7:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:15 a.m.

What’s New in Organ Allocation and Distribution, Timothy L. Pruett, MD, University of Minnesota Health

Changes in organ allocation policies were intended to decrease waitlist mortality rates and increase organ availability for ill patients. Despite these changes, however, disparities still exist. This session will address how national policy impacts transplant access and organ availability and discuss the challenges of organ donation, access, and distribution.

Learning objectives:

• State the current donor allocation system.
• Analyze how national policy impacts transplant access and organ availability.
• Discuss the challenges of organ donation, access and distribution.
• Describe how the proposed redistricting changes initiated by the Liver and Intestinal Transplant Committee would have impacted organ reallocation.

9:00 a.m.

Living Donation: Risks, Benefits and Long-Term Outcomes, Amit D. Tevar, MD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Living organ donation clearly saves lives and presents an opportunity to help address the critical need for organ transplants. In some circumstances it reduces recipients’ waiting times and increases opportunities for patients without living donors to receive organs from deceased donors. There are, however, a series of ethical questions that arise with living donation that need to be addressed. This session will discuss the ethical issues surrounding living donation, including the risks, benefits and long-term outcomes for living donors.

Learning objectives:

• Identify the ethical issues involved with living organ donation.
• State the risks, benefits and long-term outcomes for living donors.
• Explore the process for living donors, including evaluation, hospital stay, and long-term follow-up care.
• List the measures institutions employ to optimize care for living donors.

10:00 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.

Options for Advanced Heart Failure: Transplantation, Total Artificial Hearts and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Jaime D. Moriguchi, MD, Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute

Heart transplantation is the only curative therapy for chronic heart failure. However, the shortage of appropriate donor organs and the expanding pool of patients waiting for heart transplantation have led to growing interest in alternative strategies, including left-ventricular-assist-device (LVAD) therapy and total artificial hearts (TAHs). This session will describe the clinical use and long-term outcome of LVADs and discuss the challenges with assist devices as alternatives to transplantation. The use of the TAH as a bridge to transplant will also be reviewed

Learning objectives:

• Define the current applications for ventricular-assist devices and TAHs.
• Explore management strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality in heart-failure patients supported with LVADs.
• Discuss the challenges with assist devices as alternatives to transplantation and the TAH as a bridge to transplant.

11:15 a.m.

Lung Transplantation: Moving Towards a New Standard of Care, Gabriel Loor, MD, FACC, Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center

Lung transplantation has become standard therapy for patients with severe end-stage lung disease and pulmonary vascular disease. This session will discuss the epidemiology of lung transplant, donor selection, immunosuppressive therapies and complications of lung transplant. The standard of care will also be reviewed.

Learning objectives:

• Identify ways to improve the management of organ donors and donated lungs to optimize the number of lungs available for transplantation.
• Discuss best-practice strategies for incorporating technological innovations into transplant programs and centers.

12:00 p.m.

Luncheon Presentation — An Overview of Optum^® (nonaccredited/optional; lunch provided)

1:00 p.m.

Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Dessert Reception — Exhibits Open

1:30 p.m.
 

Precision Medicine in Cancer Care, Jonathan C. Trent, MD, PhD, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center,  University of Miami Health System

Precision medicine is defined by the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient and his/her disease. This session will discuss the role of precision medicine in cancer and highlight milestones in cancer therapy.

Learning objectives:

• Discuss the role of precision medicine in cancer care.

• State precision medicine milestones in cancer therapy.
• Discuss how to effectively work as an interdisciplinary team to apply precision medicine to the care of cancer patients.

2:15 p.m.

The Opioid Crisis and Its Effect on Transplant, Gregory J. McKenna, MD, FRCS(C), FACS, Baylor Scott & White Health

Organ donations have increased in the wake of America’s opioid epidemic. This session will address the opioid crisis and its effect on organ donation and transplantation.

Learning objectives:

• Discuss the opioid crisis and its effect on organ donation and transplantation.
• Examine the ethical and legal ramifications of current practices of organ procurement on potential donors who have died from drug overdose and their families.
• Discuss ethical issues surrounding the donation of organs from high-risk donors.

3:15 p.m.

Break

3:30 p.m.

The Future of Immunosuppression in Transplantation, Robert C. Harland, MD, FACS, Banner University Medical Center-Tucson

The guiding principle with immunosuppression in solid organ transplants is to achieve a balance between preventing rejection and avoiding side effects, which include various common and opportunistic infections and malignancies. This session will include a summary of immunosuppression and its future application in transplantation.

Learning objectives:

• Describe the role of immunology in transplantation.
• Discuss current strategies and future trends in transplant immunosuppression.
• State the challenges of immunosuppression and tolerance in transplantation.

4:15 p.m.

Current Disquiets of a Liver Transplant Surgeon, Michael Abecassis, MD, MBA, Northwestern University

This session will provide a glimpse into the thoughts, challenges and questions that occupy a transplant surgeon‘s mind as he or she continues to serve a growing population in need of organ transplantation.

Learning objectives:

• Explain why living donor liver transplants have not increased as expected following the Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver (A2ALL) Cohort Study.
• State why the eradication of hepatitis C virus is not necessarily a good thing for patients in need of liver transplantation.
• Discuss why gerrymandering could make the ‘liver wars’ of the early 90s look like a children’s game.
• Explore why having liver cancer used to be a good thing, but maybe not anymore.

5:00–6:30 p.m.

Complimentary Get-Acquainted Reception — Exhibits Open
Join your colleagues for hors d’oeuvres and beverages. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to gather information and ideas from exhibitors regarding the management of complex medical conditions.

7:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast — Exhibits Open

8:00 a.m.

Opening Remarks

8:15 a.m.

Treatment Strategies for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: From Adolescents to Adults, Michael Verneris, MD, Children's Hospital Colorado

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a disease that affects infants, children, adolescents and adult patients. Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with ALL pose unique challenges and issues beyond those faced by adults. This session will discuss therapies used to treat ALL in both AYAs and adults and highlight treatment strategies for both newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory ALL in AYA and adult populations.

Learning objectives:

• Discuss treatment strategies for both newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory ALL in the AYA and adult populations.
• Describe new and emerging therapies used to treat ALL in both AYAs and adults.
• Recognize the importance of an effective partnership among patients, family members and the interprofessional team in managing ALL.

9:00 a.m.

Improving Safety of Allotransplantation: Current and Emerging Strategies for the Prevention of Graft-versus-Host Disease, Nandita Khera, MD, MPH, Mayo Clinic

Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) represents the most serious and challenging complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). This session will discuss its pathophysiology, assessment of patient risk for GvHD, diagnostic challenges, management recommendations, prevention and emerging therapeutic treatment options.

Learning objectives:

• Explain the pathophysiology of GvHD.
• Discuss current best clinical practices to manage GvHD and prophylactic treatment regimens for GvHD.
• Identify treatment-related risks associated with GvHD treatment strategies.

9:45 a.m.

Break — Exhibits Open

10:30 a.m.

New Insights into Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Therapy, Kara Davis, DO, The Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital

Early outcomes from CAR T-cell trials have generated impressive results in patients with blood cancers. Clinical trials of CAR T-cell therapy have involved pediatric and adult patients with blood-based cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma. Pipeline therapeutics are in early stages of development. This session will discuss the latest advances in CAR T-cell therapies and promising pipeline therapeutics.

Learning objectives:

• Discuss the latest advances in CAR T-cell therapies.
• Identify and discuss the management of toxicities of CAR T-cell therapies.
• Explore what’s new in the therapeutic pipeline.

11:30 a.m.

Infectious Disease in Blood/Marrow Transplantation, Sanjeet S. Dadwal, MD, FACP, City of Hope

Certain factors place individuals undergoing a blood/marrow transplant (BMT) at increased risk for infections. Despite recent advances in supportive care, growth factors, more-potent antimicrobials, prophylaxis strategies, and new diagnostic techniques, infections remain the major causes of mortality in individuals who undergo a BMT. 

Learning objectives:

• List the common opportunistic infections among BMT recipients and review the guidelines for preventing these infections.
• Identify complications associated with infectious diseases in BMT.

12:15 p.m.

Lunch (provided)

1:00 p.m.

The Impact of Timely Referrals for Blood/Marrow Transplantation on Patient Outcomes and Transplant Success, Linda J. Burns, MD, National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match

Studies on blood/marrow transplantation (BMT) have revealed that transplant success can be highly dependent upon transplant timing. Early referral is a critical factor for optimal transplant outcomes. This session will discuss referral timing guidelines and highlight disease categories that include patients at risk for disease progression. The impact of timely referrals on the outcomes and success of BMT will also be discussed.

Learning objectives:

• Highlight referral timing guidelines that identify disease categories that include patients at risk for disease progression.
• Discuss how disease stage at the time of transplant, as well as appropriate planning and early donor identification, can have significant impacts on patient survival.

2:00 p.m.

Therapeutic Strategies in the Treatment of Hodgkin Lymphoma, Matthew Lunning, DO, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma is tailored to disease type, disease stage and an assessment of the risk of resistant disease. The current treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma seeks to maximize the risk-benefit ratio of treatment. This session will discuss therapeutic strategies in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma with a focus on tailoring therapy to each patient according to age and his/her risk of short- and long-term toxicity and/or relapse.

Learning objectives:

• Discuss therapeutic strategies in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Analyze the prognostic factors that can identify patients at risk.

2:45 p.m.

The Continuum of Chronic Kidney Disease to End-Stage-Renal Disease, Frank C. Brosius, MD, University of Arizona

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasingly recognized as a major public health problem and leads to irreversible kidney damage that can further progress to end-stage-renal disease (ESRD). Careful monitoring and timely evaluations of individuals with CKD are essential to improve survival and quality of life, as well as prevent ESRD. This session will discuss how underlying kidney disease and other key factors can influence the progression of CKD to ESRD. Indications for renal replacement therapy will also be addressed.

Learning objectives:

• Assess the influence of underlying kidney disease and other factors during the time of CKD progression to ESRD.
• Identify risk factors for CKD progression.
• State the indications for renal replacement therapy for individuals with CKD.

3:30 p.m.

Adjourn