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Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship Program Accreditation

As the leading Society advancing surgical care in transplantation, the American Society of Transpalnt Surgeons (ASTS) and Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council (TACC) are committed to defining and promoting training and the career-long education of transplant surgeons. The primary avenue by which TACC defines and promotes training is through accreditation of abdominal transplant surgery fellowship training programs and is the only provider of this service to the transplant community.

Fellowship Training Program Accreditation provides validation that a training program meets prescribed high standards and is a seal of approval formally recognized the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and others. Accredited training programs serve as the primary pathway for transplant surgeon designation and associated privileges.  Regulatory bodies, third-party payers, and academic transplant centers increasingly view completion of an accredited training program as an important qualification.

The objective of a transplant surgery fellowship training program is to develop proficiency in the surgical and medical management of patients with end-stage organ diseases amenable to transplantation. Candidates for such training must have satisfactorily completed a residency which satisfies the educational requirements for certification by the American Board of Surgery or the American Board of Urology or foreign equivalency. 

Fellowship Training Programs are subject to an initial accreditation review, site visit, evaluation and approval by the Program Accreditation Committee and Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council. Subsequent program reaccreditations typically occur every three years.

Accreditation Application Information

New programs applying for Fellowship Training Program Accreditation must submit an accreditation application. All applications are reviewed by the Program Accreditation Committee and submitted for approval by the Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council. Late applications will not be accepted. If a program is approved for accreditation, the approval is effective for the upcoming match. 

    New Program Accreditation Applications:

  • Application opens May 1, 2024
  • Submission deadline: June 12, 2024
  • Program site visit summer/fall 2024
  • Program Accreditation Committee and TACC review in fall 2024
  • Notification of final decision by December 2024
  • Accreditation status is effective for the match beginning in January 2025 for positions in 2026

Reaccreditation Application Information

Accredited Fellowship Training Programs are required to apply for reaccreditation every three years. All applications are reviewed by the Program Accreditation Committee and submitted for approval by the Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council. Late applications will not be accepted.  If a program is approved for reaccreditation, the approval is effective for the upcoming match. 

    Reaccreditation Applications:

  • Application opens May 1, 2024
  • Submission deadline: September 1, 2024
  • Program Accreditation Committee and TACC review in fall 2024
  • Notification of final decision by December 2024
  • Reaccreditation status is effective for the match beginning in January 2025 for positions in 2026

Please note that all programs must use the 2024 volumes form template when applying for Accreditation or Reaccreditation. The form will be available when the application opens.

For more information, please refer to the Fellowship Training Program Requirements and the Fellowship Application Review Guidance.

Fellowship Training Program Requirements

The Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council has established guidelines and standards for programs to earn and maintain Fellowship Training Program Accreditation. It is the responsibility of all programs and fellows to review the document. 

All Fellowship Training Program Accreditation requirements have been combined into one document. This document contains the accreditation requirements for the calendar year. Programs are required to review this before applying for accreditation or reaccreditation.  

Fellowship Training Program Requirements

Accreditation and Reaccreditation Information

All volume data submitted must be for the calendar year (January 1 – December 31). Programs will need to enter their volumes onto the Program Volumes Form, which will be found within the accreditation and reaccreditation application. Programs must upload their volumes in that format onto the application. The completed accreditation and reaccreditation applications will be reviewed by the Program Accreditation Committee.

If the application is from a program not previously accredited, or if the accreditation has lapsed, a site visit to the applicant institution must be arranged for the reviewers. The ASTS National Office will work with both the institution and the reviewers to organize the site visit. The applicant institution is expected to develop an itinerary that is mutually acceptable with the reviewers' goals and objectives. 

Direct expenses associated with travel to the site visit are borne by the applicant institution. The ASTS National Office will invoice the applicant institution after the site visit and payment is due after the application ruling is determined by the Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council. If the application is a renewal from an institution previously accredited, a site visit is not mandatory, and will be at the discretion of the reviewers.

The reviewers will submit a detailed report to the Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council and will  recommend whether the program meets the requirements for approval, whether additional information is necessary, or whether the application should be disapproved.

The function of the Program Accreditation Committee is one of support to the Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council and the committee will provide only recommendations.

If the program is granted approval by the Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council. The Transplant Accreditation & Certification Council will announce the decision directly to the applicant institution via letter. That communication will serve as documentation of the approval as well as the date approval was granted, the conditions under which approval is granted and the duration of the approval. 

It is not essential nor even desirable that all institutions adopt exactly the same content and structure of their programs, but it is necessary that all programs meet the essentials for approval and demonstrate that they can provide a high quality of education through the clinical experience provided to the trainee.