Lung Transplant Team

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The lung transplant process is complex and can seem overwhelming at times. Your transplant team is here to help. A variety of experts will help you with insurance approvals, scheduling appointments, surgery, follow-up care, medication management, and more.

Ready for an Evaluation?

If you are interested in making an appointment for an evaluation, please ask your pulmonologist to submit a referral.

Meet the Team

Transplant Coordinators

When you are scheduled for your lung transplant evaluation, you’ll be an assigned a pre-transplant coordinator -- a nurse who is specially trained in lung transplant care. They will be your main point of contact for your entire transplant team. They will help you coordinate appointments, interpret test results, teach you about lung transplantation, introduce you to people who have gone through transplantation, and connect you with helpful resources.

When you are in the hospital for your transplant surgery, you will work with an inpatient transplant coordinator. They will meet with you and your caregiver to discuss details of your care after you leave the hospital. After surgery, a post-transplant coordinator will assist you with pulmonary rehabilitation, medications, education for you and your caregiver, and follow-up appointments.

Transplant Program Specialist

This individual will locate your medical records, get financial approval for your transplant, and schedule your lung transplant evaluation.

Financial Coordinator

Your financial coordinator will review your insurance to help you understand the costs that are covered under your policy and what you will be expected to pay out-of-pocket. They will work with your insurance company to get prior approval for your transplant surgery before you are listed as a candidate. Your financial coordinator will help you understand your payment options, including resources that might make your tests, surgery, and medications more affordable.

Transplant Pulmonologist

Our transplant pulmonologists are experts in lung disease and transplantation and are important members of your care team. During the evaluation process, they will determine whether a transplant is the best treatment option for you. While you wait for your donor lungs, they will help keep you healthy, and they will provide most of your care after surgery.

Lung Transplant Surgeon

Your transplant surgeon is part of the committee that evaluates you for lung transplantation. They will meet with you during the evaluation and before the procedure, assess the health of the donor lungs matched to you, perform the surgery, and provide care after surgery.

Clinical Trials at Duke

Our doctors are leaders in transplantation research, which gives you access to best practices and new therapies through our lung transplant programs and clinical research.

Physical and Occupational Therapists

Our physical therapists will oversee your pre-transplant and post-transplant pulmonary rehabilitation including muscle and respiratory-muscle conditioning; oxygen and aerosol therapy; breathing retraining; patient and caregiver education programs; smoking cessation counseling; and more. Occupational therapists will work with you in the hospital to help you regain your ability to carry out everyday activities, including self-care, independently.

Psychiatrist and/or Psychologist

A mental and emotional health assessment is just as important as your physical health assessment. That’s why you’ll meet with a transplant psychologist during your lung transplant evaluation. After surgery, you’ll have access to psychologists and/or psychiatrists to help you adjust to life after transplant.

Social Worker

A lung transplant social worker will help you manage the stress of lung transplantation on you and your family. They will assess your support network, address financial concerns, discuss your family’s plans for relocating before and after the transplant, and point you to additional resources to help you through the lung transplant process.

Dietician

Before and after transplantation, you will meet with a transplant dietician to discuss your nutritional needs.

Best Hospital for Pulmonology and Lung Surgery in NC

Where you receive your care matters. Duke University Hospital is proud of our team and the exceptional care they provide. They are why our pulmonology and lung surgery program is nationally ranked, and the highest-ranked program in North Carolina, according to U.S. News & World Report for 2023–2024.

Respiratory Therapists

Respiratory therapists assess your oxygen needs for exercising and conducting daily activities. They will ensure you have the proper equipment to remain as active as possible. They will also care for your respiratory needs while attending your exercise sessions and will communicate with your doctors about your progress.

Speech Pathologist

Your speech pathologist will evaluate respiratory muscle and swallowing issues before and after surgery. You may begin pre-transplant swallowing treatment to improve swallowing strength.

Registered Nurses

These nurses manage all of your medication needs during the transplant process. This includes new prescriptions, refills, insurance authorizations, intravenous medications, and infusions.

Transplant Pharmacists

Taking daily medications will be an important part of your life after lung transplant. Your transplant pharmacist will teach you and your caregiver about the medicines you will take, medication safety, and potential side effects.

This page was medically reviewed on 12/05/2022 by