ISHLT Elects New Board Members and Professional Community Leaders

• Board of Directors
• Committees & Communities
• Interdisciplinary Networks
• Press Release
• Professional Communities

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CHICAGO, IL – 1 December, 2023 – The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) has announced the results of the election for the 2024 Board of Directors as well as leadership positions in the Professional Communities. The Society will welcome four new members to the Board of Directors and 16 leaders across ISHLT’s professional specialty communities to serve as representatives to the 4 ISHLT Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committees and the Early Career & Trainee Committee. Terms begin 1 May, 2024, immediately following the ISHLT 44th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions.

Professor Josef Stehlik, MD, will serve as ISHLT President-Elect beginning in May 2024 and as ISHLT President beginning in May 2025. President-Elect Professor Christian Benden, MD, MBA, FCCP, begins his term as ISHLT President in May 2024.

Josef Stehlik, MD | President-Elect

Professor of Medicine, Heart Transplant Program Director
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT USA

Professor Stehlik’s areas of interest include advanced heart failure, heart transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, cardiac sarcoidosis, and cardioversion. He has served as a member of the JHLT Editorial Board, Medical Director of the Thoracic Registry, a member of the Research Oversight Committee, a Regional Ambassador of the ISHLT Foundation, and a member of the Annual Meeting Planning Committee. He will transition from his current role as a member of the Board of Directors to the role of President-Elect.

Mardi Gomberg-Maitland, MD, MSc | Treasurer

Professor of Medicine, Walter G. Ross Chair in Clinical Research
George Washington University
Washington, DC USA

Professor Gomberg-Maitland’s areas of interest include pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary heart disease, and complex heart failure. She has served as a member of the Standards and Guidelines Committee and the Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee. She will transition from her current role as a member of the Board of Directors to begin a two-year term as Treasurer.

Saima Aslam, MD, MS | Director

Professor of Medicine, Solid Organ Transplant Infectious Diseases
University of California
San Diego, CA USA

Professor Aslam’s research interests include transplant, infectious diseases, catheter-related bacteremia, and biofilm-based infection. She currently serves as a member of the JHLT Editorial Board and was the Chair of the ISHLT COVID-19 Task Force.

David A. Baran, MD | Director

Section Head, Heart Failure, Transplant and MCS
Cleveland Clinic Florida
Parkland, FL USA

Dr. Baran’s research interests include advanced heart failure, heart transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support. He has served in a variety of roles at ISHLT, including as a member of the Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee, member of the ISHLT Donor Heart Selection Task Force, and as Co-Chair of the ISHLT Special Task Force on Cardiogenic Shock.

Marta Farrero Torres, MD, PhD | Director

Head of Heart Failure Unit
Hospital Clínic Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain

Dr. Farrero Torres’s areas of interest include advanced heart failure, heart transplantation, and assist devices. She currently is a member of the JHLT Editorial Board. She has served as the Chair of the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee, a member of the Leadership Advisory Forum, and as the Co-Leader of ISHLT en Español.

Haifa Lyster, PhD, FRPharmS, FFRPS | Director

Consultant Pharmacist Transplantation and MCS, Harefield Research Lead
Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals
London, United Kingdom

Dr. Lyster’s research interests include infections, antifungal drug TDM, hepatic drug handling, and renal sparing regimens post-transplantation. She currently serves as member and past chair of the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee and as a section lead for the ISHLT Guidelines for the Care of Cardiac Transplant Candidates. She has served as a member of the Annual Program Planning Committee and as a writer for various ISHLT guidelines and publications.

Martin Schweiger, MBA, FABS, FEBS | Director

Director MCS Program
Children’s Hospital Zürich
Zürich, Switzerland

Professor Schweiger’s research interests include congenital cardiac surgery, heart transplantation, tissue engineering, and assist devices. He has served a variety of roles at ISHLT, including Co-Chair of the Early Career and Trainee Committee, the Pediatrics Professional Community representative to the Mechanical Circulatory Support Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee, a member of the ISHLT Membership Task Force, and Vice Chair of the Junior Faculty and Trainee Council.

Beginning 1 May, 2024, the new composition of the Board will be:

• President: Christian Benden, MD, MBA, FCCP, Pediatric Pulmonologist, Switzerland (2026)
• Past President: Jason D. Christie, MD, MS, Pulmonologist, USA (2025)
• President-Elect: Josef Stehlik, MD, Cardiologist, USA (2027)
• Treasurer: Mardi Gomberg-Maitland, MD, MSc, Cardiologist, USA (2026)
• Secretary: Peter M. Hopkins, FRACP, Pulmonologist, Australia (2025)
• Director: Saima Aslam, MD, MS, Infectious Diseases, USA (2027)
• Director: David A. Baran, MD, Cardiologist, USA (2027)
• Director: Caron L. Burch, RN, MSN, FNP, CCTC, Transplant Coordinator, USA (2025)
• Director: Marta Farrero Torres, MD, PhD, Cardiologist, Spain (2027)
• Director: Haifa Lyster, MSc, FRPharmS, FFRPS, Pharmacist, United Kingdom (2027)
• Director: Jignesh K. Patel, MD, PhD, Cardiologist, USA (2025)
• Director: Yael Peled, MD, Cardiologist, Israel (2026)
• Director: Diyar Saeed, MD, PhD, Cardiac Surgeon, Germany (2025)
• Director: Martin Schweiger, MBA, FABS, FEBS, Cardiac Surgeon, Switzerland (2027)
• Director: Laurie D. Snyder, MD, Pulmonologist, USA (2026)
• Director: Simon Urschel, MD, Immunologist, Pediatric Cardiologist, Canada (2026)

The elected Professional Community leaders are:

Ashley Fritz, DO

Mayo Clinic
Jacksonville, FL USA
Anesthesiology & Critical Care Representative
Advanced Heart Failure & Transplantation Interdisciplinary Network

Alin Gragossian, DO, MPH

Donor Network
West Glendale, CA USA
Anesthesiology & Critical Care Representative
Early Career & Trainee Committee

Clara Hjalmarsson, MD, PhD

Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Gothenburg, Sweden
Cardiology Representative
Pulmonary Vascular Disease (PAH & CTEPH) Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee

Anju Bhardwaj, MD

University of Texas/McGovern Medical School
Houston, TX USA
Cardiology Representative
Early Career & Trainee Committee

Cameron R. Wolfe, MD

Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC USA
Infectious Disease Representative
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation Interdisciplinary Network Steering

Kathryn Hughes, MSN, AGACNP-BC

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN
Nursing & Allied Health Representative
Advanced Lung Failure Transplantation Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee

Thomas Schlöeglhofer, MSc

Medical University of Vienna
Vienna, Austria
Nursing & Allied Health Representative
Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) Interdisciplinary Network Steering

Vanathi Sivasubramaniam, MBBS, FRCPA

St. Vincent’s Hospital
Sydney, Australia
Pathology Representative
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee

Francesca Lunardi, MD, ScD, PhD

University of Padova
Padova, Italy
Pathology Representative
Advanced Lung Failure Transplantation Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee

Katharina Wassilew, MD, PhD, Dsmed, MHBA, MIAC

Royal Papworth Hospital
England, United Kingdom
Pathology Representative
Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee

Christina Kaufman, PhD

University of Louisville School of Medicine
Louisville, KY USA
Pathology Representative
Pulmonary Vascular Disease (PAH & CTEPH) Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee

Brigitte Willemse, MD, PhD

Beatrix Children’s Hospital/University Medical Center
Groningen, Netherlands
Pediatrics Representative
Advanced Lung Failure Transplantation Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee

Fawwaz Shaw, MD

Emory University/Children’s Heathcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, GA USA
Pediatrics Representative
Mechanical Circulatory Support Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee

Tara Veasey, PharmD, BCTXP

Allegheny General Hospital
Pittsburgh, PA USA
Pharmacy Representative
Advanced Heart Failure Transplantation Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committee

Bailey Colvin, PharmD, BCCP

J. W. Ruby Memorial Hospital
Morgantown, WV USA
Pharmacy Representative
Early Career & Trainee Committee

Lorenzo Zaffiri, MD, PhD

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA USA
Pulmonology Representative
Early Career & Trainee Committee