ISHLT Launches Pediatric to Adult Transition Task Force to Address Needs of Transplant Recipients
Transplant recipients between the ages of 15 and 25 experience up to ten times higher rates of organ graft loss than any other age group. Further, adolescents and young adults with heart failure, mechanical cardiac support, severe lung disease, and pulmonary hypertension are also adversely affected by the unique challenges accompanying this developmental period and health care transition.
To address the need for a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to patients transition from pediatric to adult healthcare systems, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) has launched a Pediatric to Adult Transition Task Force. ISHLT’s multidisciplinary, multi-organ, and multi-national structure provides a unique opportunity to illuminate and address these problems from both adult and pediatric perspectives across the Society’s expert membership.
The broad expertise within ISHLT allows us to look at these challenges from multiple perspectives, spanning both pediatric and adult care," said ISHLT President Chris Benden, MD, MBA, FCCP. "By drawing on diverse clinical disciplines and assessing existing resources from multiple sources, we can explore a range of strategies to address the specific needs of this population."
The ISHLT Pediatric to Adult Transition Task Force is co-chaired by Melissa Cousino, PhD, a pediatric transplant psychologist at the University of Michigan in the United States, and Miranda Paraskeva, MBBS, MPH, a transplant respirologist with experience in both adult and pediatric lung transplants at Alfred Hospital in Australia. ISHLT Board Member Simon Urschel, MD serves as the Task Force liaison to the Board of Directors. The 18-member task force includes ISHLT members from seven countries and represents a range of specialties, including nursing, social work, psychology, palliative care, and transplant administration, as well as cardiology and pulmonology. With more than half of the task force dedicated to adult patient care, the group aims to bring insights from both pediatric and adult healthcare 
perspectives.
The task force will collaborate with partner organizations, foundations, and, importantly, the patients and families who experience these healthcare transitions firsthand. Through this partnership, ISHLT aims to share insights, develop practical approaches, and create resources to support the healthcare needs of young people with heart and lung conditions.
About ISHLT
Founded in 1981, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) is a professional organization focused on advancing the care of patients with end-stage heart and lung disease. Through its international network of experts in transplantation, heart and lung failure, mechanical circulatory support, and pulmonary hypertension, ISHLT supports research, education, and the exchange of knowledge among its members. ISHLT's multidisciplinary membership structure enables a collaborative approach to complex health issues across several fields, fostering solutions that address diverse patient needs.