Early Career and Trainee Committee


The purpose of the Early Career and Trainee Committee (ECTC) is to coordinate the Society’s efforts to engage with, provide effective mentorship of and leadership opportunities for those who are in the early stages of their careers in advanced heart failure and transplantation, advanced lung failure and transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, and pulmonary vascular disease.

See Also: Professional Communities, Interdisciplinary Networks, Interdisciplinary Network Steering Committees, and Leadership Advisory Forum
 
 
In February of every year the early career and trainee members of each professional community shall elect an early career member to serve as their representative to the ECTC for a one-year term, renewable up to three times. Terms shall commence at the conclusion of the ISHLT Annual Meeting.

The ECTC shall be Co-Chaired by the second Immediate Past President of ISHLT, the CEO or other assigned staff member, and an individual elected no later than April 1 by and from among the incoming committee members.

The elected ECTC Co-Chair shall serve as the ECTC representative to the Leadership Advisory Forum.
 
  • Work with staff to develop and implement effective mentoring opportunities throughout the year
  • Work with the Professional Community representatives to the Interdisciplinary Networks to
    • Identify and secure the participation of senior and mid-career members to participate in the Society’s organized mentoring opportunities
    • Facilitate robust participation of mentors and mentees in the specialty-specific Early Career Mentoring Sessions at the Annual Meeting
    • Facilitate robust participation of mentors and mentees in the Mentor/Mentee Matching program via ISHLTConnect
  • Work with the JHLT Managing Editor and the Director of Communications to identify individuals to participate actively in the Journal Watch program
  • Work with the Director of Communications to identify individuals to serve as roving reporters for the Annual Meeting Daily Conference Coverage newsletter
  • Work with the various Committees, Interdisciplinary Networks, and Professional Communities to:
    • Ensure the engagement of early career professionals in Society leadership opportunities
    • Ensure the needs of early career professionals are met via the Society’s various programs and services
  • Respond promptly and by the deadline to all assigned tasks
  • Come prepared and participate actively in all conference calls and meetings
 
Our junior and trainee members are the lifeblood of ISHLT and the profession, and we are committed to facilitating their full engagement in all the Society offers. We maintains two online communities in ISHLTConnect for our Early Career Professional members (defined as individuals who have completed training less than six years ago) and our Student/Resident/Trainee member (defined as individuals actively participating in a formal training program). We encourage all members who meet these criteria to participate actively in these online communities and to become involved volunteers and participants in our programs and services.

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Tara Veasey PharmD, BCTXP (2024)

Co-Chair / Pharmacy Professional Community Representative/Representative to PVD IDN Steering Committee

Allegheny General Hospital
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Lara Danziger-Isakov MD, MPH (2023)

Co-Chair

Children's Hosp Med Ctr
Cincinnati, OH, USA
Ashley V Fritz DO (2024)

Anesthesiology and Critical Care Professional Community Representative

Mayo Clinic
Jacksonville, FL, USA
Andrew Morley-Smith MCRP, PhD (2026)

Cardiology Professional Community Representative/Representative to AHFTX IDN Steering Committee

Harefield Hospital
Harefield, UK
Jaime A Hernandez-Montfort MD, MPH (2024)

Cardiology Professional Community Representative/Representative to MCS IDN Steering Committee

Baylor Scott & White
Austin, TX, USA
Caitlin T Demarest MD, PhD (2026)

Cardiothoracic Surgery Professional Community Representative

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN, USA
Rebecca Kumar MD (2025)

Infectious Diseases Professional Community Representative

Georgetown University Hospital Center
Washington, DC, USA
Brittany Koons PhD (2025)

Nursing and Allied Health Professional Community Representative

Villanova University M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Villanova, PA, USA
Federica Pezzuto (2026)

Pathology Professional Community Representative

University of Padova
Padova, Italy
Neha Bansal MD (2026)

Pediatrics Professional Community Representative

Children's Hospital at Montefiore
Bronx, NY, USA
Caroline M Patterson MD (2024)

Pulmonology Professional Community Representative/Representative to ALFTX IDN Steering Committee

Papworth Hospital
Cambridge, UK
Forum Kamdar MD, PhD (2025)

Research and Immunology Professional Community Representative

University of Minnesota Medical Center
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Andrea Grillini MD (2024)

Standards & Guidelines Committee Representative

Loyola University Medical Center
Maywood, IL, USA