation with her research endeavors,” Reese said. “Her skills will enable VUMC’s transplant research programs to take advantage of tremendous emerging capabilities in omics and deep histological phenotyping.”
Cimilluca, the center’s administrative director, brings extensive experience in health care administration, financial management and program development. With a doctorate in Public Health specializing in Health Services Management and Policy, and a history of leadership experience in academic medicine and research operations, she has a track record of advancing strategic initiatives and fostering organizational growth both at VUMC and in the private sector. She will collaborate closely with the center directors to establish the center’s foundational framework and elevate its national profile through strategic partnerships, communications and donor engagement.
“I am so grateful that Dr. Cimilluca will help us build the administrative foundation we need to grow the center and build strong ties to the amazing scientific community across VUMC and Vanderbilt University,” Reese said. “We are fortunate to have this leadership team in place.”
