UPMC Appoints New Transplant Chief
PITTSBURGH, December 15, 2008 — Abhinav Humar, M.D., a nationally recognized expert in abdominal transplantation, has been appointed clinical director of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute and chief, Division of Transplantation in the Department of Surgery at UPMC. Dr. Humar will oversee all clinical and clinical research activities of one of the world’s most active transplant programs. Dr. Humar is expected to assume the position by March 2009.
“Dr. Humar is known as a gifted surgeon and a man of integrity and his credentials speak for themselves,” said Timothy R. Billiar, M.D., the George V. Foster professor of surgery and chairman, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “His presence at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute will enable us to continue providing the most advanced care possible to patients with end-stage organ failure. Additionally, his skills as a scholar in academic medicine will help bolster the mission of the Starzl Institute by fostering the continual improvement of the clinical, scientific and social aspects of transplantation to improve the lives of our patients.”
Dr. Humar currently serves as medical director of the Liver and Living Donor Programs at the Transplant Center of the University of Minnesota Medical Center and professor of surgery in the Division of Transplantation Surgery at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine.
“This position at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh is an unparalleled opportunity,” said Dr. Humar. “The caliber of professionals, support and legacy that exists at UPMC and Pitt are outstanding. I am extremely honored and tremendously excited to be working with this dedicated team and to be in a position to carry out both the vision and the mission of the Starzl Transplant Institute.”
“With Dr. Humar joining an already outstanding transplant team, the Starzl Institute will continue its distinguished tradition of leading the field in research and clinical advances that improve treatment not only for our own patients but for transplant patients everywhere,” said Arthur S. Levine, M.D., senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Dr. Humar studied biology and received his medical degree from the University of Ottawa. Dr. Humar completed his general surgical residency at the University of Ottawa in 1995 and later a surgical fellowship in transplantation at the University of Minnesota. He joined the faculty at the University of Ottawa School of Medicine in 1998. One year later, Dr. Humar became the service director in the Division of Transplantation at the University of Minnesota, and in 2000, he was appointed medical director for the Living Donor Transplant Program. He also serves as a staff physician at Fairview University Medical Center and the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Dr. Humar’s areas of research include partial liver transplants and studies of hepatic regeneration, clinical outcome studies in kidney, liver and pancreas transplants, cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in transplant recipients, outcomes in pediatric kidney and liver transplants and small bowel transplantation. His research pursuits have resulted in numerous National Institutes of Health (NIH) and multi-year pharmaceutical grants. He has had over 200 abstracts accepted at national and international transplant meetings. In addition, he has authored or co-authored more than 80 manuscripts, 15 book chapters and one book.
Dr. Humar’s professional affiliations include the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the International Liver Transplantation Society. He has served on editorial boards for Transplantation, American Journal of Nephrology, Clinical Transplantation and Liver Transplantation.
The transplant programs at the UPMC Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute comprise the world’s largest and busiest where surgeons perform more types of organ transplants than at any other institution. The mission of the Starzl Transplantation Institute is to foster a multidisciplinary approach to the continual improvement of the clinical, scientific and social aspects of transplantation to improve the lives of patients with end-stage organ failure. The Starzl Institute places a strong emphasis on the advancement of basic science and clinically applied research, as well as the teaching and training of multinational specialists. For additional information, please click here.