Vanderbilt Transplant Center Archives

Pam Helmlinger, with her husband, Kelly, and 4-year-old son, Ryland, who received part of Kyle Fisher’s liver, speaks at VUMC’s Donate Life Month Flag-Raising Ceremony.

Flag-raising event honors selflessness of organ donation

Apr. 20, 2023—Organ donors and their families were saluted recently at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's annual Donate Life Flag-Raising Ceremony.

2022 another strong year for Vanderbilt Transplant Center

Feb. 23, 2023— by Matt Batcheldor The Vanderbilt Transplant Center has emerged over the past five years as an international leader in solid organ transplantation. In calendar year 2022 alone, 625 life-saving heart, liver, kidney, lung and pancreas transplants were performed. Among the fastest-growing programs has been Vanderbilt’s heart transplant program, which performed a combined total of...

Study finds underperforming organ procurement organizations contribute to nationwide shortage

Feb. 8, 2023—The number of potential organ donors in the United States could solve the shortage for most organs, but many organs are not recovered due to performance variations in the opaque organ procurement organization process, according to a just-published study with first and corresponding authors from Vanderbilt.

Visiting Ukrainian surgeons review the transplant schedule with Dawn Eck, ACNP-BC, MMHC, NEA-BC.

Ukrainian surgeons visit VUMC to observe transplant protocols

Dec. 8, 2022—A group of doctors from Ukraine recently visited Vanderbilt to observe transplants and protocols as part of an initiative to establish a lung transplant program and improve heart transplantation in the war-torn country.

Beatrice Concepcion, MD, left, Kathy Jabs, MD, and Rachel Forbes, MD, MBA, pose at Monday’s event celebrating the 60th anniversary of Vanderbilt’s first kidney transplant.

Kidney Transplant Program celebrates 60th anniversary

Oct. 27, 2022—The Vanderbilt Transplant Center is celebrating its 60th anniversary of its first kidney transplant, performed on Oct. 3, 1962. Since then, VUMC has performed more than 7,000 kidney transplants, of which Walker was one of the earlier cases.

Suzie Brown, second from right, performs at the Back Corner in Nashville on Aug. 16, 2019. Other band members, from left to right: Sarah Aili, Scot Sax, and Billy Harvey.

Cardiologist Brown finds inspiration through music

Oct. 13, 2022—Vanderbilt's Suzanne Brown Sacks, MD, is both a transplant cardiologist and an accomplished singer/songwriter.

Mervyn Joseph traveled from South Africa to receive his lung transplant at Vanderbilt.

Patient journeys from South Africa for lung transplant

Sep. 29, 2022—Mervyn Joseph, who searched the world over for the best place to be considered for lung transplant, is thankful he found Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The Eitl family poses with the plaque the family donated to thank the transplant team for taking care of Joe Eitl, who received a heart and liver transplant last year.

Transplant docuseries lauded by Donate Life Hollywood

Sep. 8, 2022—“Last Chance Transplant,” the docuseries filmed at Vanderbilt in conjunction with 44 Blue Productions and Rock’n Robins Productions, received the 2022 Inspire Award on Thursday, Aug. 25, from Donate Life Hollywood.

New Clinician Spotlight: Saeed Mohammad

Jul. 1, 2022—Saeed Mohammad, MD, MS, recently joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center as director of the Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Center at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Attendees at the Spring Donor Celebration included, from left, Jane Corcoran, Melinda Balser, Alice Coogan, MD, Edie Carell Johnson, Amy Schoeny, PhD, and David Johnson.

Event honors VUMC donors for their loyal support

Jun. 2, 2022—by Nancy Humphrey Members of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Canby Robinson Society recently joined CEO and President Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, and his wife, Melinda, at the Vanderbilt University Student Life Ballroom for the Spring Donor Celebration, an annual event honoring donors for their loyal support. It was the first in-person celebration since 2019, due...

Seth Karp, MD, speaks at Monday’s 30th anniversary celebration of Vanderbilt’s liver transplant program.

Liver transplant program marks 30th anniversary

May. 4, 2022—This May, the Vanderbilt Transplant Center is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its first liver transplant.

Shumway Lecture

Apr. 21, 2022—Ashish Shah, MD, chair of Cardiac Surgery, Carmen Solórzano, MD, chair of Surgery, and Seth Karp, MD, chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences and director of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center, welcome Sara Shumway, MD, (second from left), prior to her delivering the 2022 Shumway Lecture in Transplantation at Vanderbilt.