Welcome to our SIG. We are psychiatrists and clinicians involved in issues of organ transplantation. We consult with patients, their families and donors, and their physicians. We meet in person each year at the ACLP Annual Meeting in November. At other times we communicate via a listserv and we hold online meetings. Over 150 professionals are members of ACLP’s Transplant Psychiatry SIG.
2020-2023
SIG Chair: Yelizaveta Sher, MD, FACLP
SIG Vice chair: G. Scott Winder MD
Immediate past chair: Paula Zimbrean, MD, FACLP, FAPA.
Transplant Psychiatry Listserv
The primary means of communication among members of the Transplant Psychiatry SIG is via listserv. Only members of the SIG may post and receive group messages, as well as view the archived postings. The link to the listserv archives is provided only to SIG subscribers via a link in the footer of all listserv emails. The archives are password protected for subscriber access. To register for access, on the archives access page, click Register Password, enter your SIG email, and then a password of your choosing. The email you provide to register for archives access must match exactly with the email used for your SIG subscription or the archives won’t permit you access.
ACLP Members: To join our SIG, you simply need to update your ACLP membership profile: under “Your Special Interest Group Subscriptions” toward the bottom of your profile page, check the “Transplant Psychiatry” box. Allow 24 hours for your membership to take effect.
If you are not a member of the Academy, submit the online form to join the SIG. Because the issues discussed in the Transplant Psychiatry SIG are intended for professionals who are involved or interested in transplantation, filling out the form does not automatically add you to the SIG. The SIG moderator will review your information and review/approve your membership. If you are a current SIG subscriber and wish to change your email, contact the Academy office at info@clpsychiatry.org for assistance.
We encourage all of our SIG members to also become a member of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. The Academy is an important resource that serves as an inspiration, a chance for networking, and a place to learn. Membership has many other advantages including a subscription to the Academy’s journal, Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (previously known as Psychosomatics). For more information, see Join ACLP.
SIG Activities
SIG working groups. Our SIG has several working groups who meet or communicate regularly to create various academic products (conference submissions, educational materials and others). A survey is sent every year in early January to invite people to join existing groups or propose new topics. If you want to get involved but missed the survey, please contact the group lead and/or Paula Zimbrean, paula.zimbrean@yale.edu.
2023 Transplant Psychiatry SIG working groups (if you are interested in joining, please contact the leader directly; their contact information can be found in the ACLP directory)
- Cognitive impairment in transplant candidates and recipients
Leader: Yelizaveta Sher
- Transplant Psychiatry education
Leader: Paula Zimbrean
- Standardization of the psychiatric/psychosocial evaluation of transplant candidates
Leader: Akhil Shenoy
- Rare transplants (intestine, uterus and others)
Leader: Shurti Mutalik.
- Addictive disorders in liver transplantation (includes acute alcoholic hepatitis)
Leader: Scott Winder
- Addictive disorders in transplantation (non-liver)
Leader: Sarah Andrews
- Posttransplant mental health care
Leader: David Fipps
- Disparities in transplantation
Leader: Yelizaveta Sher
- Living donor related issues
Leader: Shruti Mutalik
- Resilience in transplantation
Leader: Ana Ivkovic
Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (clpsychiatry.org) (quarterly journal article annotations)
Transplant Psychiatry education: materials that may be helpful in teaching trainees and non-psychiatric clinicians ( more coming soon)
ACLP Transplant Psychiatry Bibliography
ACLP Transplant Psychiatry Bibliography
ACLP Transplant Psychiatry Bibliography
(updated September 2nd, 2021)
ACLP Transplant Psychiatry Education working group: Rebekah Potts-Nash, Kristin Kunz, Thomas M Soeprono, Brenna M. Rosenberg, Marian Fireman, Melanie Bilbul, Timothy Wong, Sarah Andrews, Shruti Mutaliks, Michelle Nichols, Stephen Potts, Paula Zimbrean
- Beresford TP, Lucey MR. Towards standardizing the alcoholism evaluation of potential liver transplant recipients. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 2017;53(2):135-144. doi:10.1093/alcalc/agx104
- Crone CC, Gabriel GM. Treatment of anxiety and depression in transplant patients. Clinical Pharmacokinetics. 2004;43(6):361-394. doi:10.2165/00003088-200443060-00002
- Davydow DS, Lease ED, Reyes JD. Posttraumatic stress disorder in organ transplant recipients: A systematic review. General Hospital Psychiatry. 2015;37(5):387-398. doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2015.05.005
- Dew MA, DiMartini AF, Dobbels F, Grady KL et al. The 2018 ISHLT/APM/AST/ICCAC/STSW recommendations for the psychosocial evaluation of adult cardiothoracic transplant candidates and candidates for long-term mechanical circulatory support. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2018 Jul;37(7):803-823. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2018.03.005.
- Dew MA, Butt Z, Humar A, DiMartini AF. Long-Term medical and psychosocial outcomes in Living liver donors. American Journal of Transplantation. 2016;17(4):880-892. doi:10.1111/ajt.14111
- Dew MA, Butt Z, Liu Q, et al. Prevalence and predictors of patient-reported long-term mental and physical health after donation in the adult-to-adult living-donor liver Transplantation cohort study. Transplantation. 2018;102(1):105-118. doi:10.1097/tp.0000000000001942
- Dew MA, DiMartini AF, De Vito Dabbs A, et al. Rates and risk factors for nonadherence to the Medical regimen after adult solid organ transplantation. Transplantation. 2007;83(7):858-873. doi:10.1097/01.tp.0000258599.65257.a6
- Dew MA, DiMartini AF, DeVito Dabbs AJ, et al. Onset and risk factors for anxiety and depression during the first 2 years after lung transplantation. General Hospital Psychiatry. 2012;34(2):127-138. doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2011.11.009
- Dew MA, DiMartini AF, Dobbels F, et al. The 2018 ISHLT/APM/AST/ICCAC/STSW recommendations for the psychosocial evaluation of adult cardiothoracic transplant candidates and candidates for long-term mechanical circulatory support. The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2018;37(7):803-823. doi:10.1016/j.healun.2018.03.005
- Dew MA, DiMartini AF, Steel J, et al. Meta-analysis of risk for relapse to substance use after transplantation of the liver or other solid organs. Liver Transplantation. 2008;14(2):159-172. doi:10.1002/lt.21278
- Dew MA, Jacobs CL, Jowsey SG, Hanto R, Miller C, Delmonico FL. Guidelines for the psychosocial evaluation of living unrelated kidney donors in the United States. American Journal of Transplantation. 2007;7(5):1047-1054. doi:10.1111/j.1600-6143.2007.01751.x
- Dew MA, Kormos RL, DiMartini AF, et al. Prevalence and risk of depression and anxiety-related disorders during the first three years after heart transplantation. Psychosomatics. 2001;42(4):300-313. doi:10.1176/appi.psy.42.4.300
- Dew MA, Rosenberger EM, Myaskovsky L, et al. Depression and anxiety as risk factors for morbidity and mortality after organ transplantation. Transplantation. 2015;100(5):988-1003. doi:10.1097/tp.0000000000000901
- Dew MA, Switzer GE, Goycoolea JM, et al. Does transplantation produce quality of life benefits? Transplantation. 1997;64(9):1261-1273. doi:10.1097/00007890-199711150-00006
- DiMartini A, Dew MA, Day N, et al. Trajectories of alcohol consumption following liver transplantation. American Journal of Transplantation. 2010;10(10):2305-2312. doi:10.1111/j.1600-6143.2010.03232.x
- DiMartini AF, Dew MA. Monitoring alcohol use on the liver transplant wait list: Therapeutic and practical issues. Liver Transplantation. 2012;18(11):1267-1269. doi:10.1002/lt.23529
- Faeder S, Moschenross D, Rosenberger E, Dew MA, DiMartini A. Psychiatric aspects of organ transplantation and donation. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2015;28(5):357-364. doi:10.1097/yco.0000000000000185
- Fireman M, DiMartini AF, Armstrong SC, Cozza KL. Immunosuppressants. Psychosomatics. 2004;45(4):354-360. doi:10.1176/appi.psy.45.4.354
- Krahn LE, DiMartini A. Psychiatric and psychosocial aspects of liver transplantation. Liver Transplantation. 2005;11(10):1157-1168. doi:10.1002/lt.20578
- LaPointe Rudow D, Warburton KM. Selection and postoperative care of the living donor. Medical Clinics of North America. 2016;100(3):599-611. doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2016.01.009
- Maldonado JR, Sher Y, Lolak S, et al. The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2015;77(9):1018-1030. doi:10.1097/psy.0000000000000241
- Myaskovsky L, Jesse MT, Kuntz K, et al. Report from the American Society of Transplantation psychosocial community of practice adherence task force: Real-world options for promoting adherence in adult recipients. Clinical Transplantation. 2018;32(9). doi:10.1111/ctr.13353
- Olbrisch M, Benedict S, Haller D, Levenson J. Psychosocial assessment of living organ donors: Clinical and ethical considerations. Progress in Transplantation. 2001;11(1):40-49. doi:10.7182/prtr.11.1.e27186258226k604
- Olbrisch ME, Benedict SM, Ashe K, Levenson JL. Psychological assessment and care of organ transplant patients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2002;70(3):771-783. doi:10.1037/0022-006x.70.3.771
- Rodrigue JR, Hanto DW, Curry MP. The alcohol relapse risk assessment: A scoring system to predict the risk of relapse to any alcohol use after liver transplant. Progress in Transplantation. 2013;23(4):310-318. doi:10.7182/pit2013604
- Rodrigue JR, Pavlakis M, Danovitch GM, et al. Evaluating living kidney donors: Relationship types, psychosocial criteria, and consent processes at us transplant programs. American Journal of Transplantation. 2007;7(10):2326-2332. doi:10.1111/j.1600-6143.2007.01921.x
- Sher Y, Zimbrean P. Psychiatric aspects of organ transplantation in critical care. Critical Care Clinics. 2017;33(3):659-679. doi:10.1016/j.ccc.2017.03.009
- Stilley C, DiMartini A, de Vera M, et al. Individual and environmental correlates and predictors of early adherence and outcomes after liver transplantation. Progress in Transplantation. 2010;20(1):58-67. doi:10.7182/prtr.20.1.c903845857104k83
Of Interest to Transplant Psychiatrists
Transplant Psychiatry: A Case-Based Approach to Clinical Challenges | SpringerLink
Foreword by James Levenson, MD: “ This book marks the maturation of a subspecialty within consultation-liaison psychiatry and health psychology devoted to the psychiatric and psychological aspects of organ transplantatio[…]Expertise in the feld grew with the creation of a Transplant Psychiatry Special Interest Group (SIG) within the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry over 20 years go, which now has 234 members. This SIG and its list-serve have provided a forum for psychiatrists and psychologists to consult with each other on more diffcult cases and challenging policy issues, creating the fertile ground from which this book developed. In 2000, Paula Trzepacz and Andrea DiMartini published The Transplant Patient: Biological, Psychiatric and Ethical Issues in Organ Transplantation [4] which summarized the feld in 12 chapters by 19 psychiatrists and psychologists. This book has 41 chapters by 68 authors. The vitality and excitement of the feld is refected in the breadth of clinical topics covered and that ten of the authors were Foreword vi in training when they contributed to this volume. It is a case-based guide devoted to clinical understanding and clinical problem solving.”
Why a casebook, in the era of big data, to illustrate such a complex clinical environment? Case-based study and problem-based learning remain key tools in medical education [8, 9]. Story telling never gets old and is essential in preparing medical trainees [10], holding special value in multidisciplinary settings [11]. Our aim is that this collection of case stories and discussions will guide those who are starting in this feld and help those who teach medical trainees. Our book focuses on the evaluation and management of psychiatric or psychological issues in transplant patients, rather than on patient’s selection or criteria for transplant listing. Each case story illustrates scenarios the authors encountered in their work. We carefully modifed the social characteristics that were not essential to the clinical discussion in order to make the cases unidentifable
by Yelizaveta Sher MD (Author), Theodore A. Stern (Editor)
Facing Transplantation is for anyone whose life is affected by this medical intervention. Written by leading health care providers in their fields and members of the transplantation community, Facing Transplantation combines top-tier medical information and compassionate counsel on the management of transplantation, with a caring and sensible approach to the physical and emotional aspects of living with transplantation and its complications. This book provides easily readable and trustworthy information; it is divided into twenty-three chapters that ask and answer pertinent questions about transplantation and its medical and psychiatric/psychological care. A glossary of terms provides important background information to readers (e.g., about medical processes, medications, nutrition, exercise, risk-reduction); online resources and references are also offered; words italicized in the text are defined in the glossary. Each of the chapters is accompanied by selected references, internet resources, illustrations, and photographs.
Psychosocial Care of End-Stage Organ Disease and Transplant Patients Editors: Sher, Yelizaveta, Maldonado, Jose R. (Eds.)
This book takes an integrated, evidence-based approach the psychiatricaspects of organ transplantation. Unlike any other text currently on the market, this title presents the core principles of transplant psychiatry through an organ-based structure that includes the heart, lungs, liver, GI organs, kidney, composite tissue, and other key areas of transplantation. Each section is divided into chapters discussing psychosocial, medical, and surgical considerations prior to and post-transplant, such as indications leading to a particular type of transplantation, medical course and complications aft er transplantation, psychiatric and psychosocial considerations before and aft er transplantation, history of each type of organ transplant, and any other special considerations. Th e text ends with special topics in care, including psychopharmacology, substance abuse, psychosocial evaluation of recipients and donors, ethical considerations, cross-cultural aspects, and building the transplant psychiatry practice. It includes excellent learning tools, including over 140 tables and figures for ease of use. Written by interdisciplinary experts, Psychosocial Care of End-Stage Disease and Transplant Patients is a valuable resource for students and medical professionals interested in psychiatry, psychology, psychosomatic medicine, transplant surgery, internists, hospital administrators, pharmacists, nurses, and social workers.
“Transplantation” Section of ACLP’s CLP Bibliography
The Dallas convention document on acute alcoholic hepatitis: Meeting Report: The Dallas Consensus Conference on Liver Transplantation for Alcohol Associated Hepatitis – PubMed (nih.gov)
Public comment on UNOS policies proposals
OPTN policies on “Living Donation” (PDF, section 14 of Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network [OPTN] Policies)
Organ Traffiking: The “Taipei Recommendation”
The Asian Task Force on Organ Trafficking, composed of 14 bioethics scholars from Asia, Europe, and the U.S. who share a deep concern about the situation of organ trafficking across borders, has issued its “Recommendations on the Prohibition, Prevention and Elimination of Organ Trafficking in Asia.” These three PDF documents are available for your use and distribution:
Introduction Letter from the chair and coordinator of the task force
Summary of Recommendations
Full Report
Related Organizations
EAPM Special Interest Group Transplantation Medicine: SIG Transplantation Medicine-EAPM-EAPM (Frank Vinitius, chair)
Psychosocial Community of Practice (PSCOP) is a multidisciplinary group of members of the American Society of Transplantation (AST) who are involved in the assessment and care of the organ recipient and living organ donor throughout the transplant process. The PSCOP, launched in January 2014, will also represent researchers who are interested and involved in psychosocial research in organ transplantation. The AST is uniquely positioned to improve the psychosocial care of transplant candidates, recipients, and donors by providing a venue for transplant psychosocial providers and researchers to convene and establish a collaborative, multidisciplinary professional group.
Membership in PSCOP is free to AST members; non-members may join with a 1-year free trial membership. For more information, see the PSCOP launch flyer. To join, submit the AST’s Community of Practice sign-up form.
European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) is the umbrella organization under which all European transplant activities are organized. ESOT cooperates with many transplant organizations to structure and streamline these activities in Europe.
Several organ expert sections within ESOT represent expert knowledge on particular organs. One of these expert sections is ELPAT, the European Platform for Ethical, Legal and Psychosocial Aspects of Organ Transplantation. ELPAT will be helpful in mapping and bringing together European expertise on the various ethical, legal and psychosocial aspects of organ transplantation.