Penn Lung Transplant Support Group: How Many Pills Will I Take After Lung Transplant?

Please join us for the next meeting of the Penn Lung Transplant patient support group:

Date: Monday, May 14, 2012
Time: 1 to 2:30 pm
Location: Penn Tower, 399 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104; 4th Floor, Gates Conference Room
Topic: How Many Pills Will I Take After Lung Transplant?

Do you have a question about transplant medications? Join the lung transplant support group for a conversation with the transplant pharmacist, Tamara Claridge, PharmD. As a pre-transplant patient or caregiver, you will develop an understanding of post-transplant medication requirements. For the post-transplant patient or caregiver, the meeting will be a refresher course on the “do’s” and “don’ts” for transplant medications. This will be an interactive session, so please bring your questions and join the conversation.  

Please contact Christopher C. Erickson, MSW, LCSW, clinical social worker, at Christopher.Erickson@uphs.upenn.edu or 215-662-4575 with any questions.

Bringing Lung Transplant to More Patients: 2012 Philadelphia Antiques Show

The 2012 Philadelphia Antiques Show takes place from April 28 through May 1. Founded in 1962, it is one of the longest running antiques shows in the country.

All proceeds from the 2012 Philadelphia Antiques Show will support the Penn Lung Transplant Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion Program. The goal of the program is to improve recovery practices used to treat donor lungs and expand the pool of organs available for patients in need of lung transplantation.

Chronic lung disease affects 35 million Americans, results in 400,000 deaths, and causes a public health burden exceeding $150 billion each year. Lung transplantation is the only life-saving therapy for patients with end-stage lung disease, however, the procedure has limited availability because not all donor lungs are safe for transplantation.

Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is an innovative therapy applied to donor lungs outside of the body before transplantation. EVLP improves lung quality and makes lungs that were previously unsuitable safe for transplant.

Currently, EVLP is offered by a handful of centers in the world and is only available through a clinical trial in the United States.

The establishment of the Penn Lung Transplant Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion Program will extend this life-saving therapy to more patients with chronic lung disease and enable them to live longer, healthier lives.

The Penn Transplant Institute thanks The Philadelphia Antiques Show for its support and joins the show in celebrating its 51st year.

To purchase tickets for the show and support the Penn Lung Transplant Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion Program, visit the Philadelphia Antiques Show web site.

To learn more about Penn Lung Transplant, visit the Penn Transplant Institute web site.

Transplant Family’s Annual 5K Raises Money for Transplant House

Join families and friends of Jim Bellizzi and the Penn Transplant House on Saturday, April 28 at 9 am for Strides for Shelter, a 5K run/walk in Bethlehem, PA to benefit patients and families at the Penn Transplant House.

When Jim Bellizzi, a nurse with a larger-than-life personality, passed away in 2007, his sister and wife wanted a way to remember him and to help other patients and their loved ones during the transplant process.

During his two lung transplants at Penn, his family spent many nights in hotel rooms or small waiting areas, and often heard others discussing how expensive nearby hotels were.

Supporting the Clyde F. Barker Transplant House, which provides affordable accommodations for transplant patients and their families, was the perfect way for them and the many who loved him to remember Jim.

“Jimmy and Gene had talked about the House when he was sick,” says Jim’s sister, Sharon. “It was a cause near and dear to his heart, and to all of ours.”

Sharon formed Strides for Shelter, a non-profit that holds a 5K run/walk in memory of Jim every April. Proceeds from the event go to the Penn Transplant House.

Since the annual race began in 2009, Strides for Shelter has been a huge success with more than 150 participants every year, and more than $25,000 raised for the Penn Transplant House. Its exercise room, which offers guests space for a much-needed, stress-relieving workout during their stay, has been named in honor of Jim, who was devoted to fitness.

The fourth annual Strides for Shelter 5K run/walk will take place Saturday, April 28 at 9 am at the Hanover Township Community Center in Bethlehem, PA. For more information and to register please visit the Strides for Shelter website.

For more information about volunteering or donating to the Penn Transplant House please visit www.pennmedicine.org/transplanthouse or contact Laurel Eisenach at 215-746-3008 or eisenach@upenn.edu.

Penn Lung Transplant Provider Spotlight: Robert M. Kotloff, MD

In October 2011 at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), Penn lung transplant physician Robert M. Kotloff, MD, received the prestigious College Medalist Award. This long-standing award recognizes a clinician, author, teacher or investigator who has made significant contributions to the field of diseases of the chest.

Every year the ACCP honors doctors who are making significant or meritorious contributions to chest medicine. Physicians are recognized for advancing work in specific areas of chest medicine, mentorship and training and furthering the work of the ACCP.

Dr. Kotloff is chief of advanced lung disease and lung transplantation in Penn Medicine’s division of pulmonary, allergy, and critical care. He has worked in the field of lung transplantation for more than 20 years and has extensive clinical experience in the evaluation of patients with complex pulmonary disorders and the care of transplant recipients.

Under Dr. Kotloff’s leadership, the Penn Lung Transplant program has performed nearly 800 lung transplants, a milestone achieved by only a handful of centers nationwide.

In addition to being a founding member of the Penn Lung Transplant program, Dr. Kotloff maintains an active practice in general pulmonary medicine and directs the pulmonary and critical care fellowship training program at Penn.

Congratulations to Dr. Kotloff on this achievement.