“This ceremony reminds us of the impact that one act of generosity can have on countless lives."

After 15 years of distinguished leadership at Vanderbilt Health, Seth Karp, MD, the H. William Scott Jr. Professor of Surgery, will be stepping down as System Surgeon-in-Chief and Chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences on Oct. 15.

They and their families shared their journeys back to health, from initial illness followed by weeks to months in the SICU, to their ongoing rehabilitation and recovery. 

Most of the 27 participants were able to reach altitudes of more than 18,000 feet — exclusively personal bests. All participants were under close medical supervision.

The program performed 149 lung transplants in 2025, the most ever in one year at Vanderbilt Health, and is now the second largest lung transplant center in the U.S.

Researchers retrospectively reviewed 552 Vanderbilt Health patients from Jan. 2024 to Dec. 2025, placing them in 3 groups: those with no sternotomies, those with one, and those with two or more.

Williams helped lead the team that developed a method to preserve donor hearts for up to 12 hours — triple the typical four-hour window.