Volume 33 Number 2

Looking back and looking forward

Louise Fuller

For referencing Fuller L. Looking back and looking forward. Transplant Journal of Australasia. 2024;33(2):2.

DOI 10.33235/tja.33.2.2

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Author(s)

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As another year opens, in this summer edition of the TJA we look back at the evolution and four-decade history of technologies and new techniques for eye banking and corneal transplantation in our guest editorial by Heather Machlin and Graeme Pollock. Clare Fazackerley also traces her 30-year journey of advanced practice nursing in heart transplantation, highlighting how far transplantation has come and the promises of an ever changing and exciting future.

Respiratory physician Andrei Darie’s article describes the increasing and successful utilisation of older organs in Lung Transplantation in Australia and internationally, reminding us that age can be just a number!

Clare Fazackerley also provides a brief report on the Thoracic Organ Transplant Symposium recently held in Perth, WA, to commemorate and celebrate 30 years of Heart Transplantation and 20 years of Lung Transplantation in that state. In the next edition there will be a more detailed article show-casing some of the presentations and milestones achieved by both the WA heart and lung transplant programs.

My tenure as Editor has now drawn to a close and I am indebted to all the authors who have contributed to the TJA, and the national TNA Executive (Bron Levvey, Chris Ellis and Julie Pavlovic) for their support and patience. The editorial reins will now be in the very capable hands of Bron Levvey and the editorial board.

As one of Australia’s most experienced physiotherapists working with transplant recipients, I remain as passionate as ever about the role and importance of exercise in optimising patient outcomes. I look forward to reading future editions of the TJA to learn about the new and exciting developments in the world of transplantation in Australia and internationally.

Louise Fuller
(Outgoing Editor)

 

Thankyou to Louise!

As the incoming editor of TJA and current National President of TNA, I wanted to sincerely thank Louise Fuller for her enthusiasm and commitment as TJA editor from 2022 till this edition. It has been great having an allied health expert in the editorial role, and hopefully this inspires other allied health members to consider publishing in or being involved with the TJA.

Louise continues to manage a very busy clinical physiotherapy and rehabilitation program for lung and heart transplant recipients (and also VAD patients) at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, and is currently leading the development of national, evidence-based, rehabilitation guidelines for thoracic organ transplant recipients in Australia.  These rehabilitation guidelines will be world leading — as none currently exist — and we hope that Lou and her physiotherapy colleagues will provide an update on these guidelines in a future edition of the TJA.

I am grateful that Libby John has agreed to again step into the role of Associate Editor. Libby has many years of experience navigating the trials and tribulations pulling together each edition of the TJA and I know I will need and value her guidance going forward.

All we need now is for you — our TNA members and readers — to submit articles, case studies, research reviews for us to publish in the TJA. The Editorial Board is here to help you transform the wonderful work you are all doing into a published article. If you are presenting at a conference, we can help you convert this into a publication. If you hear of, or meet, any great speakers whom we could invite to do a guest editorial, let the editorial team know by emailing tjaeditor@transplantnurses.org.au and if you would like to submit an article for publishing, the author guidelines are on the TNA website.

I'm looking forward to creating some informative and thought-provoking editions of the TJA with Libby and the editorial team in the coming years!

Bronwyn Levvey
(Incoming Editor)

Author(s)

Louise Fuller
Editor