ISHLT Elects New Board of Directors Members

• Board of Directors
• Press Release

ADDISON, TX – 7 May, 2019 – The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) announced the election of seven new board members and officers.

Stuart C. Sweet | President

Dr. Stuart C. Sweet, MD, PhD, a pediatric pulmonologist and the W.McKim Marriott Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected President of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT). Sweet also serves as medical director of the Pediatric Lung Transplant Program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

“It’s an honor to lead ISHLT. I’ve been a member since 1998 and the Society has played a critical role in my professional growth.”

Sweet’s research focuses on improving our understanding of those factors that determine the outcomes in children who receive lung transplants. He is the principal investigator of an NIH-funded multi-center study of the role B-cell immunity plays in lung transplant outcomes.

Sweet has a long track record as a leader in transplant-related organizations, including having served as Chair of the Pediatric Transplantation Committee and Policy Oversight Committee for the Organ Transplantation and Procurement Network (OPTN)/United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

He received his undergraduate, graduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan. He joined the faculty at Washington University in 1996.

Joseph Rogers | President-Elect

Dr. Joseph Rogers., MD, a cardiologist and national thought leader in heart failure and heart transplantation, has been elected President-elect of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Rogers is a professor of medicine and Chief Medical Officer for Duke University Health System in Durham, North Carolina, USA.

“I’m looking forward to serving the Society and giving back to an organization that has been instrumental in my growth as a professional."

Rogers’ research interests focus on the clinical aspects of advanced heart failure, specifically in the pharmacologic and electrical treatments of systolic heart failure, the use of mechanical circulatory support devices, cardiac transplantation and palliative care.

Rogers received his MD from the University of Nebraska – Omaha and his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas – Lawrence.

He received his undergraduate, graduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan. He joined the faculty at Duke in 2004.

Jason D. Christie | Secretary

Dr. Jason D. Christie, MD, MSCE., the Chief of the Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Division at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, has been elected Secretary of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT). Christie also serves on the Board of Directors as an Executive Committee member.

“I’m excited to further my work with ISHLT by serving on the Board. ISHLT has played a critical role in developing my career and I’m honored to give back to this important organization.”

Christie's career focuses on translational research studies of the risks, pathogenesis, treatment, and outcomes of acute lung injury in the transplant and non-transplant human populations. His research integrates new knowledge generated from bench studies with epidemiology approaches in well-phenotyped, large human populations to generate new definitions of human syndromes, improved diagnostics and prognostics, and targeted therapy approaches in advanced lung diseases and critical illness.

Raymond Benza | Treasurer

Dr. Raymond L Benza, MD, FACC, FAHA, FACP, has been elected Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Benza is the James Magovern Chair of Cardiovascular Research at the Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, PA, and Director of the Cardiovascular Research.

“I’m excited to serve on the Board of an organization that takes a multi-disciplinary approach to treating end-stage heart and lung disease. ISHLT is a unique organization that offers an invaluable service to researchers and practitioners in a wide range of fields.”

Benza directs the Advanced Heart Failure, Pulmonary Hypertension, Transplant, and Mechanical Circulatory Assist Device Program at Allegheny General Hospital, a multifaceted program involving clinical care for patients with advanced heart failure and pulmonary vascular disease as well as basic and clinical research.

Benza’s research focuses on advanced congestive heart failure, cardiac transplantation,and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

He received his medical degree from University of Florida College of Medicine and his undergraduate degree from Emory University.

Annemarie Kaan | Director

“It’s such an honor to serve on the ISHLT Board. ISHLT is a unique organization in that it looks at end-stage heart and lung failure from a multi-disciplinary and global approach. As a nurse, I’m proud to be a member and particularly proud to help shape the Society’s future.”

Annemarie Kaan, MCN, RN, Clinical Nurse Specialist with the heart transplant program at Providence Health Care, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, has been named to the Board of Directors for the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT).

Kaan has worked in the areas of heart failure, transplant and mechanical circulatory support since 1987. She also serves as an Adjunct Faculty member with the University of British Columbia Faculty of Nursing. She has been a member of ISHLT since 1992.

Kaan worked in heart and lung transplantation at St. Vincent’s hospital in Sydney, Australia, where she received her RN.

Ulrich Jorde | Directors

Dr. Ulrich Jorde, MD, Section Head of Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT).

“I’m thrilled to be on the Board of ISHLT,” said Jorde. “In particular, I’m proud of ISHLT’s global approach to better understanding heart and lung failure.”

Jorde’s laboratory focuses on translational research in advanced heart failure, including heart replacement therapy, such as durable mechanical circulatory support and cardiac transplantation.

Jorde is a graduate of Hamburg University in Germany and completed his training in Internal Medicine, Cardiology, at Mount Sinai Medical School and Einstein.