Partnering with experts in fields outside of donation and transplant

In addition to working with experts in transplant, including the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), the OPTN Lung Transplantation Committee has reached out to leading experts in other fields across the country and around the world to help build the continuous distribution framework.

“There’s so much collegiality not only within the transplant community, but with the experts we’re working with in other fields,” says Alcorn. “Every time we talk with them, they say that they feel honored to be able to help on such an important mission.”

Partners have included Dimitris Bertsimas, Ph.D., and his Operations Research Center team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who played a key role helping the committee explore the use of mathematical optimization in designing the points-based lung allocation policy.

James Dolan, M.D., a retired internal medicine specialist and associate professor of health sciences at University of Rochester School of Medicine who is also a multi-criteria decision making expert was also particularly helpful as the committee considered ways to incorporate AHP into policy development.

Other partners have included the global non-profit Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and cloud-based advanced analytics consultancy Decision Lens who conducted the AHP.

“One of the big takeaways here,” says Stewart, “is that UNOS is using analytical methodologies and leaning on experts with proven track records outside of transplantation to help us improve the transplant system.”

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The OPTN plans to transition all organ systems to the continuous distribution framework, but the lung community will be the first.