Rebecca Cogswell, MD, Named Incoming Medical Director of the International Thoracic Organ Transplant Registry

CHICAGO, July 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) named Rebecca Cogswell, MD, the Medical Director of the Society's International Thoracic Organ Transplant (TTX) Registry.

The search process was led by the ISHLT Research Oversight Committee, chaired by Jason Christie, MD, MS. Dr. Cogswell is Associate Professor of Medicine, Medical Director of Mechanical Support, Director of Heart Failure Research, Advanced Heart Failure, University of Minnesota.

Dr. Cogswell succeeds Josef Stehlik, MD, MPH, who concludes eleven years of service as Registry Medical Director, during which he expanded the registry's international participation, use and citations, and recently completed a process to ensure data collection is robust and GDPR compliant.

Dr. Cogswell serves a renewable three-year term beginning 1 July, 2022, inclusive of a nine-month orientation period with Dr. Stehlik. She has formal training in advanced clinical research methodologies from UCSF, including longitudinal modeling, risk estimation and mixed methods research, and a track record for high-impact research. Her work includes analyzing UNOS/OPTN data to answer important clinical questions, especially in understanding the impact of United States allocation system policy change on outcomes. She has been a contributor and leader for ISHLT annual meetings, academies, and standards and guidelines development.

The ISHLT TTX Registry was established in 1983 to collect, analyze, publish, and make available for research data regarding patient, donor, and transplant characteristics as well as post-transplant outcomes for heart, lung, and heart-lung transplantation. The Registry collects data from regional, national, and international registries around the world.

"I am truly honored and very excited to become the Medical Director of the ISHLT TTX Registry," said Dr. Cogswell. "I look forward to expanding international data participation and to answering clinically important questions. I also plan on creating a diverse steering committee to help engage, develop, and promote talent and leadership in our Society."

"It has been a true privilege to have an opportunity to lead the ISHLT TTx Registry for the past decade," said Dr. Stehlik. "I know Dr. Cogswell will accomplish great things with the support of the many Registry partners, the data coordinating center at UNOS, and the ISHLT staff and ISHLT members worldwide."

ISHLT is the world's largest multi-disciplinary organization committed to improving the care of patients with advanced heart and lung disease.

The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation is a not-for-profit, multidisciplinary professional organization dedicated to improving the care of patients with advanced heart or lung disease through transplantation, mechanical support and innovative therapies. With members in more than 50 countries, ISHLT is the world's largest organization dedicated to the research, education and advocacy of end-stage heart and lung disease. ISHLT members represent more than 15 different professional disciplines. For more information, visit www.ishlt.org.

SOURCE The International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation