Invited Presentations (Selected)

“I present in hopes that others will learn.”

1.          International Transplant Nurses Society Annual Symposium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, “Ethnocentrism is an Unacceptable Rationale for Health Care Policy: A Critique of Transplant Tourism Position Statements,” September 24-26, 2009.

2.          International Transplant Nurses Society Annual Symposium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, “The Economics of Transplantation Given Uncertain Times and Challenging Circumstances: An International Perspective,” September 24-26, 2009. 

3.          National Research Council, “Stop Making Sense: The Perilous Future of Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices,” Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, February 20, 2009.

4.          Cardiac Sciences Program, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, “Stop Making Sense: The Perilous Future of Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices,” Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, February 18, 2009.

5.          2008 8^th Annual State of the Art Winter Symposium, The High Risk Recipient, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Marco Island, Florida, “Risky Business: Should Transplant Outcomes be Risk Adjusted: Con,” January 25-27, 2008.

6.          4^th Congress of the International Pediatric Transplantation Association, Cancun, Mexico, “Decision Making for Retransplantation in Children with Documented Non-compliance,” March 17-21, 2007.

7.          21^st Century Treatment of Heart Failure: Synchronizing Surgical and Medical Therapies for Better Outcomes, Cleveland Clinic Kaufman Center for Heart Failure, The American College of Cardiology Foundation, and The American Association of Thoracic Surgery, Cleveland, Ohio, “50 Years Later…Where Are All the Patients, What Is the Fate of the Industry, and Where is the Funding?,” October 18-20, 2007.

8.          2007 Organ Donation Congress, 9^th International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement & 6^th International Transplant Coordinators Society, Philadelphia, PA, “Transplant Tourism as a Special Case of Medical Tourism,” November 11-14, 2007.

9.          Re-transplantation Conference, American Society of Transplant Surgeons and American Society of Transplantation, Atlanta, GA, “Compliance versus Adherence: The Clinical and Ethical Implications of Social Value Judgments,” March 7-8, 2006.

10.      Practice of Transplant Administration, Transplant Management Group (TMG), San Diego, CA, “Leadership in Transplant Centers: If You’ve Got to Tell Me You’re a Leader, You Ain’t One,” October 16-17, 2006.

11.      Global Conference on Heart Health & Disease, International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences, Winnipeg, Manitoba, “How Can We Afford Health Care in the Future,” October 12-15, 2006.

12.      Confronting Reality: Ethnicity and Diversity Issues in Transplantation, Socioeconomic Barriers to Solid Organ Transplantation, National Kidney Foundation, Chicago, IL, “Socioeconomic Barriers to Solid Organ Transplantation: The Role of Race / Ethnicity, Income, and Insurance,” April 22, 2006.

13.      Clinical Trials Symposium: Study Design and End-points, American Society of Transplantation, Rosemont, IL, “Flawed Logic, Faulty Methods, and An Archaic Process: Why “Research” is Worthless More Often Than Not,” September 29-30, 2006.

14.      Annual Meeting, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, Madrid, Spain, “Save a Life or Shave a Second: When Millions ($) Make a Difference: Technological Excellence versus Economic Reality,” April 5-8, 2006.

15.      Workshop for Financial Coordinators, Transplant Financial Coordinators Association, Los Angeles, CA, “A Heretic’s Lament Concerning the Dubious Nature of Transplant Economics,” The Keynote Address, February 16-18, 2005.

16.      UNOS Transplant Management Forum, United Network for Organ Sharing, Memphis, TN, “The Thrill is Gone: Lessons Learned as Transplantation Has Matured from Adolescence into Adulthood,” April 11-13, 2005.

17.      ROSE 2005 Seminar, ING Re, Minneapolis, MN, “Is Less Medicine Better Health Care?” July 31 – August 2, 2005.

18.      Pursuing Excellence: Multidisciplinary Trends in Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, “Are Financial Incentives for Organ Donation as Objectionable as They Appear,” The Keynote Address, April 14, 2005.

19.      IRSG 40^th Anniversary Conference, Insurance Rehabilitation Study Group (IRSG), Chicago, IL, “What Good is Health Care? A Curmudgeon’s Lament, May 1-4, 2005.

20.      Grand Rounds, Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, “The Thrill is Gone: Lessons Learned as Transplantation Has Matured,” July 13, 2005.

21.      End-of-Life Care and Extraordinary Measures: The Surgeon’s Role, Timpanogos Surgery Club, Sundance, UT, “The Economics and Opportunity Costs Associated with End-of-Life Care, September 30 – October, 2, 2005.

22.      Diversity and Disparity in Solid Organ Transplantation: Bench to Bedside, Facts and Solutions, American Society of Transplantation, Washington, D.C., “Socioeconomic Barriers to Solid Organ Transplantation: Is Race / Ethnicity Really an Issue?” September 21-22, 2005.

23.      Brain Injury Business Practices College, Brain Injury Association of America, San Antonio, TX, “Random Reflections on Health Care in America: Time Well Wasted? December 12-14, 2005.

24.      The Michigan Conference on Organ Donation, “Focusing on Initiatives to Increase Organ Donation,” The International Association for Organ Donation, Dearborn, MI, “Valuable Considerations Versus Financial Incentives to Stimulate Organ Donation,” April 22, 2004.

25.      Economics of Transplantation, American Society of Transplantation, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, “Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: Cost, Charges, and Reimbursement.” April 15-16, 2004.

26.      Economics of Transplantation, American Society of Transplantation, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, “Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: Long-Term Financial Implications.” April 15-16, 2004.

27.      Issues in Transplantation and Organ Procurement, Tennessee Donor Services, New Mexico Donor Services, and New Mexico Nurses Association, Nashville, TN, “Empty Promises and False Hope: A Critical Appraisal of International Efforts to Procure Donor Organs.” May 1-2, 2003.

28.      6^th Congress of the International Xenotransplantation Association, Chicago, IL, “Xenoeconomics,” October 1, 2001.

29.      47^th Annual Conference of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, New York, NY, “Societal Impact of End-Stage Heart Failure,” June 7, 2001.

30.      Tenth Anniversary of the Vanderbilt Transplant Center, Nashville, TN, “Money for Nothing:  The Outcomes Aren’t Free,” December 1, 1999.

31.      Standards for Economic and Outcomes Studies in Transplantation, Coronado, CA, “Conflict of Interest and Ethical Standards Between Investigators and Sponsors in Economic Studies,” October 15, 1999.

32.      Heart Failure Summit, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, “The Economic Impact of ‘High Tech’ Medical and Surgical Therapies for Heart Failure:  How Will We Ration?” October 1, 1999.

33.      Health Care Financing Administration, Transplant Center Criteria Town Hall Meeting, Baltimore, MD, “Risk in Relationship to Outcomes:  The Case Against Organ Transplantation,” December 1, 1999.

34.      American Society of Transplantation Winter Symposium, Kapalua, HI, "Economic Impact of Graft Dysfunction," January 15, 1999.