ISHLT Honors Professor John Dark, MB, FRCS with Lifetime Achievement Award
The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) has named John Dark, MB, FRCS as the recipient of its 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, the Society’s highest honor.
A longtime leader within ISHLT, Professor Dark has served the society in many roles, including as the Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions Program Chair and as its 26th President, and has been a prominent advocate for ISHLT’s international mission and global scientific collaboration.
Over more than two decades leading the heart and lung transplant programs in Newcastle, Professor Dark has made huge contributions to the understanding of donor lung optimization, ischemia reperfusion injury, primary graft dysfunction, and ex-vivo lung perfusion. He was a pioneer in the development and clinical adoption of donation after circulatory death (DCD) lung transplantation, playing a central role in establishing the United Kingdom as a global leader in DCD lung utilization.
More recently, Professor Dark has led large-scale, multicenter clinical trials, including the SIGNET study, the world’s largest donor-intervention study, which is setting new standards for donor management research.
The 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award address by Professor Dark during the ISHLT’s 46th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions will be recorded and available online after the Annual Meeting.