CEOT 2017: Another Successful Meeting

At the end of February, AST held its 5^th annual Cutting Edge of Transplantation (CEoT) meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. We considered it a successful event, as nearly 400 transplant professionals attended in a collaborative meeting entitled One Transplant for Life: Many Pathways to Success. The location didn’t hurt, either, as attendees flew from all over the world to participate in a meeting surrounded by warm weather, palm trees, and pools.

The meeting started with something a little bit different: Transplant Tolerance Shark Tank (ably moderated by Tony Jevnikar and Ken Newell). This production, which brought a more entertaining beginning to the meeting, featured Sandy Feng, Jim Markmann and Joseph Leventhal, each asking the audience to invest in their approach to achieving tolerance. Following the workshop, there were two great sessions on shifting the focus from early to late outcomes and challenges to innovation in transplantation to round off the first day of CEoT.

On day two, the heart track and the new lung track kicked off. These provided a fantastic forum for discussion and debate on heart and lung transplantation. The second day also included our two keynote speakers, Congressmen Michael Burgess and Kevin Yoder. The congressmen highlighted the new 115^th Congress, what lies ahead for the ACA, and likely legislative actions that would impact the field of transplantation including funding for transplantation research. Following the sessions, we held a special reception for our donors who have generously given our organization $250 or more. We appreciate all that our donors do, and enjoy the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ in a meaningful way.

Day three concluded the meeting, but not without several additional sessions. Meeting participants were given the option of three different session tracks, all which provided excellent presentations and discussions. To cap another memorable meeting, there was the Poolside Reception, which was a great opportunity for those in attendance to wind down and network with colleagues.

Events like CEoT are not possible without the generous support from our contributors and our corporate supporters. This meeting allows us to connect with our corporate affiliates and have a meaningful discussion about the issues in transplantation.

Over the last 5 years, CEoT has become an established small meeting with a great atmosphere, allowing individuals to learn, and debate in a more relaxed small meeting setting.

I hope to see all of you again at CEoT 2018, which will be held at the Arizona Biltmore once again on February 8-10, 2018. Be sure to keep an eye out for details as we get closer.