Mission
Statement || Objectives || Membership
Organization and Structure || Background
CenterSpan is a project of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, created to support the practice of transplantation through the creation and application of new educational and communication tools on the Internet.
CenterSpan is an unprecedented effort to utilize advanced technology to further medical science, practice and education, particularly in the transplant community. As the world gets smaller, and the global marketplace gets bigger, the importance of expedient interaction takes on new relevance. CenterSpan was conceived as a vehicle to rapidly communicate and disseminate information while simultaneously facilitating on-line interactions between the decision-makers of transplantation in both medicine and industry. This interaction process can create unique content invaluable in understanding and shaping the current state of the art and its future direction.
CenterSpan's objectives include but are not limited to:
Providing immediate access to new developments in science and clinical practice.
Facilitating active discussions of transplantation among experts in many fields creating forums for the exploration and critical analysis of public policy and ethical issues.
Facilitating access to the latest transplantation literature through cooperation with the leading scientific journals.
Creating Internet-based continuing medical education programs, initiating novel approaches to enhance communication between transplant practitioners and the pharmaceutical industry.
Linking the transplantation community to databases enhancing clinical investigation and providing practitioners with data to support difficult decisions.
CenterSpan is open to medical professionals who work in academic and medical institutions, independent medical centers and the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. Currently, usage of CenterSpan services has been extended to members of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Society of Transplantation, the Transplantation Society, the Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation, the International Liver Transplantation Society and the Society of Transplant Pharmacists.
By design, any professional active in transplant medicine can access CenterSpan’s services. In order to create a genuine network of resources, we are committed to providing usernames and passwords on a regular basis to individuals requesting access approval.
CenterSpan is managed by the Informatics and Data Management Committee of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and its Board of Directors.
As a conventional function, the Board determines policy; ensures that the organization has the necessary resources available to fulfill its mission; gives direction to the acquisition and disposition of resources; provides effective stewardship of resources; and strengthens the relevancy of CenterSpan, serving as ambassadors of the organization and participating in community networks. In the normal course of business, we proactively seek collaboration with transplant organizations, government entities, and private industry to create novel approaches to embellish service offerings and implementation.
In a unique partnership between the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), the efforts of both societies to utilize Internet technology were united in collaboration with industry to turn a concept into reality. CenterSpan was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in June 1996 and was the first project of its kind established to serve the transplant community
There is a wealth of scientific data that exists for and about the field of transplantation. The ability to easily obtain that information in a quick and concise manner, that is also cost-effective and tailored to individuals on a global scale, exists only through the Internet. The onset of mainstream Internet technology made evident the necessity to create a network of partnerships to bring the mass of accumulated knowledge to one place. From a perspective of convenience and cost-effectiveness, the CenterSpan project is a pragmatic tool to accomplish these objectives.
The primary goals of CenterSpan can be categorized as disseminating information, fostering global dialogue, continuing education, and strengthening clinical investigation. CenterSpan also affords private industry a forum to communicate its efforts, provide continuing education and gather input on a host of initiatives.
We also acknowledge the investment of a generous unrestricted educational grant from the Roche Corporation which supported the first five years of CenterSpan's existence. In the summer of 2001, after the original Roche grant was expended and CenterSpan's assets were exhausted, CenterSpan was dissolved as a freestanding non-profit entity, and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons assumed responsibility for offering many of the functions of CenterSpan. Our programs provide practical applications for professionals and at the same time offer a electronic integration of the latest in transplantation and educational services creating unique opportunities for distance learning.
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