Jon Kobashigawa, MD, director of the heart transplant program at Cedars-Sinai, assumed the role of president of the American Society of Transplantation.
In the top volunteer position in the organization, Dr. Kobashigawa will work to advance the field of transplantation and improve patient care through promoting research, education, advocacy, organ donation and service, according to a July 1 news release.
In addition to his director role of the heart transplant program, he is also director of the advanced heart disease division in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai and helped expand the hospital's comprehensive transplant program.
Dr. Kobashigawa is a past president of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation as well as past chair of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Committee on Heart Failure and Transplantation.
The organization includes more than 5,000 clinicians and healthcare professionals in the field of organ transplantation, the release said.