Clinical SynopsisFaculty Clinical/Research SummaryPostgraduate Training

 Clinical Synopsis

A component of the multidisciplinary Emory Transplant Center (ETC), the division of transplantation specializes in liver, kidney, kidney/pancreas and islet transplantation for adult and pediatric patients. The liver and islet programs are the only programs of their type in Georgia. Combining figures from both the adult and pediatric transplant services, division faculty perform approximately 130-175 kidney transplants, 85 liver transplants and 20 pancreas transplants per year, making the division one of the nation's busiest solid organ transplant services.

For transplant inquiries and referrals, contact the ETC at 404.712.4444. The ETC website also provides specific clinical information about the following transplant programs:

		Heart
		Islet
		Kidney and Kidney/Pancreas
		Liver
		Lung

The Emory Healthcare website includes details on the bone marrow transplant program.

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 Faculty Clinical/Research Summary

Dr. Christian Larsen is chief of the division of transplantation and director of the ETC. Dr. Larsen and Dr. Thomas Pearson, director of the renal transplantation service, supervise the division's Transplant Immunology Laboratory, conducting high-profile studies of the immunologic mechanisms of transplant rejection and immunologic tolerance.

The credentials and specialties of other division faculty confirm the program's top-level status:

		Dr. Jose Avila was associate director of the islet transplant program of the University of Illinois, Chicago, prior to becoming scientific director of the ETC's cell and tissue processing laboratory in 2006.
		After completing his adult and pediatric liver transplantation fellowship at Emory in 2005, Dr. Carlos Fasola joined the division. Before coming to Emory, he was a multi-organ transplant surgeon at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit.
		The division's newest faculty member, Dr. Mandy Ford is continuing the work that she began in the immunology lab as a post-doctoral fellow, primarily studying the role of costimulatory pathways in T cell activation. In 2007, Dr. Ford was the recipient of a Young Investigator Award from the American Transplant Congress and presented her research at the ATC national meeting.
		In the immunology lab, Dr. Shivaprakash Gangappa is investigating novel immunotherapeutic strategies for transplantation tolerance in non-human primate and murine models as well as mechanisms of viral latency and antiviral immunity in costimulation blockade-induced transplantation tolerance.
		Dr. Thomas Heffron, director of adult and pediatric liver transplantation services at Emory, has developed a pediatric liver transplant program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston that is one of the highest volume centers in the world. Dr. Heffron was a member of the surgical team that developed and conducted the first pediatric living related liver transplant in the US at the University of Chicago.
		A research scientist in immunology and virology, Dr. Neal Iwakoshi is investigating ways of manipulating protein responses in transplant rejection and in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
		Dr. Allan Kirk, research director of the ETC, was formerly a senior investigator and founding chief of the Transplantation Branch at the NIH. A kidney and pancreas transplant surgeon, he is known for his expertise in transplant tolerance and translational clinical trials. Dr. Kirk also holds an appointment in pediatrics to facilitate novel transplant therapies for children.
		The focus of Dr. Robert Mittler's research is the study of mouse and human T-cell costimulation pathways that are essential for productive T-cell responses to foreign antigens with the goal of learning how to artificially regulate human immune responses.
		Dr. Kenneth Newell, whose clinical specialties include laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy and kidney and pancreas transplantation, also directs the division's two year transplant surgery fellowship. His research focuses on immunologic barriers to allograft acceptance and the development of immunologic monitoring methods to promote individualization of immunosuppression.
		With 20 years of experience, Dr. Andrei Steiber specializes in performing liver resection with total vascular exclusion for both adult and pediatric patients.
		Dr. Paul Tso is skilled in islet, kidney and pancreatic transplantation and is researching methods for alleviating the shortage of donor organs.
		Dr. Nicole Turgeon focuses on adult and pediatric kidney transplants, pancreas transplants, laparoscopic living-donor nephrectomy and issues pertaining to immune response.

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 Postgraduate Training and Transplantation Fellowship

General surgery residents study with division faculty during transplant service rotations in the first and third years of training. At all levels, residents can participate in organ retrieval surgery. Residents rotating on the renal transplant service learn the complex management of organ recipients, including immunosuppressive protocols and the diagnosis and treatment of allograft rejection and opportunistic infections; conduct and complete history and physical examinations; present inpatient cases on multidisciplinary staff rounds; and can participate as the first assistant on some transplant operations, multi-organ donor procurement surgery and dialysis access procedures.

Emory general surgery residents often do their research sabbaticals in the Transplant Immunology Laboratory by applying for fellowship positions. Various former fellows have received awards, published in prestigious journals and advanced to other fellowships and faculty positions.

The division also offers an American Society of Transplant Surgeons accredited two-year fellowship in liver, renal and pancreas transplantation. Inquiries should be addressed to:

Dr. Kenneth Newell
WMB 5105
1639 Pierce Drive
Emory University
Atlanta, GA 30322
Telephone: 404.727.2489

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