Ruthanne Hanto has been named program manager of the OPTN Kidney Paired Donation (KPD) Program.
In her new role, Hanto will manage all aspects of the national KPD system. She will enroll transplant programs, answer technical questions, execute monthly match runs and document areas for system improvements. “UNOS is lucky to have Hanto, whose experience in KPD is unparalleled,” said OPTN/UNOS President Jack Lake, M.D. “She’ll be working to fully automate the system which will streamline the process so that participating centers will be able to get the results from the same system used for deceased donor organ matching instead of by email.”
In 2005 Hanto was instrumental in establishing the first and one of the largest regional kidney paired donation programs, the New England Program for Kidney Exchange (NEPKE). As NEPKE’s Program Manager, Hanto oversaw the development of the first fully integrated computer optimization system for matching incompatible donor/recipient pairs. Under Hanto’s leadership, NEPKE saw a six-fold increase in the number of KPD transplants and more than doubled the number of participating centers.
