New York State Transplant Council

NYS Public Health Law (PHL) §4361 created the Transplant Council for the purpose of advising and making recommendations to the Commissioner of Health on matters related to organ donation, procurement organizations, banks and storage facilities and other matters related to donation, procurement, allocation, distribution and transportation of organs and tissues. Specifically, the Council is directed to review federal law, regulation and policies, including those of the federal Organ Procurement and Transplant Network, and make recommendations to the Commissioner regarding state regulation of organ procurement organizations and banks and tissue procurement activities and transplantation.

The membership, appointment, frequency of meetings and rules for determination of a meeting quorum of the NYS Transplant Council are also delineated in PHL §4361.

The statute identifies that the Council shall consist of twenty-one members, seven of which, including the Chairperson, to be appointed by the Governor, seven by the Senate and seven by the Assembly. Members are composed of members of the public with expertise in donation, transplant recipients or donors or their families, representatives of organ procurement organizations, banks or storage facilities, physicians with expertise in organ and tissue transplantation and care of people with end stage organ disease resulting in organ failure and persons with expertise in histocompatibility typing, law and ethics.

Current Membership as of January 2022

  • Lewis Teperman, MD,
    Vice Chairperson and Acting Chair
    North Shore University Hospital
  • Barbara Breckenridge
    WNY Kidney Foundation
    Advocate and Transplant Recipient
  • Patricia Dahl
    Eye Bank for Sight Restoration
  • Jean Emond, MD
    New York Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center
  • Andrew Flescher, PhD
    SUNY Stony Brook University and Hospital
  • Nancy Gallo
    NY Presbyterian, Firefighters Skin Bank
  • Eli Glatt, MD
    Mount Sinai, South Nassau
  • Kevin Gramlich
    ConnectLife Organ Procurement Organization
  • Michael Kerr
    Advocate and Transplant Recipient
  • Milan Kinkalabwala, MD
    Montefiore Medical Center
  • Chris Kjolhede, MD
    Mary Imogene Bassett School Based Clinic
  • Naveed Masani, MD
    NYU Langone, Long Island
  • Nancy Metzler
    University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital
  • Ernesto Molmenti, MD
    North Shore University Hospital
  • Ronnie Schwartz
    Advocate and Transplant Recipient
  • Michael Sosna
    Advocate and Transplant Recipient

Meeting Documents