American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)

The national living donor assistance center (nldac) was established through a cooperative agreement funded by the federal government to reduce the financial disincentives to living organ donation and help low- and moderate-income people on the waitlist get a Transplant. Asts is a sub-contractor, with funds in 2023 coming from the university of Kansas medical center. Asts administers the day-to-day operations of the program. In 2023, nldac processed 2,421 applications for assistance and disbursed over $6.3 million in reimbursements of donors' travel, lost wages, and dependent care expenses.

Advocacy & patient care, organizational excellence and research: asts advances the mission through the work of the council, 27 committees and 3 task forces. The work of these groups in conjunction with the organizations' strategic goals include activities such as the development of position statements, publications in peer-reviewed journals and efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion within the Society. The organization also commits significant resources each year to support member research and advance the field.

Training & certification, and lifelong learning: the Society organizes and hosts a wide variety of meetings designed to support its mission and advance the field of organ transplantation. There were 6 such meetings in 2023 ranging from 40 attendees to over 4,900. Four of these meetings provided continuing medical education credits. One meeting was held virtually, while the others were held in person, with some virtual content made accessible. One meeting was held in conjunction with our annual congress and was scheduled due to an urgent need to educate the community on a critical issue facing transplantation. In total, over 5,500 Transplant professionals participated in asts sponsored or supported conferences in 2023. Asts also offers training tools and opportunities for new and established Surgeons. Additionally, asts launched the final pathway of the certification program for Surgeons through the Transplant accreditation & certification, llc.