TTS Pulse Podcast

Episode 23: Behind the Paper: Travel After Transplant | Robert Rolfe, MD

In this Behind the Paper episode, Macey Levan, Social Media Editor for the Transplantation journals, interviews Robert Rolfe, MD about the key insights from: 📄 **Travel After Transplant: Demographics, Travel Trends, and Vaccination Practices of US Immunocompromised Travelers** Original Clinical Science—General Published in *Transplantation* (April 2026) This study describes the largest reported cohort of immunocompromised post-transplant travelers to date, drawing on data from **17 US clinical sites** collected between **2009 and 2023**. The conversation explores how international travel is evolving among transplant recipients and why pretravel preparation is especially important for this higher-risk population. The episode highlights: 🔹 How travel patterns differ for immunocompromised post-transplant travelers compared with other travelers 🔹 Why visiting friends and relatives and cruise travel were more commonly reported in this group 🔹 The added complexity of pretravel counseling for transplant recipients 🔹 How immunocompromise influences vaccine decision-making before international travel 🔹 Why understanding travel trends in this population is essential to improving preparation, prevention, and outcomes This discussion offers an important look at a growing area of transplant medicine, where individualized risk assessment, practical guidance, and preventive care can make travel safer for immunocompromised patients. 📖 Read the full article: https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/abstract/2026/04000/travel_after_transplant__demographics,_travel.28.aspx

Episode 22: Behind-the-Paper - The Inaugural Richard Slayman International Workshop on Xenotransplantation

In this Behind the Paper episode, Macey Levan, MD and Leonardo V. Riella, MD discuss the key insights from: 📄 Advancing Hope Through Science: The Inaugural Richard Slayman International Workshop on Xenotransplantation Meeting Report – Published in *Transplantation* (February 2026) This landmark workshop brought together more than 140 participants from North America, Europe, and Asia to examine the latest advances—and the remaining challenges—in translating xenotransplantation from bench to bedside. Framed by the legacy of Richard Slayman, the first living recipient of a genetically edited pig kidney, this conversation explores how patient courage, scientific collaboration, and careful clinical design are helping move the field from possibility toward reality. The episode highlights: 🔹 Why patient selection is critical in early xenotransplantation trials 🔹 How genetic editing is helping overcome immune incompatibility 🔹 The evolving role of immunosuppression, including complement inhibition and CD154 blockade 🔹 New molecular tools for immune and infectious surveillance 🔹 The importance of transparency, ethics, and global collaboration 🔹 What the next 5–10 years may look like for kidney xenotransplantation This discussion offers an important look at one of the most promising and complex frontiers in transplantation—where innovation, safety, and patient-centered care must advance together. 📖 Read the full paper: https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/9900/advancing_hope_through_science__the_inaugural.1314.aspx

Episode 21: Behind the Paper: Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Transplantation

In this special *Behind the Paper* panel, Cynthia Tsien, Tanjala Purnell, PhD, MPH, Nazia Selzner, MD, PhD, and Stefan G. Tullius (Editor-in-Chief, *Transplantation*) discuss the key insights from: 📄 **Global Strategies for Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Transplantation: Insights From the Inaugural International Congress** Perspectives: Meeting Report – Published in *Transplantation* (February 2026) Despite decades of progress in transplantation science, inequities persist — affecting both the transplant workforce and the patients we serve. Many professionals report challenges related to gender, race, or sexual orientation, as well as inequities in leadership opportunities, promotion, and compensation. These structural barriers contribute to work-related stress and burnout. At the same time, disparities in access to transplantation remain evident across all organ types and throughout every stage of the transplant process — from referral to waitlisting to post-transplant outcomes. This discussion highlights the outcomes of a landmark international conference held in Toronto, Canada (September 13–14, 2024), which convened global transplant leaders, clinicians, nurses, researchers, and patients across organ groups. Endorsed by multiple international transplant societies, the meeting identified critical workforce and patient-centered inequities — and proposed actionable strategies for systemic change. The panel explores: 🔹 Structural inequities within transplant professional environments 🔹 Persistent disparities in patient access and outcomes 🔹 Leadership representation and pathways to advancement 🔹 Burnout, inclusion, and psychological safety in transplant teams 🔹 Global collaboration and accountability frameworks 🔹 Policy and institutional strategies to advance equity This important conversation provides practical recommendations for institutions, societies, policymakers, and transplant professionals committed to building a more inclusive and equitable transplant ecosystem worldwide. 📊 Read the full meeting report: https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/2026/03000/global_strategies_for_advancing_diversity,_equity,.2.aspx

Episode 20: Behind the Paper with Friederike Martin, Beatriz Domínguez-Gil, and Stefan Tullius

In this special panel, Stefan G. Tullius, MD, PhD (Editor-in-Chief, Transplantation), Friederike Martin, MD, and Beatriz Domínguez-Gil, MD, PhD discuss the findings of the landmark publication: 📄 Organ Donation and Transplantation Worldwide: The Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation 2024 Report Published in Transplantation (March 2026)  In 2024, a record 173,727 solid organ transplants were performed worldwide — the highest number ever reported to the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT). This represents a 2% increase from 2023, largely driven by growth in deceased donation, including continued expansion of donation after circulatory determination of death (DCD), which accounted for 28% of all deceased donations. The panel explores: 🔹 Global transplant activity trends across regions 🔹 The continued gap between supply and demand (over 668,000 patients waitlisted globally) 🔹 Geographic disparities in access to transplantation 🔹 The impact of DCD expansion and donor utilization rates 🔹 Ethical frameworks, transparency, and global benchmarking 🔹 The role of WHO and international collaboration in strengthening transplant systems Despite record-breaking numbers, more than 31,000 patients died in 2024 while waiting for a transplant, underscoring the ongoing global organ shortage and inequities in access. This discussion provides critical insights for clinicians, policymakers, researchers, and transplant professionals committed to expanding ethical access and strengthening donation systems worldwide. 📊 Read the full report: https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/2026/03000/organ_donation_and_transplantation_worldwide__the.25.aspx #OrganDonation #Transplantation #GlobalHealth #WHO #GODT #DCD #HealthEquity #SolidOrganTransplant #TransplantationJournal

Episode 20: Behind the Paper - Federally Funded Transplantation Research Macey Levan, Satish Nadig, Jonathan Bromberg, Anita Chong

Federally Funded Research in Transplantation: Achievements, Strategy, and Vision Federal investment—particularly through the National Institutes of Health—has been central to many of the most important advances in transplantation. From foundational discoveries in alloimmunity to the translation of innovative ideas into clinical practice, publicly funded research has shaped how the field looks today. In this News and Views / Short Report discussion, Macey Levan is joined by Satish N. Nadig, author of Federally Funded Research in Transplantation: Achievements, Strategy, and Vision, along with experts Jonathan Bromberg and Anita Chong, for a conversation on the impact of federal funding in transplantation research. Together, they reflect on: Key scientific and clinical achievements made possible through federal support How sustained funding enables long-term, high-impact research Ongoing challenges and unmet needs in transplantation Why continued investment is essential to drive future breakthroughs and improve patient outcomes The discussion highlights how strategic, federally funded research not only advances science but also strengthens the pipeline from discovery to real-world clinical impact. 📄 Read the publication: Federally Funded Research in Transplantation: Achievements, Strategy, and Vision https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/2026/02000/federally_funded_research_in_transplantation_.1.aspx About the Journal Transplantation is the official journal of The Transplantation Society. Published monthly, it is one of the most highly cited journals in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year. https://transplantjournal.com The Transplantation Society Learn more about the journal and society initiatives: https://tts.org/journal/transplantation