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Call for nominations for OPTN Heart Committee and Lung Committee

Published on: Friday, March 13, 2020

The OPTN Board of Directors has approved replacing the OPTN Thoracic Organ Transplantation Committee with two separate committees – Heart and Lung.

The new committees will begin their work on July 1, 2020 and will allow the OPTN to be more representative and responsive to the community’s needs, which will in turn help patients.

There is an immediate need to fill a number of positions on the Heart and Lung Committees. Committee members are volunteers, representing a variety of professional disciplines, personal experience and expertise in organ transplantation.

The OPTN values diversity and strives for a Board and Committee system that represents the community we serve. Therefore, members may be donation or transplant professionals, transplant candidates or recipients, living donors, donor families, and/or members of the general public.    

  •  If you wish to be considered for a Heart Committee or Lung Committee volunteer position beginning July 1, 2020, complete the online Biography Form no later than March 25, 2020.
  • Please note: in the Biography Form under “area(s) of interest” you must select “Thoracic Committee” in order to be considered.  Applications received after this date are not guaranteed review for the coming cycle. 
  • To update a previously submitted Biography Form, follow these instructions.
  • To learn about volunteer responsibilities and the selection process, visit the Get Involved page.
  • If you have questions about your application, please contact volunteer@unos.org.

Below, you will find information about serving on committees, and details about current openings on the Heart Transplantation Committee and the Lung Transplantation Committee. Please contact Sara Rose Wells, Transplant Community Administrator, at sararose.wells@unos.org with any questions.

About serving on OPTN committees

The OPTN Final Rule regulates the operation of the OPTN. FR §121.3 has explicit requirements for the composition of the Board of Directors and its Committees. The OPTN Bylaws also contain composition requirements.

Participation requirements:

  • Complete a three year term
  • Agree to abide by the Conflicts of Interest  and Confidentiality policy
  • Attend, prepare for, and actively participate in monthly (sometimes more frequent) web conferences and in-person committee meetings (usually held in Chicago twice a year).  The OPTN covers the cost of travel, lodging, and reasonable expenses for committee meetings.
  • Participate in subcommittees, as assigned

In addition, regional representatives serving on OPTN committees are expected to:

  • Present updates on committee activities and public comment proposals at their biannual regional meeting. The OPTN does not cover travel expenses for regional representatives to attend regional meetings.
  • Relay regional meeting feedback to the committee

 About the selection process

The OPTN President-Elect appoints incoming committee members. Each committee with openings will review biography forms and make recommendations to the President-Elect.  Regional nominating committees will make recommendations for regional representative vacancies.  To learn more, visit the OPTN website.

Heart and Lung Committee Openings

  • Heart Transplantation

The Heart Committee meets monthly via web conference and twice a year in-person.

The term for these positions is July 1, 2020-June 30, 2023, unless otherwise noted.

Open positions:

  • Region 2 representative
  • Region 4 representative (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2022)
  • Region 5 representative
  • Region 7 representative (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2022)
  • Region 10 representative
  • Region 11 representative
  • At-Large (1) (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021)
  • At-Large (3)

The Heart Committee is seeking:

  • OPO representative (1)
  • Transplant coordinator and/or administrator (1)
  • Pediatric cardiologists (2)
  • Heart surgeons
  • Cardiologists
  • Surgeons/physicians with multi-organ experience

 

  • Lung Transplantation

The Lung Committee meets monthly via web conference and twice a year in-person.

The term for these positions is July 1, 2020-June 30, 2023, unless otherwise noted.

Open positions:

  • Region 1 representative
  • Region 3 representative
  • Region 4 representative (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2022)
  • Region 6 representative
  • Region 8 representative (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021)
  • Region 9 representative (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021)
  • Region 10 representative
  • Region 11 representative
  • At-Large (3)

The Lung Committee is seeking:

  • Patient & donor affairs representative (1)
  • Pulmonologists
  • Lung surgeons
  • surgeons/physicians with multi-organ experience
  • Pediatric expertise
  • Physicians/surgeons with skills in research and data analysis

 

If you have questions about these committees, please contact Sara Rose Wells, Transplant Community Administrator, at sararose.wells@unos.org.