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 delegation is planning to establish a new heart transplant program in the Philippines, serving a population of 115 million people.

Amanda Atkins is sharing her story to give hope to those facing a life-changing transplant and to give thanks to her organ donor who made it all possible.

For the second calendar year in a row, Vanderbilt Lung Transplant has the busiest program in the Southeast and leads the nation in innovation in organ preservation and regeneration.

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.

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.

Recognized as a major regional referral center for heart, kidney and liver transplantation, incorporating pancreas and lung transplant services for pediatric patients bolsters the well-established expertise currently offered by the Vanderbilt Transplant Center.