June 08, 2021 Posted by jgill2
Dear AST Members,
It is my honor to serve as your President for the year 2021-22.
I want to express my gratitude to Rich Formica for his leadership of the Society during this past year. Under Rich’s leadership, the Society continued to grow and evolve despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am truly fortunate for Rich’s guidance, vision, and positivity. Rich’s term was remarkable for many reasons, including the first entirely virtual presidency and for the passage of the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act (...
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May 28, 2021 Posted by rformica
It is hard to believe that my term as President will soon be coming to an end. With the challenges from COVID-19, it certainly wasn’t the year that I was expecting. Nevertheless, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as President and proud of all we accomplished this year.
In March 2020, it became apparent that I needed to reorient my goals to reflect the threat of the pandemic to the Society. Together with the AST Board of Directors, we worked strategically to remain fiscally responsible while still providing members like you with the benefits and services you need....
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March 12, 2021 Posted by rformica
Research is one of the AST’s core pillars, and the Society strives to offer increased funding opportunities to transplant scientists each year. In our diverse Society, many members outside of transplant science may not be aware of these efforts, so I encourage you to check out the AST Research Network and our current grant opportunities.
I’ve invited Dr. Jonathan Maltzman to write a guest blog post on transplant research, funding, and...
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January 27, 2021 Posted by rformica
When it comes to virtual meetings, I know you have several options. However, I wanted to make a case for the 2021 Cutting Edge of Transplantation (CEoT) meeting and tell you why I’m excited about it.
CEoT is the AST’s winter meeting and is typically held in Phoenix. This year, it will take place virtually February 25-27, 2021, and focus on modern immunosuppression innovations. Our Planning Committee has...
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December 27, 2020 Posted by rformica
For the past 20 years, the AST has been advocating and working for passage of the Immuno Bill (officially known as the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act). At long last, after 20 years of hard work, hope, and disappointment, this legislation has finally become law. Many of us understand the gravity of this moment. Despite continuous advocacy efforts for nearly two decades, we have all too often watched as this key legislation failed to reach the President’s desk. Most importantly, we have been forced to watch as our patients struggled to take...
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December 01, 2020 Posted by rformica
It has been an unprecedented and challenging year in many ways, but the AST is very grateful for its members, volunteers, and partners' ongoing support. Over the summer, I published a blog post outlining the goals for my year as President. Two of those critical goals for this year include adding value to your AST membership and maintaining financial stability.
Despite the uncertainties we were faced with earlier this year, we have accomplished a great deal as a society. Here are a few...
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October 09, 2020 Posted by rformica
For this month’s AST’s president’s blog, I have asked John Gill, our President-elect, to write about the Living Donor Circle of Excellence. The Circle of Excellence is John’s brainchild and he has been working on it for the past 2 years. This initiative is a manifestation of John’s passion for living organ donation. He has been a thought leader in research about the risks and outcomes of living kidney donation as well as being as committed to providing access to this therapy to all of our patients. The Circle of Excellence is a natural extension of his work and is one of the most...
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August 19, 2020 Posted by rformica
While the health and socioeconomic ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic are at the forefront of our minds, it is the senseless killings of Black individuals such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor that have exposed the chilling consequences of systemic racism. The coronavirus pandemic disproportionally affects Black Americans across the United States, but this type of disparity is common. In fact, racial inequities exist for almost every disease state, including organ transplantation. It is the culmination of these recent events that compel reexamination of our efforts within the AST...
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July 07, 2020 Posted by rformica
Now, a month into my presidency, I am focused on the agenda I put forth in my introductory blog. With the shift away from the ATC as an in-person meeting to hosting it virtually this year, our society has suffered a significant decline in budgeted revenue. Fortunately, the board of directors anticipated this and began cost cutting meausures in March. Additionally, the Development Committee has been working with our Industry Partners to navigate these changing times and design solutions that meet...
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June 03, 2020 Posted by rformica
On June 1, 2020, I officially became the President of the AST. I am honored to serve the society as President and will do my best to make those who have preceded me proud of my efforts. I am looking forward to working with our Board of Directors, COP and committee leaders. On an individual basis they are all highly accomplished and smart, when working collectively they rise to another level. I want the membership of the society to have confidence that the interests of transplant patients and transplant professionals are well served by this group of remarkable people.
Before I...
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