Save lives. Provide comfort. Strengthen legacies.
Helping New Yorkers Live On
We are a team of over 300 – clinicians, educators, social workers and more – united around the life-changing power of organ and tissue donation. LiveOn℠ works tirelessly day and night, on education, engagement and advocacy, and the logistical planning and management 365 days a year, to help save the lives of those in need of a transplant. We also provide support and comfort to donors and their loved ones throughout the donation process, and for years after. Contact LiveOn℠ for any of your needs including logistics and management of any of your donation needs by phone: 646-291-4444 or email: communication@liveonny.org.
Everlasting Impact
Who We Serve
LiveOnNY serves a population of 13 million people in the greater New York City area and its neighboring counties. But we don’t do it alone. We are proud to partner with 11 transplant centers and nearly 100 hospitals to ensure that an individual’s wishes to donate are honored and lives are saved.
List of Transplant Centers.
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Cohen's Children's Medical Center Division of Nephrology
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James J.Peters VA Medical Center
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Montefiore
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New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center
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New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
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Northwell Health Transplant Center
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NYU Langone Health
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Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute at Mount Sinai
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Stonybrook University Hospital Transplant Center
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SUNY Downstate Medical Center
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Westchester Medical Center
Our Executive Team
With a combined 185 years of experience in their fields, our executive team brings knowledge and expertise to the organization and cause.
Leonard Achan, RN, MA, ANP
President & Chief Executive Officer
Achan was appointed President & CEO of LiveOnNY in November 2021. Having started his career as an ICU Nurse in 1999 at Mount Sinai Hospital, he is a veteran healthcare executive with over 20 years of leadership experience. He previously served as the President of the Hospital for Special Surgery’s Innovation Institute. His leadership roles have spanned clinical, operational, marketing, communications, crisis management, digital transformation, branding, and innovation and he has served in several C-suite roles.
Jim Aranda, MBA
Senior Vice President, Strategic Finance & Chief Financial Officer
Aranda joined LiveOnNY in 2001 as Chief Financial Officer and brings 40 years of health care leadership and financial management experience. In his role, he designs, leads and implements finance initiatives that align LiveOnNY's strategic vision. He has held several roles within the non-profit and for-profit health care sectors including Financial Planning Manager, Hospital Controller, Administrator and Director of Financial Operations. Aranda is a Cornell University graduate with an economics degree.
Luba Ashurov
Vice President, Tissue Bank Services
As LiveOnNY’s Vice President of Tissue Bank Services, Luba oversees the organization's Donor Center and Tissue Recovery operations. She joined LiveOnNY as a Tissue Recovery Specialist and was then promoted to Tissue Operations Manager and Tissue Services Director. Luba has over 20 years of experience in the Healthcare and Tissue Donation field.
Felix Cirillo, RN, MBA
Vice President, Information Technology
Cirillo joined LiveOnNY as Vice President of Information Technology in February 2023. His duties will include management and execution of all IT functions including enterprise systems, end-user applications, network infrastructure, server management and cybersecurity. Cirillo brings 26 years of executive experience in developing and deploying high-performance, cost-efficient, flexible, and fully scalable technology solutions to meet diverse and complex business challenges.
Prior to joining LiveOnNY, Cirillo served as Director of IT and Chief Information Officer at the New York Proton Center, which partners with leading academic medical centers Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Montefiore Health System, and Mount Sinai Health System. He managed and oversaw connectivity between NY Proton Center and hospital partners.
Cirillo has also served in executive IT leadership positions at organizations such as Center for Human Development, MTBC, AdvantEdge Healthcare, Cigna, Aetna, and Healthfirst. Before transitioning to IT, Felix began his career as a Registered Nurse at Winthrop Hospital and still an active per-diem Critical Care Nurse.
John D’Abbraccio, RN, MSN
Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer
D’Abbraccio joined LiveOnNY as Chief Administrative Officer in February 2022. His duties include optimizing relationships, productivity, efficiency, and service quality across various departments, disciplines, and environments, both internally and externally. Prior to joining LiveOnNY, he served as Vice President of Access Services for Mount Sinai Health System. D’Abbraccio is a Registered Nurse with over 20 years of healthcare and leadership experience.
Anthony Delli Carpini
Vice President, Strategic Financial Services
Anthony Delli Carpini was recruited to LiveOnNY in 1989 and brings 38 years of finance experience to this new role. He began his donation journey with LiveOnNY (then named New York Regional Transplant). Prior to joining the LiveOnNY team, he had six years of finance experience as an accountant at Montefiore Medical Center and a Customer Service Associate at Citibank. He was recruited to come to LiveOnNY as the Assistant Business Manager to develop and oversee the financial systems and reporting. Since then, he was later promoted to Director of Finance. Anthony Delli Carpini has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Fordham University. He is an avid runner who has completed 23 marathons and 21 consecutive NYC Marathons, each year, saying “I’m not sure I’m going to make it this year!” In his new capacity, reporting to the CFO, Tony will lead Strategic Financial Planning to build current and future financial plans that align with our new vision and strategic plan to make us the leading OPO in the country.
Chad Ezzell, MS-HCM, CTBS, CTP, CPTC
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
Ezzell joined LiveOnNY as Chief Clinical Officer in 2019 before being promoted to Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President in 2021.He oversees the organization’s clinical operations and works to align and enhance team operations to save as many lives as possible. Prior to joining LiveOnNY, he served as Vice President of Clinical Services for the Southwest Transplant Alliance. Ezzell has nearly 20 years of OPO experience dating back to his first job as a per diem tissue recovery tech at LifeChoice in Connecticut.
Dr. Maureen Ezzell, PhD, MT(ASCP)
Vice President, Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement
Dr. Ezzell joined LiveOnNY as the Senior Director, Process Transformation and Innovation in 2022 before being promoted to Vice President, Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement in 2023. Working closely with LiveOnNY’s Chief Compliance Officer, Dr. Ezzell analyzes corporate and regulatory compliance requirements, ensuring the development of policies and processes that align performance and audit programs to guarantee compliance. Dr. Ezzell also oversees the organization’s Clinical Quality Assurance Department. Prior to coming to LiveOnNY, Maureen was VP of Quality and Education for two years at Southwest Transplant Alliance and spent 6 years in various quality and process improvement leadership positions at both Nevada Donor Network and We Are Sharing Hope in South Carolina. Dr. Ezzell holds bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Clinical Laboratory Science from Maryville University and a PhD in Pathology from Saint Louis University.
Annabel Henry, RN, MSN
Vice President, Hospital Services
Henry joined LiveOnNY in 2022 as Vice President of Hospital Services bringing 21 years of healthcare experience. In her role, she works with health system leaders to optimize and enhance team relationships to align LiveOnNY's strategic vision.
Before joining LiveOnNY, she started her career as a critical care nurse in 2006 within Northwell Long Island Jewish Medical Center then transitioned to Northshore Manhasset’s Patient Logistics team. Later joining Access Service Patient Transfer Center, Executive Services and the Clinical Command Center at Mount Sinai Health Systems as the Clinical Nurse Manager and promoted to the Senior Nursing Director. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing Administration & Informatics from Molly College and received her BSN degree from Adelphi University.
Dr. Connie Kristine, DProf
Executive Vice President, Corporate Integrity & Chief Compliance Officer
Dr. Kristine joined LiveOnNY as Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff in 2022. She oversees LiveOnNY’s contracting, corporate compliance, and business development. Prior to joining LiveOnNY she spent 18 years at Mount Sinai Health System in various executive roles including SVP, Chief Contracting Officer at Mount Sinai Health System and SVP, Business Development and Managed Care.
Kervens Louissaint, RN, MSN, CPTC
Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer
Louissaint became LiveOnNY’s Vice President of Clinical Services in 2022. He began his career with the organization in 2008 as a Transplant Coordinator and was then promoted to Clinical Manager in 2011, Assistant Clinical Director in 2015 and Clinical Director in 2017. Prior to his employment at LiveOnNY, he worked as a neuroscience critical care nurse at Weill Cornell Medical Center. He obtained his BSN degree at Mercy College and MSN Administration & Informatics at Molloy College.
Ralph Maldari
Senior Vice President, Chief Tissue Bank and Service Excellence
Maldari joined LiveOnNY as SVP, Chief Tissue Bank and Service Excellence in October 2022. He oversees tissue donation operations and service excellence across the organization. Maldari brings over 17 years of experience as an industry leader in healthcare and hospitality. Maldari has an extensive track record of shaping strategy, expanding capabilities, and transforming businesses, with the end goal of providing world-class customer experience. He also serves as ADJ. Assistant Professor, Customer Relationship Management & Hospitality at NYU School of Professional Studies. Prior to joining LiveOnNY, Maldari served as Chief Hospitality Officer for Hospital for Special Surgery.
Heather Phillips, CTBS, CTP
Vice President, Recovery Services
Phillips joined LiveOnNY as Organ Recovery Director in 2020 before being promoted to Vice President Recovery Services in 2022. She oversees the organization’s organ and tissue recovery operations as well as triage process and organ placement. Prior to joining LiveOnNY, she served as Surgical Manager for the Nevada Donor Network. Heather has over 15 years of OPO experience dating back to her start on the tissue recovery team at LifeGift in Houston.
Samirat Rivers, SHRM-CP
Vice President, Chief People Officer
Rivers oversees human resources; education and training; diversity, equity and inclusion; and organizational culture at LiveOnNY. Prior to joining the organization in 2020, she worked at FPC Worldwide where she led operations, human resources, and marketing. Rivers brings 20 years of human resources experience to her role.
Bini Varughese
Vice President, Business Development
Bini joined LiveOnNY as Vice President of Business Development in May 2022. Working closely with the Chief of Staff he informs, develops, and manages new business and strategic relationships that drive growth, profitability, and brand recognition for the organization. Prior to joining LiveOnNY he spent 15 years at Northwell Health serving in several operations management and leadership positions across the tertiary, ambulatory, and corporate divisions of the enterprise.
Dr. Abraham Warshaw
Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Warshaw joins LiveOnNY as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. In his executive leadership role, Dr. Warshaw will oversee hospital operations and relationships, logistics and clinical medicine. Dr. Warshaw is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and brings more than 30 years of experience in patient access and medical practice strategy. Dr. Warshaw has held a variety of healthcare leadership roles over the past three decades, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Chief and Medical Director of Access Services at Mount Sinai Health Systems. Prior to that, he was the Chief Clinical Officer, Vice President Clinical Services and Logistics Officer at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. He is also a long-time professor who has taught at multiple colleges and universities.
Heidi Evans
LiveOnNY Foundation, Executive Director
Evans was appointed founding executive director in 2016. She is a Pulitzer Prize winning health care reporter with extensive experience covering organ donation and transplantation during a 30-year career. Evans is also a two-time winner of the George Polk Award for Investigative Reporting at the NY Daily News. She holds an MS degree from Columbia University, was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, and has worked at the Wall Street Journal and LA Times.
Our Board of Directors
We are honored to have input and guidance from some of the best and brightest minds
in the nation. Their wisdom and support helps propel the daily mission and long-term
vision of LiveOnNY. Meet the Board.
board of directors
CHAIRPERSON
Lee H. Perlman
Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative and Financial Officer - Greater New York Hospital Association
SD, Vice Chairperson
Ruth C. Browne
President and Chief Executive Officer, Ronald McDonald House New York
Warren Berke
Chairperson, Community Advisory Board Member at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County Hospital Center
DeYoung Chan
Chief Financial Officer, Charles B. Wang Community Center
William Dacunto
Executive Vice President, Operations, Silverstein Properties, Inc.
Frank Darras, MD, FACS
Medical Director, Transplantation Services at Stony Brook University Hospital
Thomas Diflo, MD, FACS
Chief of Intra-Abdominal Transplant, Westchester Medial Center
Jean Emond, MD
Chief of Transplantation Services, Columbia University & Director, Transplant Initiative at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia
Bruce Flanz, MBA
President & Chief Executive Officer at MediSys Health Network & Jamaica Hospital Medical Center
Jason Golbin, DO, MBA, MS, CPE
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Catholic Health System
Tomas Heimann, MD
Chief of Surgery, James J. Peters VA Medical Center
William D. Holiber
President and Vice Chairperson, U.S. News & World Report
Leona Kim-Schluger, MD
Associate Director, Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital
Robert Montgomery, MD, DPhil
Chair, Department of Surgery and Director NYU Langone Transplant Institute
Jean-Luc ("JL") Neptune, MD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Suntra Modern Recovery
Fernando Pineda
Chief Technology Officer, Nicholas Air
Edward Rogoff, PhD
Dean of LIU Brooklyn
Salvatore J. Russo, Esq.
Counsel, Fox Rothschild, LLP
Moro Salifu, MD, MPH, MBA, FACP
Chief of the Division of Nephrology and Director of the Kidney Transplant Progam, SUNY DownState
Vivek Shah
Chief Executive Officer, Ziff Davis, Inc.
Lewis Teperman, MD, FACS
Vice Chairman of Surgery, Director of Solid Organ Transplantation at Northwell Health
medical advisory board list
CHAIRPERSON
Dr. Nabil Dagher, MD
Chief, NYU Langone Abdominal Transplant Surgery at NYU Langone Health Transplant Institute
Dr. Luis Angel, MD
Director of Lung Transplantation of NYU Langone Transplant Institute
Karen Berger, RN
Vice President, Transplant and Clinical Services at Westchester Medical Center
Dr. Henry Bodenheimer Jr., MD
Medical Director, Medicine Service Line at Northwell Health
Dr. Joseph Cooke, MD
Chairman of Medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Queens
Ira Copperman
Co-President of Transplant Support Organization (TSO)
Dr. Frank D'Ovidio, MD
Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation; at NYP/Columbia University Medical Center
Dr. Maryjane Farr, MD MSc FACC
Medical Director, Adult Heart Transplant Program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center
Allison Fehr
Hospital Services Specialist, LiveOnNY
Dr. Bruce Gelb, MD
Director, Renal Transplant at NYU Langone Transplant Institute
Dr. Daniel Glicklich, MD
Medical Director, Kidney Transplantation at Westchester Medical Center
Dr. Marie Le
Surgical Director at James J. Peters VA Medical Center
Dr. Brian Lima
Director of Heart Transplantation Surgery at North Shore University Hospital
William Lynch, MPA
Executive Vice President and Chief Operation Officer at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center
Dr. Ernesto Molmenti, MD PhD MBA
Director, Renal Transplantation at Northwell Health
Dr. Seigo Nishida, MD PhD FACS
Liver and Kidney Transplant Surgeon at Westchester Medical Center
Allen Norin, PhD D(ABHI)
Director, Transplant Immunology & Immunogenetics at SUNY Downstate Medical Center - University Hospital of Brooklyn
Dr. Sean Pinney, MD FACC
Director, Advanced Heart Failure & Cardiac Transplant Program at The Mount Sinai Hospital
Dr. Juan Rocca, MD
Surgical Director at Montefiore Medical Center - Moses Campus
Lorraine Ryan, Esq.
Senior Vice President Legal, Regulatory and Professional Affairs at the Greater New York Hospital Association
Dr. Pedro Sandoval, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Abdominal Organ Transplantation at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center
Dr. Scott Scheinin, MD
Surgical Director, Advanced Pulmonary Failure and Lung Transplantation Program at Montefiore Medical Center - Moses Campus
Dr. Thomas Schiano, MD FACP
Medical Director, Adult Liver & Intestinal Transplantation at The Mount Sinai Hospital
Dr. Carolyn Shih, MD MBA MPH
Director of Refractive Surgery at North Shore - Long Island Jewish Hospital
Dr. Nabil Sumrani, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery at SUNY Downstate Medical Center - University Hospital of Brooklyn
Dr. Wayne Walzer
Professor and Chairman, Department of Urology Stony Brook University Hospital
Dr. Anthony Watkins, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Dr. James Zisfein, MD
Chief, Division of Neurology at NYC Health + Hospitals / Lincoln
The LiveOnNY Foundation
The LiveOnNY Foundation is the philanthropic arm of LiveOnNY. Created in 2016 with seed funding from Donate Eight, the Foundation complements and enhances the work of LiveOnNY.
The Foundation’s core mission is to raise and deploy charitable contributions to help increase the number of lives saved in New York through public and medical education, innovative projects and to support both donor and recipient families through their transplant journey. By making a contribution to The LiveOnNY Foundation, you help us provide the greatest gift of all – the gift of life.
Pictured here are grant recipients Nadine and Kinsey. Nadine wrote a book about her daughter Kinsey's journey with transplant called "Kinsey's Kidney Adventure."
Work With Us
As one of the largest organ procurement organizations in the country, we aim to recruit, develop and retain talented and diverse staff members to help realize our mission. In addition to fulfilling and life-saving work, other benefits include tuition reimbursement, medical & dental plans and retirement savings with employer match and more. View our open positions or search for a career that meets your interests – then apply online!
Media Toolkit
LiveOnNY is the nonprofit organization that facilitates organ donation and transplantation in the greater New York City area. Our teams work with local hospitals and transplant centers to deliver the gift of life to the nearly 10,000 New Yorkers currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. We also care for the families of the selfless organ donors and advocate for this lifesaving cause.
We have several experts available to speak to the media about LiveOnNY and organ donation. For media inquiries, please contact Ali McSherry at 646-291-4637 or email amcsherry@liveonny.org
View our digital 2022 Semi-Annual Report.
See our recent press releases.
Want the quick facts? Download our fact sheet.