In Transit - Episode 2
This week, I sat down with Barry Friedman, a powerhouse in the field of transplantation with more than 40 years of experience.
Welcome to the second episode of In Transit, a conversation series I host to explore the critical - and often overlooked - world of organ transplant logistics.
This week, I sat down with Barry Friedman, a powerhouse in the field of transplantation with more than 40 years of experience. Friedman’s career spans ICU nursing, military service, transplant program leadership, and international consulting. He most recently served as Executive Director at AdventHealth Transplant Institute and now works with Guidry & East Consulting.
In this episode, we cover:
What happens behind the scenes from the initial organ offer to the moment it reaches the operating room
How transplant success depends on coordination between dozens of stakeholders, often across state lines
Lessons learned from decades leading top-tier transplant programs and how those insights can shape the future
What’s changed in the transplant space over the past four decades, and what still urgently needs to catch up
Check out the full episode here.
In Transit – Episode 1
Our first guest is the remarkable Dr. Jeffrey Campsen, Medical and Surgical Director at DonorConnect.
I’m probably the last person you’d expect to say this…
But I’m launching a podcast.
In Transit is a conversation series where I dive into the critical, often overlooked world of organ transplant logistics.
This show is about bringing visibility to those minds, those missions, and the innovations reshaping how organs move from donor to recipient. Each 20–30-minute episode features candid conversations with leaders across the transplant supply chain — from OPOs and surgeons to dispatchers and pilots.
Our first guest is the remarkable Dr. Jeffrey Campsen, Medical and Surgical Director at DonorConnect. Dr. Campsen has led kidney, pancreas, and living donor programs for over a decade — and brings both deep expertise and real heart to this work.
In this episode, we talk about:
The critical of a role OPOs play in saving lives
How different organs tolerate transport — and why timing is everything
The rise of Donor Care Units and what they mean for transplant success
How AI and new preservation tech are transforming outcomes
And some unbelievable stories — like a 99-year-old liver donor, and a patient with five kidneys
Check out the full episode here.