Resources for Advanced Transplant Providers

Elevate your career and expand your professional network with curated resources tailored specifically for Advanced Transplant Providers (ATPs).

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Contact Jil.Staszewski@asts.org

Professional Development Resources

Recognition Awards

The award cycle is currently closed.

Advanced Transplant Provider Recognition Award

Elaina P. Weldon, MSN, ACNP-BC

NYU Langone Health Transplant Institute

Mrs. Elaina P. Weldon is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and the Director of Research for the Transplant Institute and Department of Surgery at NYU Langone Health. Mrs. Weldon has worked in research for over 20 years. As an experienced clinical trialist, she has been involved in over 100 clinical trials, since expanding the research program over the past 8 years at NYU Langone Health. Elaina has served as an active member of ASTS for over 6 years having the privilege to serve as Co-Chair, Vice-Chair, and Chair of the ATP Committee. Elaina received the 2024 Veloxis ATP Provider Grant Award.

Mrs. Weldon’s work has been impactful in promoting access to organs through the utilization of Hepatitis C-positive organs in negative recipients, exploration of alternative organ preservation methods, and implementation of crossing immunogenic barriers using novel antibody cleaving agents. She has presented on the use of A2B blood type kidney transplantation to allow African Americans an additional avenue to transplantation. She was instrumental in protocol development, advanced clinical coordination, and complex project management of NYU Langone Health’s xenotransplant research as a future alternative to expanding the donor pool. Mrs. Weldon presented this work at the 2022 American Transplant Congress and American Society of Transplant Surgeons Winter Symposium. She has co-authored numerous publications, with two on xenotransplant in the New-England Journal of Medicine and Nature Medicine. Elaina and colleagues also published work in the American Journal of Transplantation, which examined the critical role of advanced practice providers on a multidisciplinary transplant team.

Giving back to communities has always been important to her. She is consistently involved in leading community efforts to give back such as organ donor enrollment days, transplant outreach for World AIDS Day, and outreach to disadvantaged students to learn about transplantation. She is most proud of the volunteer initiative she created for ASTS to provide Care Kits for Caregivers of children at the Ronald McDonald House of South Florida.

Currently, she is a second-year PhD student at the Florence S. Downs PhD Program. Her research raises cultural consciousness to eliminate bias in kidney transplant care through policy, education, and social support initiatives. She aims to harmonize patients, their care partners, and transplant providers to lower rates of mistrust and improve referral and access to kidney transplant waitlists for African American individuals. Elaina holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, a Master of Science in Nursing and a Nursing Education Certificate from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and a Certificate in Clinical Trials Management and Regulatory Processes from the University of Chicago.

Sherilyn Gordon Memorial Travel Award

C. Chime Karkhang, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC

Yale - New Haven Health Transplantation Center

C. Chime Karkhang, DNP, is an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with over a decade of clinical experience across diverse healthcare settings. Currently, she serves as a Transplant Surgery Nurse Practitioner at Yale New Haven Health. Her passion for transplant surgery stems from the unique excitement and profound impact of witnessing patients' lives transform dramatically after years on the waitlist. In this role, she works closely with liver and kidney transplant patients, particularly those from vulnerable populations, navigating the complexities of surgical procedures and the intricate pathophysiology of these vital organs.

C. Chime Karkhang earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Yale School of Nursing, where her research focused on health literacy among transplant patients. Her work highlighted the need for targeted interventions to address health literacy barriers and improve patient outcomes. Her academic background also includes a degree in Ethnic Studies, which provided a foundational understanding of systemic inequalities in healthcare.

She is an active member of the ASTS ATP Committee, contributing to the Volunteer Initiative and the ATP All Stars Project. The Volunteer Initiative subcommittee partners with local charities to give back to host cities during the ASTS Winter Symposium. The ATP All Stars Project subcommittee is developing a comprehensive website to consolidate key resources, offering a detailed guide and manual for ATP leaders to establish and expand their teams.

C. Chime Karkhang’s career is defined by her commitment to addressing healthcare disparities and promoting health literacy. Her contributions have been recognized with the 2022 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Advanced Transplant Provider Research Grant and the 2023 Yale University Milton and Anne Sidney Prize.

As an advanced practice provider, C. Chime Karkhang is dedicated to ensuring that patients and their families have the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about their care. She remains steadfast in advocating for equity and addressing structural racism in healthcare through her research, clinical practice, and leadership initiatives.