Vanderbilt Transplant Center

Jimmy Sullivan talks about his family’s decision to donate the organs of his son, Asher, 10, following his death. (photo by Susan Urmy)
May 6, 2025

Donate Life Ceremony celebrates organ donors and their families

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

By Matt Batcheldor
Team members visiting Vanderbilt from the Philippine Heart Center included (front row, from left) Melissa Morala-Caranto, MD, Apreel Marie Noble, MD, Avenilo L. Aventura Jr., MD, Emily Aventura, MD, Carina Dipasupil, MD, Liberty Yaneza, MD, Christopher Cheng, MD, (back row, from left) Christopher Ian Joseph De Guzman, RN, Ryan Andal, MD, Dennis de Asis, MD, Karl Derrick Sia, MD, Liza Santiago, RN, Earvin Jon Abaño, RN, and Edgar Tuazon, MD. (photo by Susan Urmy)
May 1, 2025

Team from the Philippines visits to observe heart and lung transplant programs

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

By Matt Batcheldor
A year after her lung transplant, Amanda Atkins is back to enjoying hiking, walking her dog and being with family and friends. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
April 8, 2025

Patient’s journey a beacon of hope to those facing a life-changing transplant

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.

By Matt Batcheldor
Heart transplant patient Scot Pollard and his wife, Dawn. (photo by Donn Jones)
February 18, 2025

Scot Pollard’s journey took him from the NBA to the heart transplant waitlist

At 6 feet, 11 inches, he played in the NBA for 11 years on five different teams before retiring in 2008 and never had any heart issues that slowed him down.

By Matt Batcheldor
Brandon Petree, MD, and Caitlin Demarest, MD, PhD, operate on a patient during a recent double lung transplant. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
February 11, 2025

Vanderbilt Lung Transplant establishes new record

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.

By Matt Batcheldor
Martin Montenovo, MD, left, and Wali Johnson, MD, perform a liver transplant in 2024. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
February 11, 2025

Vanderbilt Transplant Center reaches new heights in 2024, now the nation’s third busiest 

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.

By Matt Batcheldor
January 31, 2025

How many surgical instruments are used to set the 2024 heart transplant world record?

A standard heart transplant requires surgical instruments spread across multiple sterile tables — from tiny vascular clamps to hefty retractors to keep the surgical field open.
By Holly Fletcher and Erin O. Smith
January 16, 2025

Kidney transplant leader Robert Richie is mourned

He helped build one of the leading kidney transplant programs in the country, both in terms of the number of transplants performed annually, and in long-term organ function and patient survival rates.
By Wayne Wood and Bill Snyder
January 13, 2025

Vanderbilt Transplant Center sets world record for heart transplants in 2024

The Vanderbilt Transplant Center had a banner year in 2024. The number of patients whose lives were saved by Vanderbilt’s heart transplant team far surpasses any previous total by an individual transplant center. 
By Matt Batcheldor
January 6, 2025

Heart transplant program reaches new landmark

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.
By Matt Batcheldor
December 3, 2024

C. Wright Pinson to step down as Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer

After 35 years of tireless service to the people and patients of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer, will step down from that role.
By John Howser
November 22, 2024

Konrad Hoetzenecker named surgical director of the Vanderbilt Lung Transplant Program

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.
By Matt Batcheldor
November 21, 2024

Ukrainian team visits VUMC to hone transplant surgery skills

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