Welcome to the August 2021 episode of JHLT: The Podcast. In this special episode, Daniel R. Goldstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of JHLT, and the JHLT Digital Media Editors, interview ISHLT COVID-19 Task Force Chair Saima Aslam, MD, MS, about the latest, critical information on SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations in immunosuppressed thoracic organ transplant recipients.

The August issue of JHLT contains two key studies exploring COVID-19 vaccinations—one from Peled et al examining the safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in heart transplant recipients, and another from Havlin et al exploring lung transplantation.

In addition to summarizing and exploring these two papers, Dr. Aslam and the editors discuss additional topics related to COVID-19 vaccination, such as the difference in immune response between natural infection and vaccine, whether antibody testing is useful, and vaccine efficacy.

Follow along in the August issue at www.jhltonline.org/current, and learn more about the work of the ISHLT COVID-19 Task Force at ishlt.org/covid-19-information. Don’t already get the Journal and want to read along? Join the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation at www.ishlt.org for a free subscription, or subscribe today at www.jhltonline.org.

This episode of JHLT: The Podcast—but not the studies within—is sponsored by CareDx.