Christian Benden, MD, MBA, FCCP, FERS
Medical Director, Lung Transplant Program
Lecturer of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
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Christian Benden, MD, MBA, FCCP, FERS
Medical Director, Lung Transplant Program
Lecturer of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Medical Services
Languages
English
German
Italian
Education
Medical School
Ruhr University
1997
Bochum
Germany
Graduate School
Wismar University
2020
Wismar
Germany
Fellowship
Lung Transplantation
Great Ormond Street Hospital
2005
London
England
Professional History
Christian Benden (MD MBA FCCP FERS) is a trained Pediatric Pulmonologist, currently Director of the Pediatric Lung Transplant Program at the Division of Pulmonary Medicine of Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
He is a former Lung Transplant Medical Director, CF Center Director and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Transplant Center, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.
Dr. Benden trained in Pediatrics in Hannover (DE) and London (GB). Additionally, he specialized in Pediatric Pulmonology and received training in lung transplant medicine in Hannover, London and Zurich.
Since 2018, Christian Benden is an Adjunct Professor of Pulmonology/Transplant Medicine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Dr. Benden is a Past Secretary of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) and a former ISHLT Board Member. Further, he is the ISHLT 2018 Scientific Program Chair, a Past Associate Medical Director of the ISHLT Thoracic Transplant Registry, and a Past ISHLT Pediatric Council Chair (2009-2010). Dr. Benden was ISHLT President from 2024 to 2025. Since May 2025, he is the Immediate Past President of ISHLT.
From 2016 to 2019, Christian Benden was Transplantation Group Chair of the European Respiratory Society (ERS). In April 2025, Dr. Benden received the Fellow of ERS (FERS) award to acknowledge his outstanding contributions in research, education and clinical leadership.
Dr. Benden is an Associate Editor of Clinical Transplantation, and a former Editorial Board Member of Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, and former Associate Editor of Pediatric Transplantation.
The clinical research interests of Dr. Benden include pediatric lung transplantation, chronic allograft dysfunction, and advanced cystic fibrosis lung disease.
Publications
A Crossroads for Corticosteroid Therapy in Pediatric Interstitial and Rare Lung Diseases. View Abstract
A consensus-based framework for the psychosocial evaluation of pediatric candidates for cardiothoracic transplant and ventricular assist devices. View Abstract
Considerations of ethical aspects of xenotransplantation in pediatric patients. View Abstract
Living donor lobar lung transplantation in children: An impressive Japanese cohort and worldwide implications. View Abstract
Beyond Borders: International Immunosuppression Practices in Pediatric Lung Transplantation. View Abstract
Outcomes of lung transplantation in cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Trends in racial and ethnic disparities in pediatric lung transplantation in the United States. View Abstract
Pediatric lung transplantation: A new landscape following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. View Abstract
The value of extracorporeal photopheresis as an immunosuppression-modifying approach in solid organ transplantation: a potential solution to an unmet medical need. View Abstract
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Provides Prognostic Information in Advanced Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease. View Abstract
Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in pediatric lung transplantation-Current state and future directions. View Abstract
Worldwide organ allocation systems for pediatric lung transplantation. View Abstract
Monitoring practices of chronic lung allograft dysfunction in pediatric lung transplantation. View Abstract
Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after lung or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: current management and future directions. View Abstract
Frailty predicts outcomes in cystic fibrosis patients listed for lung transplantation. View Abstract
The changing landscape of pediatric lung transplantation. View Abstract
Organ donation after circulatory death as compared with organ donation after brain death in Switzerland - an observational study. View Abstract
Update on COVID-19 vaccination in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients. View Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic restrictions continuously impact on physical activity in adults with cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
CFTR Modulator Therapy and Its Impact on Lung Transplantation in Cystic Fibrosis. View Abstract
COVID-19 vaccination in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients-Current state and future directions. View Abstract
Current status and further potential of lung donation after circulatory death. View Abstract
The Actualization of the Transplantation Complex on the Axis of Psychosomatic Totality-Results of a Qualitative Study. View Abstract
Impact of cardiopulmonary resuscitation on organ donation in Switzerland. View Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 in patients on the Swiss national transplant waiting list. View Abstract
In the eye of the hurricane: the Swiss COVID-19 pandemic stepwise shutdown approach in organ donation and transplantation. View Abstract
Burden, epidemiology, and outcomes of microbiologically confirmed respiratory viral infections in solid organ transplant recipients: a nationwide, multi-season prospective cohort study. View Abstract
Lung transplantation as an intervention for pediatric pulmonary hypertension. View Abstract
Pediatric lung transplantation as standard of care. View Abstract
Recommended shielding against COVID-19 impacts physical activity levels in adults with cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
ECP as additional immunomodulation in idiopathic hyperammonemia and recurrent hypercapnic respiratory failure early post lung transplantation. View Abstract
International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation consensus statement for the standardization of bronchoalveolar lavage in lung transplantation. View Abstract
Predictors of long-term employment among patients with cystic fibrosis undergoing lung transplantation. View Abstract
Lung allocation for transplant: The European perspective. View Abstract
Lung transplantation as standard of care for advanced cystic fibrosis lung disease. View Abstract
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation consensus guidelines for the care of individuals with advanced cystic fibrosis lung disease. View Abstract
Perceptions towards physical activity in adult lung transplant recipients with cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
[Working After Lung Transplantation]. View Abstract
The 1-Minute Sit-to-Stand Test in Lung Transplant Candidates: An Alternative to the 6-Minute Walk Test. View Abstract
Management of allergy transfer upon solid organ transplantation. View Abstract
Bronchoalveolar lavage cytokines are of minor value to diagnose complications following lung transplantation. View Abstract
An aging population of patients with cystic fibrosis undergoes lung transplantation: An analysis of the ISHLT Thoracic Transplant Registry. View Abstract
Pediatric lung transplantation: supply and demand. View Abstract
Tobacco Use After Lung Transplantation: A Retrospective Analysis of Patient Characteristics, Smoking Cessation Interventions, and Cessation Success Rates. View Abstract
The experience of transplantation as reflected in dream life: A case study illustrating the mental processing of a lung transplant. View Abstract
Gastrografin™ - Induced hyperthyroidism in patients with cystic fibrosis following lung transplantation: A case series. View Abstract
Chronic lung allograft dysfunction: Definition and update of restrictive allograft syndrome-A consensus report from the Pulmonary Council of the ISHLT. View Abstract
Initial immunosuppression and managing rejection. View Abstract
Evaluation of bone disease in patients with cystic fibrosis and end-stage lung disease. View Abstract
Health-related quality of life and stress-related post-transplant trajectories of lung transplant recipients: a three-year follow-up of the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study View Abstract
Outcomes in cystic fibrosis lung transplant recipients infected with organisms labeled as pan-resistant: An ISHLT Registry?based analysis. View Abstract
Use of oseltamivir in lung transplant recipients with suspected or proven influenza infection: a 1-year observational study of outcomes and safety. View Abstract
Correction to: Volumetric dynamic oxygen-enhanced MRI (OE-MRI): comparison with CT Brody score and lung function in cystic fibrosis patients. View Abstract
Transplantation experience as a predictor for quality of life during the first 6 months after lung transplantation. View Abstract
"Thrust out of normality"-How adults living with cystic fibrosis experience pulmonary exacerbations: A qualitative study. View Abstract
Lung Transplantation with Controlled Donation after Circulatory Death Donors. View Abstract
Smoking resumption after heart or lung transplantation: a systematic review and suggestions for screening and management. View Abstract
Acute effects of combined exercise and oscillatory positive expiratory pressure therapy on sputum properties and lung diffusing capacity in cystic fibrosis: a randomized, controlled, crossover trial. View Abstract
Adult patients' experiences of symptom management during pulmonary exacerbations in cystic fibrosis: A thematic synthesis of qualitative research. View Abstract
Impact of human leukocyte antigen mismatch on lung transplant outcome. View Abstract
Pulmonary hypertension is not a risk factor for grade 3 primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation. View Abstract
Real-time exhaled breath analysis in patients with cystic fibrosis and controls. View Abstract
Extended-criteria donors in lung transplantation in Switzerland: an evaluation of two adapted lung donor scores. View Abstract
The many ways sputum flows - Dealing with high within-subject variability in cystic fibrosis sputum rheology. View Abstract
Volumetric dynamic oxygen-enhanced MRI (OE-MRI): comparison with CT Brody score and lung function in cystic fibrosis patients. View Abstract
First experience in Switzerland in Phe508del homozygous cystic fibrosis patients with end-stage pulmonary disease enrolled in a lumacaftor-ivacaftor therapy trial - preliminary results. View Abstract
Lung transplantation after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a pan-European experience. View Abstract
ISHLT Consensus Statement on adult and pediatric airway complications after lung transplantation: Definitions, grading system, and therapeutics. View Abstract
Extracorporeal photopheresis as second-line treatment therapy in life-threatening primary graft dysfunction following lung transplantation. View Abstract
Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Symptom Perception During a Cystic Fibrosis Exacerbation. View Abstract
Evolution of lung and kidney allograft function in patients receiving kidney after lung transplantation. View Abstract
A cluster of scedosporiosis in lung transplant candidates and recipients: The Zurich experience and review of the literature. View Abstract
Plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage samples in acute lung allograft rejection: the potential role of cytokines as diagnostic markers. View Abstract
Intra-session and inter-session variability of nitric oxide pulmonary diffusing capacity in adults with cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Pediatric lung transplantation. View Abstract
Lung transplant recipients on long-term extracorporeal photopheresis. View Abstract
Progress in Definition, Prevention and Treatment of Fungal Infections in Cystic Fibrosis. View Abstract
Lung transplantation in the elderly: Influence of age, comorbidities, underlying disease, and extended criteria donor lungs. View Abstract
Airway microbiota signals anabolic and catabolic remodeling in the transplanted lung. View Abstract
Development of a Multivariate Prediction Model for Early-Onset Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome and Restrictive Allograft Syndrome in Lung Transplantation. View Abstract
Therapy options for chronic lung allograft dysfunction-bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome following first-line immunosuppressive strategies: A systematic review. View Abstract
Echocardiography accurately predicts pulmonary hypertension in patients with advanced lung disease. View Abstract
Metagenomic sequencing complements routine diagnostics in identifying viral pathogens in lung transplant recipients with unknown etiology of respiratory infection. View Abstract
Development of Allograft Cancer after Lung Transplantation: A Case Report. View Abstract
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Switzerland: Diagnosis and Treatment. View Abstract
Cessation of extracorporeal photopheresis in chronic lung allograft dysfunction: effects on clinical outcome in adults. View Abstract
Esophagopericardial fistula, septic shock and intracranial hemorrhage with hydrocephalus after lung transplantation. View Abstract
Transplant center volume and outcomes in lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Conservative management of distal leg necrosis in lung transplant recipients. View Abstract
An association of particulate air pollution and traffic exposure with mortality after lung transplantation in Europe. View Abstract
Prevalence of gastrointestinal dysmotility and complications detected by abdominal plain films after lung transplantation: a single-centre cohort study. View Abstract
Airway Microbiota Determines Innate Cell Inflammatory or Tissue Remodeling Profiles in Lung Transplantation. View Abstract
Long-term follow-up of lung transplant recipients supports non-operative treatment of uncomplicated diverticulitis. View Abstract
[Not available]. View Abstract
Extracorporeal Life Support as Bridge to Lung Retransplantation: A Multicenter Pooled Data Analysis. View Abstract
Is total hip arthroplasty safely performed in lung transplant patients? Current experience from a retrospective study of the Zurich lung transplant cohort. View Abstract
Human metapneumovirus in lung transplant recipients: characteristics and outcomes. View Abstract
Isolation of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in asymptomatic lung transplant recipients: effects of treatment on eradication and outcome. View Abstract
Diagnostic value of plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage samples in acute lung allograft rejection: differential cytology. View Abstract
Insulin secretion abnormalities in patients with cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Predictors of survival in restrictive chronic lung allograft dysfunction after lung transplantation. View Abstract
Special considerations for the use of lung transplantation in pediatrics. View Abstract
Impact of time interval between donor brain death and cold preservation on long-term outcome in lung transplantation. View Abstract
Antibody-mediated rejection of the lung: A consensus report of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. View Abstract
[CME: Lymphoproliferative diseases after transplantation (PTLD)]. View Abstract
The 2015 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Guidelines for the management of fungal infections in mechanical circulatory support and cardiothoracic organ transplant recipients: Executive summary. View Abstract
Favorable outcome of children and adolescents undergoing lung transplantation at a European adult center in the new era. View Abstract
[Lung transplantation in patients with interstitial lung disease/idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis]. View Abstract
Pretransplant dyslipidaemia influences primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation. View Abstract
Post-transplant outcome-clusters of psychological distress and health-related quality of life in lung transplant recipients. View Abstract
Physical Activity and Exercise Training in Lung Transplant Recipients with Cystic Fibrosis: 'What We Know, What We Don't Know and Where to Go'. View Abstract
HbA1c: An effective screening tool for cystic fibrosis related diabetes? View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Eighteenth Official Pediatric Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation Report--2015; Focus Theme: Early Graft Failure. View Abstract
Exposure to moxifloxacin and cytomegalovirus replication is associated with skin squamous cell carcinoma development in lung transplant recipients. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Thirty-second Official Adult Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation Report--2015; Focus Theme: Early Graft Failure. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Eighteenth Official Pediatric Heart Transplantation Report--2015; Focus Theme: Early Graft Failure. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Thirty-second Official Adult Heart Transplantation Report--2015; Focus Theme: Early Graft Failure. View Abstract
Current State of Pediatric Lung Transplantation. View Abstract
Outcome of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Bridge To Lung Transplantation: An Institutional Experience and Literature Review. View Abstract
Adenocarcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract in lung transplanted patients with cystic fibrosis: case series and review of the literature. View Abstract
Unbiased metagenomic sequencing complements specific routine diagnostic methods and increases chances to detect rare viral strains. View Abstract
Hepatitis From Spiroplasma sp. in an Immunocompromised Patient. View Abstract
Lung transplantation for emphysema: impact of age on short- and long-term survival. View Abstract
Coronary artery disease in lung transplant candidates: role of routine invasive assessment. View Abstract
What we expected all along: Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome is not specific for bronchiolitis obliterans in pediatric lung transplantation! View Abstract
The registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: seventeenth official pediatric lung and heart-lung transplantation report--2014; focus theme: retransplantation. View Abstract
The registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: thirty-first official adult heart transplant report--2014; focus theme: retransplantation. View Abstract
The registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: thirty-first adult lung and heart-lung transplant report--2014; focus theme: retransplantation. View Abstract
The registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: seventeenth official pediatric heart transplantation report--2014; focus theme: retransplantation. View Abstract
[Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: diagnosis and treatment]. View Abstract
A consensus document for the selection of lung transplant candidates: 2014--an update from the Pulmonary Transplantation Council of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. View Abstract
Three-year results of an investigator-driven multicenter, international, randomized open-label de novo trial to prevent BOS after lung transplantation. View Abstract
Antifungal prophylaxis in pediatric lung transplantation: an international multicenter survey. View Abstract
Clinical features and outcomes of influenza infections in lung transplant recipients: a single-season cohort study. View Abstract
Intra-operative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use in pediatric lung transplantation--the Zurich experience. View Abstract
A new heterotopic transplant animal model of intestinal fibrosis. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Thirtieth Official Adult Heart Transplant Report--2013; focus theme: age. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Thirtieth Adult Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Report--2013; focus theme: age. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Sixteenth Official Pediatric Heart Transplantation Report--2013; focus theme: age. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Sixteenth Official Pediatric Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation Report--2013; focus theme: age. View Abstract
Simultaneous bilateral lobar lung transplantation: one donor serves two recipients. View Abstract
Practical approach to early postoperative management of lung transplant recipients. View Abstract
Lung transplantation in children following bone marrow transplantation: a multi-center experience. View Abstract
Body mass index and its effect on outcome in children after lung transplantation. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: 29th official adult heart transplant report--2012. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: fifteenth pediatric heart transplantation report--2012. View Abstract
Specific aspects of children and adolescents undergoing lung transplantation. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: 29th adult lung and heart-lung transplant report-2012. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: fifteenth pediatric lung and heart-lung transplantation report--2012. View Abstract
Impact of sinus surgery on pseudomonal airway colonization, bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome and survival in cystic fibrosis lung transplant recipients. View Abstract
Practical approach to emergencies in lung transplant recipients: how we do it. View Abstract
RSV prevention and treatment in pediatric lung transplant patients: a survey of current practices among the International Pediatric Lung Transplant Collaborative. View Abstract
New developments in treatment after lung transplantation. View Abstract
Lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis: a single center experience of 100 consecutive cases. View Abstract
Diabetes mellitus and survival in cystic fibrosis patients after lung transplantation. View Abstract
Scientific Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: introduction to the 2011 annual reports. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Twenty-eighth Adult Heart Transplant Report--2011. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Fourteenth Pediatric Heart Transplantation Report--2011. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Twenty-eighth Adult Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Report--2011. View Abstract
The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Fourteenth Pediatric Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation Report--2011. View Abstract
Persistent photodamage following drug photosensitization in a lung-transplant recipient. View Abstract
Bilateral lung transplantation for pediatric idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension: a multi-center experience. View Abstract
Pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza virus vaccination in lung transplant recipients: coverage, safety and clinical effectiveness in the Zurich cohort. View Abstract
Exercise testing in pediatric lung transplant candidates with cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Body composition assessed by the 4-component model and association with lung function in 6-12-y-old children with cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Exercise training in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis: theory into practice. View Abstract
Not all intravenous immunoglobulin preparations are equally well tolerated. View Abstract
Respiratory muscle training: effects of training or simple learning? View Abstract
Extended measurements of exhaled nitric oxide in adult lung transplant recipients. View Abstract
Donor predicted post-operative forced expiratory volume in one second predicts recipients' best forced expiratory volume in one second following size-reduced lung transplantation. View Abstract
Distress and alexithymia in lung recipients - psychosocial strains and associations with chronic allograft dysfunction. View Abstract
Lung transplantation in children with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. View Abstract
Minimal acute rejection in pediatric lung transplantation--does it matter? View Abstract
Size-reduced lung transplantation in children--an option worth to consider! View Abstract
Clinical models of tolerance induction in pediatric transplantation. View Abstract
Extended nitric oxide measurements in exhaled air of cystic fibrosis and healthy adults. View Abstract
Long-term clarithromycin therapy in the management of lung transplant recipients. View Abstract
Pediatric transplantation: ten years on. View Abstract
True survival benefit of lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis patients: the Zurich experience. View Abstract
Clinical exercise testing in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Lung transplantation for lymphangioleiomyomatosis: the European experience. View Abstract
Extracorporeal photopheresis after lung transplantation: a 10-year single-center experience. View Abstract
Chronic kidney disease in children following lung and heart-lung transplantation. View Abstract
Lung transplantation and survival in children with cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Lung transplantation and survival in children with cystic fibrosis: solid statistics--flawed interpretation. View Abstract
Undercarboxylated osteocalcin and bone mass in 8-12 year old children with cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Variability in immunization guidelines in children before and after lung transplantation. View Abstract
Surveillance bronchoscopy in children during the first year after lung transplantation: Is it worth it? View Abstract
CR5/20--Acute renal failure in a child with cystic fibrosis awaiting lung transplantation--a good outcome after all. View Abstract
The Chrispin-Norman score in cystic fibrosis: doing away with the lateral view. View Abstract
Monitoring of Epstein-Barr viral load in pediatric heart and lung transplant recipients by real-time polymerase chain reaction. View Abstract
High prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux in children after lung transplantation. View Abstract
Role of sensory neuropeptides in PIV-3-infection-induced airway hyperresponsiveness in guinea pigs. View Abstract
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