1 / Well, this is it, my final week as medical director of our heart transplant program. Please welcome Dr Andrija Vidic who accepts the new role, and as @UNOSNews #OPTN Primary Transplant Physician, October 1st. (a brief explanatory thread).

2/ More than five years ago @TravisAbicht and I left @NorthwesternMed @NMCardioVasc to begin a journey of developing a new comprehensive HF and heart transplant program @KUHospital making history reported by @KCStar in early 2017.

3/ We are presently at more than 40 LVADs implanted and 30 transplants for calendar year 2020 and we have enjoyed some excellent outcomes every year.

4/ My motivation for stepping aside has been known for some time by our administration as I have sincerely believed that building a program is not the same as growing it. As such, raising up a new leader has been a calculated part of the five year plan.

5/ My own new five year plan remains in evolution but I know I will remain highly satisfied with investing in our newly recruited faculty and continuing efforts toward innovation in heart failure devices, remote monitoring, and #telemedicine.

6/ I also have found rejuvenation in taking my personal health and #wellness into a much more serious focus as I approach my 40th birthday in 2021. With changes to my diet and @onepeloton my weight dropped from 212 lbs at my peak to a recent more lean low of 186 lbs.

7/ I also recognize the years with my kids ages 6, 4, and 2 are flying by. Bringing home the burdens of worrying about the transplant program outcomes has honestly been a challenge for me find appropriate boundaries with my family. True #confession

8/ As I have grown as a leader, as a human, as a man who has made many mistakes and learned lessons the hard way, the single greatest lesson is this...

9/ tomorrow is never guaranteed so...

10/ make no excuses, don’t wait for tomorrow. Make no small plans. And start today, not tomorrow. Find your why. Define your mission. Write it on the white board. Don’t apologize for being true to yourself. The mirror never lies. Be willing to look in the mirror and see the truth