We were jumping for joy to finally be able to attend the annual American Transplant Congress (ATC) conference in person in Boston from June 3-7, 2022 to network and learn from other experts in the field of organ and tissue transplantation. The new Patient Engagement Research Lab in the Department of Surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital celebrated the many accomplishments of all the researchers and clinicians from J.C. Walter Transplant Center representing so many facets of the field of transplantation.
Dr. Amy Waterman was able to reunite with her prior mentors from both Washington University School of Medicine and the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) as well as her professional collaborators and research partners from across the world. “It’s amazing to miss seeing people that work in your field this much,” she said. “I was smiling the entire time!”
At the conference, cutting-edge advances in research were presented through in-depth symposiums, oral abstracts, workshops, and poster presentations on clinical and basic science topics related to organ and tissue transplantation. This conference brings together healthcare and allied healthcare professionals, scientists, and more. Dr. Osama Gaber, the outgoing President of the American Society of Transplantation Surgeons and the Chair of the Department of Surgery at Houston Methodist, gave a stirring address called Guarding the Future of Transplantation,” that left his team in tears sitting in the audience.
Dr. LaShara Davis had the privilege to present a talk in the research session, “Ensuring Equity in Transplant: Priorities for National Expansion of Best Practices,” which was moderated by Dr. Waterman. Dr. Davis presented her research on storytelling in a talk “Improving Access to Living Donation in Vulnerable Communities: The Case for Digital Storytelling. Sharing a platform with Dr. Tanjala Purnell, Dr. Rachel Patzer, and Dr. Amit Mathur, she recounts, “I was fan-girling being in the same room with researchers I often cite when writing manuscripts!” She also stated that, “the best part of presenting my research was gaining insight into how to take my projects to the next level with experts in the transplant space.”
We were part of 8 presentations accepted at ATC, with many more being planned for 2023! We could not have achieved this accomplishment without the support from our collaborators. After returning from ATC, we can say that our heads are buzzing with new and exciting projects to delve into and transform the transplant world! Dr. Waterman describes this experience as, “being rejuvenated.”
The following posters were presented at the conference:
- Kidney Transplant-Related Knowledge Among African, Caribbean and Black Canadian Patients with Kidney Failure M. Hamid, H. Habbal, A. Wasim, E. Rogers, M. Anwar, R. Li, S. Macanovic, A. D. Waterman, I. Mucsi
- Do Videos Work Better Than Digital Ads at Reaching Audiences? Examining Which Message Types Engage and Encourage Further Exploration of Living Donation L. A. Davis, A. Livingston, A. Waterman
- Development of a Patient-Reported Outcome Measure of Neurological Side Effects from Immunosuppression in Kidney Transplant Recipients C. Hurt, G. J. Greene, J. Friedewald, D. P. Ladner, A. Waterman, D. Cella, D. Peipert
- Effectiveness of a Targeted Media Campaign on Engagement and Interest in Living Donation L.A. Davis, A. Livingston, A. Waterman
- Progression from Kidney Transplant Referral to Initiating the Pre-Transplant Evaluation: What Causes the Break Down? T.Menser, M. J. Hobeika, E. Hsu, L.W. Moore, A. D. Waterman, A. O. Gaber, R. J. Knight
- A More Equitable Transplant Evaluation: What Patient-Level Factors Impact Time to Kidney Transplant Evaluation Completion? T. Menser, M. J. Hobeika, E. Hsu, L. W. Moore, A. D. Waterman, A. O. Gaber, R. J. Knight
- Single Center Assessment of Completing Kidney Evaluations: Race and Ethnicity Were Not Predictors for Preemptive Kidney Transplant Patients T. Menser, M. J. Hobeika, E. Hsu, L. W. Moore, A. D. Waterman, A. O. Gaber, R. J. Knight
- Non-White and Low-Socioeconomic Status Patients are Less Likely to Present for Preemptive Kidney Transplant Evaluation: An Assessment of Referrals at a Single Center Serving a Diverse Urban Population T. Menser, M. J. Hobeika, E. Hsu, L. W. Moore, A. D. Waterman, A. O. Gaber, R. J. Knight
ATC allows the scientific and medical communities to present the latest discoveries in solid organ and tissue transplantation. To learn more about ATC, visit: https://atcmeeting.org