Precision Management of the Deceased Organ Donor

Join us in Nashville to gain operational, financial, and technical insights for advancing organ procurement and perfusion programs.
About this Event

New technologies are transforming organ procurement and preservation, enabling transplant teams to recover and successfully transplant more organs than ever before. These advances also introduce new challenges, requiring expertise in emerging technologies, operational workflows, financial planning, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Vanderbilt's Precision Management of the Deceased Organ Donor Conference will equip transplant and organ procurement professionals with the knowledge and practical skills needed to implement these innovations within their own programs. Through expert-led presentations, interactive workshops, and multidisciplinary case discussions, participants will gain actionable strategies for advancing precision donor management.

The conference will feature in-depth instruction on emerging procurement approaches, including Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP) and Rapid Recovery with Extended Ultra-Oxygenated Preservation (REUP), an innovative technique developed by Vanderbilt surgeons with promising outcomes published in the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. Additional sessions will explore the latest advances in organ preservation, including 10-degree cooling, extended preservation, organ assessment, reconditioning, and enhancement strategies.

Designed for both thoracic and abdominal organ procurement professionals, the program emphasizes the collaboration required to maximize organ utilization and improve transplant outcomes. Attendees will leave with practical operational, financial, and technical guidance for developing, implementing, or expanding perfusion programs.

Join colleagues from across the transplant community on April 1-2, 2027, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

TICKET INFORMATION:

• Early Bird Pricing Before 12/31/2026: $595
• Pricing After 12/31/2026: $700

Agenda 4/1

🕑: 08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Registration, Coffee
🕑: 09:00 AM
Welcome Remarks
🕑: 09:15 AM - 10:00 AM
The future of organ reconditioning and modification for transplantation
Host: Marcelo Cypel, MD MSc FACS FRCSC
🕑: 10:05 AM - 10:50 AM
Rapid progress and lessons learned with REUP in heart transplantation
Host: Aaron Williams, MD
🕑: 11:05 AM - 11:50 AM
Innovations in abdominal normothermic regional perfusion
Host: Wali R Johnson, MD MPH
🕑: 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM
Lessons from transforming donor management at a transplant program
Host: Anji Wall, MD, PhD, FACS
🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:15 PM
Lunch
🕑: 02:30 PM - 05:10 PM
Small Group Workshops (Pick Four)

Info: 1) Recovery with Extended Ultra-Oxygenated Preservation (REUP)
2) Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP)
3) Thoracic Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP)
4) Pre-procurement preparation
5) Harmonious OPO and Center collaboration
6) Extended organ preservation and reconditioning - abdominal
7) Extended organ preservation and reconditioning - thoracic
8) Harmonious collaboration between different procuring teams

🕑: 06:15 PM - 08:00 PM
Reception Dinner at Marriott
Agenda 4/2

🕑: 07:30 AM - 08:30 AM
Breakfast
🕑: 08:45 AM
Welcome Remarks
🕑: 08:45 AM - 09:30 AM
Ethics of novel organ procurement technologies
Host: Peter Reese, MD PhD
🕑: 09:30 AM - 10:10 AM
Successfully navigating the economics of innovations in organ preservation
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Precision donor management vignettes - Panel Discussion
🕑: 11:35 AM - 12:00 PM
A vision for the future of donor management