Collaborative Team of 10 Transplant Professionals to Create Online Learning Program for All in the Donation and Transplantation Community to Benefit
As the coming year introduces new challenges, a collaborative team of 10 transplant professionals from across the nation have been identified to launch the 2021 instructional year. The workgroup has identified critical topics impacting the donation and transplantation community and appointed leading national experts to share critical insight throughout the coming year. Each topic will be part of The Alliance Advancement Learning Series, which is developed for professionals across the donation and transplantation community.
The 2020 Series highlighted emerging topics in transplantation such as “Cell-Free DNA in Transplant Assessments” presented by Phil Gauthier, MD, MBA and Alexander Wiseman, MD and “A Hefty Problem in Transplant: The Obesity Epidemic” presented by Harmit Kalia, MD and Violeta Popov, MD, which were strongly attended by approximately 540 professionals from across the country. Other topics such as the “Strategies to Reduce Coordinator Turnover and Improve Productivity” program offered in August, are designed to help organizations retain key staff. Three additional transplantation-focused webinars are planned for the remainder of 2020.
The Alliance Advancement Learning Series, previously referred to as the “The Alliance Webinar Series,” is an online program of hour-long classes presented several times per month. Experts will discuss cutting-edge topics ranging from innovations in the field to emerging best practices for broader implementation. Each webinar garners 1 CEPTC credit and 1 nursing contact hour upon completion of a brief post-webinar evaluation. From January 2020 to August 2020, more than 3,501 participants benefited and earned credit through The Alliance Advancement Learning Series, with 1,638 specifically from the transplantation-focused program.
“The outcomes from this workgroup benefit thousands of professionals that are dedicating their careers to donation and transplantation. Incredible progress is made in the field every day and these practices are shared across the country through the Advancement Learning Series. We applaud this workgroup’s voluntary efforts, which help to positively advance the broad community of practice,” said Karri Hobson-Pape, Executive Director of The Alliance.
The 2021 Advancement Learning Series (previously referred to as the Transplant Webinar Series) Transplantation-focused Workgroup members include:
- Christopher Wood, MBA, Director of Operations, UPMC Transplant Services
- Edward Strouse, RN, Clinical Manager, Crozer Chester Medical Center
- George V. Mazariegos, MD, FACS, Chief of Pediatric Transplantation, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
- Hannah Byford, RN, BSN, MPA, Quality Manager for Kidney & Pancreas Transplantation, UCLA- Ronald Regan Medical Center
- Jami Steger RN, MSN CNP, Lung Transplant Nurse Practitioner, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
- Laura L Hanpeter, MHSA, Transplant Program Manager/Clinic Manager, University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Lindsay G. Smith RN, MSN, Transplant Quality Director, Vanderbilt Transplant Center
- Maryanna Tosi, RD, CDN, CNSC, CCTD, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, NYU Langone Transplant Institute
- Sarah Duggins BSN, RN, CCTC, Transplant Service Education Coordinator, UNC Center for Transplant Care
- Valinda Jones, BSN, RN, Program Consultant, The Alliance
“The insight provided by each member of the workgroup is critical as their diverse backgrounds and relationships in the field play key roles in the overall development of the Advancement Learning Series,” said Deanna Fenton, Program Manager for The Alliance. “Their ongoing support helps us achieve our mission of providing engaged learning opportunities for the donation-transplantation community” Fenton leads all of the Advancement Learning Series workgroups, providing guidance and coordination for each thinktank of community experts.
To learn more about the Advancement Learning Series (Transplantation Webinar) Program, please visit https://www.organdonationalliance.org/education/webinar-series/. The topics for the 2021 series will be announced in October 2020.
The Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance (“The Alliance”) delivers relevant, targeted and scalable learning solutions for the organ donation and transplantation community of practice – including organ procurement organizations, transplant centers and programs, and hospitals where donations occur. By convening members across the community of practice, it is a platform to identify emerging concepts and innovative practices, giving way to resources and educational programs of transformational quality and value. The Alliance is not a membership organization, but partners with leading organizations across the continuum to advance a shared mission to save and heal lives through organ donation and transplantation.
