Biographical Sketch: Linda Ohler, MSN, RN, CCTC, FAAN, FAST
With 30 years’ experience in transplantation, Linda Ohler served as a clinical transplant coordinator in heart and lung transplantation and VAD coordinator for 12 years at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, VA and Temple University in Philadelphia. She also served as a clinical nurse specialist and nurse manager in kidney, pancreas and islet cell transplantation at the National Institutes of Health (NIDDK) and later as a program manager for the Heart Transplant Program at Virginia Commonwealth University. She served as a Director of Quality at Georgetown University for 4 years and later served as a Quality Consultant for Transplant programs on probation with <a class=”wpg-linkify wpg-tooltip” title=”<h3 class=”wpg-tooltip-title”><span class=”wpg-tooltip-term-title”>CMS</span></h3><div class=”wpg-tooltip-content”><p><strong>Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services</strong><br />
CMS is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) responsible for administering the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which provide health care coverage to America’s aged, disabled and indigent populations.</p>
<p class=”wpg-read-more”><a href=”https://www.organdonationalliance.org/glossary/cms/”>Read More</a><p></div>” href=”https://www.organdonationalliance.org/glossary/cms/” >CMS</a>. She is currently at New York University Transplant Institute as the Associate Director of Quality, Regulatory and Education.
Linda has served on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (1997-2000) and for the Washington Regional Transplant Community and in 2020 she was elected to the <a class=”wpg-linkify wpg-tooltip” title=”<h3 class=”wpg-tooltip-title”><span class=”wpg-tooltip-term-title”>AST</span></h3><div class=”wpg-tooltip-content”><p>American Society of Transplantation</p><p class=”wpg-read-more”><a href=”https://www.organdonationalliance.org/glossary/ast/”>Read More</a><p></div>” href=”https://www.organdonationalliance.org/glossary/ast/” >AST</a> Board of Directors. She has served on 4 <a class=”wpg-linkify wpg-tooltip” title=”<h3 class=”wpg-tooltip-title”><span class=”wpg-tooltip-term-title”>UNOS</span></h3><div class=”wpg-tooltip-content”><p><strong>United Network for Organ Sharing</strong>, the private, non-profit organization that manages the nation’s organ transplant system (OPTN) under contract with the federal government (HRSA)</p><p class=”wpg-read-more”><a href=”https://www.organdonationalliance.org/glossary/unos/”>Read More</a><p></div>” href=”https://www.organdonationalliance.org/glossary/unos/” >UNOS</a> committees including Operations and Safety Committee. In 2001 Linda was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. In 2012 she received the American Society of Transplantation’s Clinician of Distinction Award at ATC in Boston and in 2017 she was selected to be a Fellow of the American Society of Transplantation.
International Presentations:
Linda has lectured on transplant related topics in 10 countries including Japan, Russia, Hungary, India, England, Italy, Canada, Spain, Brazil and Australia.
Publications
Linda has co-edited/written 4 books on transplantation for nurses, published on transplant related articles in peer reviewed journals including AJT and Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. Linda served as Editor of Progress in Transplantation for 23 years. Between 2008 and 2018, Linda interviewed 30+ pioneers in transplantation and published them in a series called Courage and Character, Leaders and Legends.
