NEW LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS
NEW LEADERSHIP ROLES
Blair Smith , MD , FASA
Andrew Barker , MD
Number of UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute ( CTI ) faculty and staff currently serving on transplantation committees and with national associations
Blair Smith , MD , FASA , was appointed director of Abdominal Transplant Anesthesia , effective March 1 , 2022 . A graduate of the University of Miami medical school , Dr . Smith ’ s research and clinical interests are focused on liver transplantation . His responsibilities include creating and overseeing a subgroup of anesthesiologists with specialized training in meeting the unique needs of kidney , pancreas , and liver transplant recipients and living donors . He also will help ensure coverage of all abdominal transplant , hepatobiliary , and vascular access cases by these specially trained clinicians .
Andrew Barker , MD , was appointed director of Abdominal Transplant Critical Care , effective March 1 , 2022 . He will serve as member of the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute Executive Committee . A graduate of the University of Tennessee medical school , Dr . Barker ’ s research and clinical interests are focused on critical care medicine . His responsibilities include communicating transplant needs and concerns to Critical Care faculty ; ensuring appropriate staffing , recruitment , and growth in Transplant Critical Care ; serving on the leadership team involved in developing a new ICU ; and supporting the ongoing collaboration between Critical Care and Transplant providers .
Both physicians will serve as members of the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute Executive Committee and provide leadership to further promote alignment and collaboration among the multidisciplinary team .
NATIONAL APPOINTMENTS
It is rare that the two largest transplantation societies choose two leaders from the same institution . But that happened in 2021 , when UAB Nephrologist Vineeta Kumar , MD , and Comprehensive Transplant Institute Director and Transplant Surgeon Jayme Locke , MD , MPH , were named councilors at-large for the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons , respectively .
OTHER NATIONAL APPOINTMENTS FOR CTI FACULTY AND STAFF :
Paul MacLennan , PhD Associate director of Transplant Analytics , Informatics & Quality , was named to the UNOS Data Committee
Martha Tankersley Transplant administrator , was named to the UNOS Heart Committee
Brian Berthiaume Director of Transplant Administrative Operations , was named to the UNOS VCA Committee
Paige Porrett , MD , PhD Director of Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation , was named to the UNOS VCA Committee
uabmedicine . org / refertransplant
NEW LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS
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