Dr. James Kirklin is Director, Kirklin Institute for Research in Surgical Outcomes (KIRSO), Professor of Surgery, former Director of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and holds the James Kirklin Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Kirklin served as Director of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery from 2006 – 2016, with clinical interests focusing on surgery for pediatric and adult congenital heart disease, heart transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support. His many research interests involve cardiac transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, and outcomes research in pediatric cardiac surgery. Dr. Kirklin is past President of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) and President-elect of the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery. He served as Editor of the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation from 2000 – 2009. He was first author on the premier textbook on Heart Transplantation and co-author of the 4th Edition of the Cardiac Surgery textbook. In 2020, he received the ISHLT Lifetime Achievement Award. He has authored over 500 scientific publications