Liver & Intestinal Organ Transplantation Committee

The Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplantation Committee considers medical, scientific, and ethical aspects related to liver and intestine organ procurement, distribution, and allocation. The Committee considers both the broad implications and the specific member situations of these liver or intestinal issues and policies. The goal of the Committee's work is to develop evidence-based policies aimed at reducing the burden of liver disease in transplant patients (candidates and recipients), increasing liver utilization, improving access to liver transplantation, and improving the health outcomes of liver transplant recipients.

Current projects

Review

Board approved and pending implementation

  • Updates to National Liver Review Board Guidance and Further Alignment with LI-RADS (6/2025)

Implemented

  • Continued Review of National Liver Review Board (NLRB) Guidance (1/2023)
  • ​​National Liver Review Board (NLRB) Updates Related to Transplant Oncology​
  • National Liver Review Board (NLRB) Guidance for Multivisceral Transplant Candidates (7/2023)
  • Review of Liver and Intestines Variances in OPTN Policy
  • Improving Liver Allocation: MELD, PELD, Status 1A and Status 1B
  • Ongoing Review of National Liver Review Board (NLRB) Diagnoses
  • Review of National Liver Review Board (NLRB) Diagnoses and Update to Alcohol-Associated Diagnoses (3/2023)
  • Calculate Median MELD at Transplant around the Donor Hospital and Update Sorting within Liver Allocation
  • Update National Liver Review Board Guidance Documents and Policy Clarification
  • Further Enhancements to the National Liver Review Board
  • Enhancements to the National Liver Review Board (12/2019)
  • Access for Urgent Liver Candidates in Hawaii and Puerto Rico
  • Align units of distribution in closed variance for split liver transplantation (11/2019)
  • Clarification of pre existing liver disease (11/2019)
  • Split liver variance (1/2019)
  • Liver and Intestine Distribution Using Distance from Donor Hospital (9/2018)
  • Modify HCC extension criteria (12/2017)
  • National liver review board 201701 (1/2017)
  • HCC auto approval criteria changes (8/2016)
  • Membership and Personnel Requirements for Intestine Transplant Programs (1/2015)

Committee members

MembersOrganizationPositionEnd Term Date
Dr. Aaron J AhearnKeck Hospital of USCRegion 5 Representative6/30/2027
Dr. Lloyd BrownRush University Medical CenterRegion 7 Representative6/30/2027
Dr. Kathleen M CampbellChildren's Hospital Medical CenterAt Large6/30/2026
Dr. Vanessa L CowanBeth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterRegion 1 Representative6/30/2027
Dr. Joseph DinorciaMount Sinai Medical CenterRegion 9 Representative6/30/2026
Tovah Dorsey-PollardGeneral Public Region 2At Large6/30/2027
Dr. Omer JunaidiMethodist Specialty and Transplant HospitalRegion 4 Representative6/30/2027
Michael KrissUniversity of Colorado Hospital/Health Science CenterRegion 8 Representative6/30/2026
Dr. Allison J KwongStanford Health CareAt Large6/30/2028
Dr. Cal S MatsumotoMedstar Georgetown Transplant InstituteAt Large6/30/2027
Dr. Erin C MaynardOregon Health and Science UniversityRegion 6 Representative6/30/2026
Dr. Shunji NagaiHenry Ford HospitalAt Large6/30/2026
Ms. Vanessa PucciarelliAdventHealth OrlandoRegion 3 Representative6/30/2026
Ms. Christine RadolovicGift of Life Donor ProgramRegion 2 Representative6/30/2027
Marina SerperHospital of the University of PennsylvaniaAt Large6/30/2027
Dr. Neil ShahUniversity of North Carolina HospitalsRegion 11 Representative6/30/2026
Dr. Christopher SonnendayUniversity of Michigan Medical CenterRegion 10 Representative6/30/2026
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