ISHLT Elects New Board Members

• Board of Directors
• Press Release

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Incoming volunteer leadership brings diverse geographic and multidisciplinary representation to the ISHLT Board

International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation has announced the results of the member election for 2021 Board of Directors. The Society will welcome seven members of the Board of Directors at the 41st Annual ISHLT Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions in April 2021.

Elected officers include Andreas Zuckermann, MD, who will begin his term as President-Elect in April 2021; Michael A. Shullo, PharmD, who will continue as Treasurer through April 2022; and Christian Benden, MD, MBA, FCCP, who will continue as Secretary through April 2022.

The elected members of the Board of Directors are:

Andreas Zuckermann, MD | President-Elect
Director Cardiac Transplantation
Medical University of Vienna
Vienna, Austria

Dr. Zuckermann’s research interests focus on the clinical use of immunosuppressive drugs, risk factor analysis in cardiac transplantation, and new developments in precision medicine in cardiac transplantation. In addition, he has been invited to speak at many international meetings, including the ISHLT Annual Meeting. He has served in numerous volunteer roles at ISHLT, including as Annual Meeting Program Chair in 2015, as Academy Chair for Core Competencies in MCS in 2013, as the Master Class Chair for AHFTX in 2019, and as a speaker at the Annual Meeting multiple times.

Michael A. Shullo, PharmD | Treasurer
Associate Vice President - Transplantation
West Virginia University Hospitals
Morgantown, WV, USA

“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve the membership of the ISHLT in this role. The Society has a bright future and I am excited to be a part of it.”

Dr. Shullo has developed the solid organ transplantation program at the West Virginia University Hospitals and is a dedicated researcher. He earned his doctorate and undergraduate degrees in pharmacy from the University of Pittsburgh. He has dedicated many hours of time and experience to the ISHLT in a variety of leadership roles, including Treasurer, Director on the Board, and council Chair. He has also been a member of the Re-Organization Task Force, COVID-19 Task Force, and the Annual Meeting Program Committee; as well as a speaker/presenter at various Annual Meetings and on ISHLTv.

“I feel honored to be able to carry on serving ISHLT for an additional year as Secretary. I am very pleased to see ISHLT developing into a ‘365 day a year’ Society for the benefit of our membership, and I would like to continuously contribute to this important process.”

Christian Benden, MD, MBA, FCCP | Secretary
Adjunct Professor of Pulmonology and Transplant Medicine
University of Zurich
Zurich, Switzerland

Dr. Benden is a pediatric pulmonologist and lung transplant physician and educator. His research interests include clinical aspects of lung transplantation, particularly in children, experimental aspects of chronic lung graft dysfunction, and cystic fibrosis lung disease. He has served in a variety of roles at ISHLT, including as Chair and member of the Annual Meeting Program Committee; presenter on ISHLTv and at the Annual Meeting; Chair, Vice-Chair and Co-Chair of the Pediatric Scientific Council; member of the JHLT Editorial Board; and Director on the Board of Directors.

Marc de Perrot, MD | Director
Toronto General Hospital
Toronto, ON Canada

“The ISHLT is the world leader in innovation for end-stage heart and lung disease. It is with honor and excitement that I join the Board.”

A prolific author and presenter, Dr. de Perrot is Director of the CTEPH program and the Mesothelioma program as well as the Lung Oncology site lead at Toronto General Hospital and the Princess Margaret Cancer Center. He obtained his medical degree and completed his surgical residency at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, obtained his Master’s degree in the Thoracic Surgery Laboratory at the University of Toronto, and obtained a fellowship in thoracic and vascular surgery at Hospital Marie-Lannelongue in Paris, France.

Dr. de Perrot currently serves as the representative Cardiothoracic Surgery Professional Community representative to the Pulmonary Vascular Disease (PAH & CTEPH) Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee, as a project lead on the Standards and Guidelines Committee, and as a speaker at the Annual Meeting.

“To be a part of the Board of Directors of the ISHLT during this trying time is both humbling and daunting, but I look forward to the challenges. A vigorous ISHLT is essential to our day-to-day work as a vehicle of learning for our transplant teams and ultimately enhancing the health and well-being of our patients.”

Daniel F. Dilling, MD | Director Medical Director of Lung Transplantation
Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine
Maywood, IL USA

Dr. Dilling is a dedicated clinician and researcher, leading the lung transplant team at Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. His research includes analysis of outcomes of recipients of lung transplants as well as new therapies directed at rare lung diseases like pulmonary fibrosis and lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). He has served as Academy Chair for the LTX Master Class, Co-Director for the LTX Academy Core Class, Education Workforce leader on the Pulmonary Council, on the Strategic Planning Committee, as Chair of the Junior Faculty and Trainee Council, on multiple Annual Meeting Program Committees, and a speaker at various Annual Meetings.

“I’m super excited and honored to join the Board of Directors. I especially want to thank Dr. Ray Benza and Dr. Myung Park for luring me to ISHLT and its then-fledgling PH Council. The Society has allowed me to grow as a leader and my hope is that I can help it continue to advance care at the highest level.”

Mardi Gomberg-Maitland, MD, MSc | Director
Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program
George Washington University Heart and Vascular Institute
Washington, DC USA

Dr. Gomberg-Maitland is an internationally recognized leader in the field of pulmonary hypertension. She spent 12 years as Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at the University of Chicago before her current role. A highly respected leader in the development and testing of new pulmonary hypertension medications, Dr. Gomberg-Maitland has established a comprehensive pulmonary hypertension program at the George Washington University Hospital/George Washington University of Medicine & Health Sciences. She has served in a variety of roles for ISHLT, including the Program Committee, as Associate Chair for the Standards and Guidelines Committee, Chair for the PH Core Academy, Chair and Vice Chair for the Pulmonary Hypertension Council, and as speaker at the Annual Meeting and for the PH Core Academy.

“I am thrilled to be elected to the ISHLT Board. ISHLT is an efficient and effective means to continue to improve critical patient outcomes by fostering international collaboration between both our adult and pediatric providers as well as patients and families.”

Angela Lorts, MD, MBA | Director
Director of Ventricular Assist Devices / Associate Chief Quality Officer - Outcomes
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Cincinnati, OH USA

Dr. Lorts is a pediatric cardiologist, professor, and researcher. She is dedicated to improving the care of patients needing ventricular assist devices through her collaborative learning network, ACTION. Her clinical interests include advanced heart failure, cardiopulmonary bypass mediated myocardial dysfunction, novel uses of pediatric VADs, cardiomyopathy, mechanical circulatory support, and transplantation. She has served as the PEDS MCS Academy Chair, member of the Annual Meeting Program Committee, Document Project Lead on the Standards & Guidelines Committee, as Pediatrics Representative to the MCS Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee, and as a speaker at the Annual Meeting.

Beginning at the end of April 2021, the new composition of the Board will be:

President: Lara Danziger-Isakov, MD, MPH, Infectious Diseases, USA (2023)
Past President: Joseph G. Rogers, MD, Cardiologist, USA (2022)
President-Elect: Andreas Zuckermann, MD, Cardiac Surgeon, Austria (2024)
Treasurer: Michael A. Shullo, PharmD, Pharmacist, USA (2022)
Secretary: Christian Benden, MD, MBA FCCP, Pediatric Pulmonologist, Switzerland (2022)
Director: Edward Cantu, MD, MSCE, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, USA (2023)
Director: Marc de Perrot, MD, Thoracic and Lung Transplant Surgeon, Canada (2024)
Director: Daniel F. Dilling, MD, Pulmonologist, USA (2024)
Director: Martin J. Goddard, FRCS, MRCPa, Pathologist, UK (2022)
Director: Mardi Gomberg-Maitland, MD, MSc, Cardiologist, USA (2024)
Director: Are Holm, MD, PhD, Pulmonologist, Norway (2023)
Director: Ulrich P. Jorde, MD, Cardiologist, USA (2022)
Director: Annemarie Kaan, MCN, RN, Nurse, Canada (2022)
Director: Kiran K. Khush, MD, MAS, Cardiologist, USA (2023)
Director: Angela Lorts, MD, MBA, Pediatric Cardiologist, USA (2024)
Director: Tereza Martinu, MD, MHS, Pulmonologist, Canada (2023)