Reginald Porter of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, received the procedure in September after being diagnosed at an area hospital in February with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer that develops in the bile ducts.

The recipient of the 2,000th transplant was Wes Carter, 37, a real estate agent from Pensacola, Florida, who first noticed an irregular heart rhythm in his mid-20s.

The center was created earlier this year to save the lives of patients waiting for a transplant and improve outcomes for patients after they receive a transplant.

Constance Mobley, PhD'98, MD'03, shared her journey to becoming a transplant surgeon, the research and clinical innovations she has contributed to during her career, and the wisdom she has gained through the years.

Hoetzenecker comes to Vanderbilt from the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, where he has been professor of Lung Transplantation and director of the Lung Transplant Program.

With the help of Vanderbilt and other transplant centers, Ukraine has developed a growing transplant program in the country in the last four years.

Bill Jackson received a heart and double lung transplant, an unusual procedure performed only a handful of times each year at VUMC and one that can occur at only the most specialized transplant centers.