We Proudly Recognize Our Founder:
Dr. Louis G. Britt, MD (1931-2015)
Who performed the first kidney transplant in Memphis 45 years ago.
For his vision, dedication, leadership.
For being a mentor, serving the community, creating an industry.
For his total commitment and dedication to restoring families and saving lives.
We honor and celebrate his life and legacy.
Dr. Santiago Vera
Dr. Vera is the Medical Director of the Mid-South Transplant Foundation.
He also currently serves as Assistant Chief of Surgery and General and Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgeon at the Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In addition he is a Professor at the department of Surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Previously, Dr. Vera was a transplant surgeon at UT/Methodist Transplant Institute in Memphis from 1982-2008. A graduate of the Central University of Venezuela Medical School, he completed his Surgery Residency and Transplantation fellowship at UTHSC.
Dr. Vera has treated more than 1,000 liver and 1,000 kidney transplant recipients since 1982 through his practice at the University of Tennessee Bowld Hospital, Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center, and Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis, Tennessee. He has been Professor of Surgery, University of Tennessee since 2000 and Surgical Director, Liver Transplantation from 1990 to 2008. He has published and presented more than 100 papers on organ transplantation.
He is a member of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Society of Transplant Physicians, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the American Medical Association and the Harwell Wilson Surgical Society.
Dr. Vera has served on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) national board and has been passionately involved in shaping organ allocation policy on a national level. Dr. Vera says he has been invigorated by his practice, his colleagues and more importantly his patients.
Kim Gilley, RN, CPTC
Kim Gilley serves as the Director of Clinical Operations for Mid-South Transplant Foundation.
In this role, Mrs. Gilley is responsible for the supervision and management of the daily clinical operations of the organization and ensures compliance with all policies and regulatory and accrediting agencies as it relates to organ recovery, tissue recovery, family care and hospital services departments. Mrs. Gilley joined the organization in 2005 as an Organ Recovery Coordinator and was quickly promoted to Manager of Organ Recovery Services.
Mrs. Gilley began her career as a registered nurse and has served in various positions within several organizations, including House Supervisor, Executive Director of Nursing, Labor and Delivery, Level 1 Emergency Room PCC Supervisor and other various management positions in the nursing field.
Mrs. Gilley received her Diploma of Nursing from St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing. She has held memberships with the North American Transplant Coordinators, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and Transplant Professionals, the Organ Recovery Council for the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Region 11 Council for which she served as Region 11 Collaborative Co-Leader for the National Learning Congress. Mrs. Gilley also earned her Certification as a Procurement Transplant Coordinator.
Kim Van Frank, RN, BSN, MBA
Kim Van Frank is the Executive Director of the Mid-South Transplant Foundation.
In this role, Mrs. Van Frank is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the non-profit organization including the preparation of the operating and capital budgets, organizing long-range planning, policy development, recruitment and hiring of staff, communication with the Governing Board. Mrs. Van Frank joined the organization in 2002 as the Assistant Executive Director.
Prior to joining Mid-South Transplant Foundation, she worked as a Quality Assurance and Research Nurse Liaison for Surgical Services at the Memphis Veterans Administration Medical Center. In this role she monitored patients for surgical outcomes and managed all aspects of various clinical trials conducted by the Surgical Department.
Mrs. Van Frank began her nursing career at Methodist Hospital as a medical-surgical and oncology nurse, as well as several years as an infection control nurse.
Mrs. Van Frank earned her Masters of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Union University and a Diploma of Nursing from Methodist School of Nursing. She has held memberships with the Tennessee Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, Tennessee Association of Healthcare Quality, National Association of Healthcare Quality, North American Transplant Coordinators Organization, National Quality Improvement Council with the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO), Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation Donation Board of Trustees and AOPO Strategic Planning and Bylaws and Membership Committee. Mrs. Van Frank also earned her Certification as a Tissue Banking Specialist in 2011.
Jennifer McNary-McIlvain, BS, MBA, DBA
Jennifer McNary-McIlvain is the Director, Quality Systems and Compliance of the Mid-South Transplant Foundation.
Jennifer McNary-McIlvain is responsible for the development and implementation of an organization-wide quality management program, for ensuring MSTF’s compliance with internal policies and procedures and all regulatory, accreditation, and legislative standards. Additionally, she ensures the optimal distribution and utilization of information systems resources. The overall program includes performance measures, risk management and corporate compliance programs, variance reporting and quality improvement systems. She serves in the capacities of Risk Manager, Corporate Compliance Officer and Safety Manager. In her role she ensures the organization’s adherence to regulatory and accreditation standards and provides annual training for all employees.
Ms. McNary-McIlvain joined the organization in 2009 as the Manager of Quality Services and was promoted to Director, Quality Systems and Compliance in 2016. Prior to joining MSTF she served as the Executive Director of the Exceptional Foundation of West Tennessee; was Senior Director of Collections for the Mid-South Regional Blood Center – Lifeblood. She also held Quality positions at Porter-Leath Children’s Center and Youth Villages, Inc. A graduate of Lambuth University, she received her MBA from Union University and her DBA from Capella University in Memphis, TN. She is an active member of the National Quality Improvement Council with the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO).
