She was turned down by multiple transplant centers between Honolulu and Nashville, deemed too sick, before the Vanderbilt Lung Transplant Program accepted her as a patient.

The OPTN is a unique public-private partnership that links all professionals involved in the U.S. donation and transplantation system.

VUMC has been working on multiple tracks to provide more pathways for nurses, including people who grew up with little exposure to nursing.

Shaffer led the kidney transplant program to become one of the largest in the nation and made significant contributions to clinical care, research, teaching and service.

The findings give patients and clinicians have another reason to screen for and treat depression in order to prevent potential future heart failure.

In addition to honoring organ donors and their families, the ceremony salutes hospital staff who care for donors and transplant recipients.