University of Chicago - Department of Surgery

The fellow will train on the clinical transplant surgery service at The University of Chicago Medical Center under the daily supervision of full-time faculty members. The fellowship program is divided into liver, kidney and pancreas components. All aspects of the training program are completed at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park. This centralization provides tremendous advantages, including the management of patients and close proximity to transplant research laboratories and campus library facilities.

Kidney Transplant
Duration: One year
Director: Robert Harland, M.D., Associate Professor of Surgery and Medicine

The fellow will dedicate to kidney, kidney/pancreas, pancreas, vascular access, multi-organ cadaveric procurement and living donor nephrectomy. The fellow will develop proficiency in the surgical and medical management of patients with end-stage renal disease which are amenable to transplantation.

Liver Transplant
Duration: One Year
Director: J. Michael Millis, M.D., Section Chief and Professor of Surgery

The fellow will dedicate to liver transplantation, liver resections, mulit-organ cadaveric procurement and living donor hepectecomy. The fellow will also develop proficiency in the surgical and medical management of patients with end-stage liver disease which are transplantable.

In both years the fellow will have active participation in the pre and post transplant clinics; acquiring complete knowledge of the evaluation process (indications for transplantation) and post-operative care of the transplant recipient. The fellow is involved in the care of the patient during their transplant hospitalization as well as hospitalizations before and after the transplant. The fellow is the leader of the house staff and reports and communicates extensively with the attending on service. When patients require transfer to the Intensive Care Unit, their medical and surgical management continue to be made by the transplant service, of which the fellow is an active participant.

In the operating room the fellow rapidly progresses through the stages of first assistant to operating surgeon during each phase of the fellowship. During the first year the fellow leans the techniques of implantation of the kidney and pancreas. In the second year this is expanded to include implantation of the liver. Procedural requirements include approximately 30 kidney transplants, 15 pancreas transplants, 25 multi-organ Cadaveric procurements and 25 liver transplants.

The fellow attends the respective weekly patient management conferences which provides for a forum of interactive discussion as well as learning. Weekly transplant conferences are facilitated by one of the attending physicians and the topics include immunology, pathology, donor evaluation reviews as well as a section M& M. The fellow attends all of these sessions as well as they are supported to attend national transplant conferences.

The ultimate objective of this fellowship is to create future leaders in the field of end-stage organ surgery. At the completion of the program, the fellow will have the technical skills necessary to excel as a surgeon, receive enough education to pass board-certifying examinations without difficulty and participate in research activity that will lead to an academic career in transplant surgery.

Inquiries concerning resident training at the University of Chicago Medical Center should be directed to Michael Millis, M.D., Chief, Section of Transplantation, 773-702-6319.