Abdominal Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery
A Message from Our Fellowship Program Director: Dr. Fady M. Kaldas
Welcome and thank you for your interest in the UCLA Abdominal Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery Fellowship Program.
Since its founding in 1986 by Dr. Ronald W. Busuttil, the UCLA fellowship program has set itself apart as not only a place for trainees to become outstanding surgeons, but one that generates trailblazers and leaders in the field of transplantation. Our fellowship is a dual-certified two-year multi-organ transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery fellowship that is accredited by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS).
The UCLA program provides training in all the various techniques of transplantation in adults and children exposing trainees to the technical nuances of liver, kidney, multi-visceral, pancreas transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery. Fellows are also integral to the perioperative decision making that is required to select patients for transplantation and manage their perioperative needs to allow for a successful outcome. Our trainees are well equipped to address the full spectrum of the transplant patient from evaluation to post-operative surgical management, including immunosuppression, as well as all aspects of donor-recipient matching.
One of the most distinguishing features of this fellowship program is the level of trust, autonomy, and independence given to trainees as they progress through the fellowship, both in and out of the operating room. This is only possible because fellowship training is an integral part of our transplant program’s mission. Our fellows are not treated as simply trainees, but as colleagues with surgical faculty, allowing them to participate in all aspects of intra- and perioperative decisions.
Over the course of the last 38 years, the UCLA program has trained over 80 U.S. fellows with many of its graduates going on to become chiefs of programs or leaders in transplantation. We are also proud to have a long tradition of training women and minorities in transplant surgery with nearly 43% of our trainees over the past 10 years being from underrepresented groups.
The UCLA fellowship program is committed to the comprehensive development of our trainees technically, clinically and academically. Fellows are fully supported in their academic endeavors and are encouraged to present their work at national meetings. Finally, UCLA fellowship alumni share a unique bond through their training that facilitates great long-term collegial relationships and opportunities for networking and collaboration.
Welcome to the UCLA program and we look forward to your continued interest in our fellowship!
Fady M. Kaldas, MD, FACS
Professor of Surgery
Kelly Lee Tarantello Chair in Liver Transplantation
Director, Liver Transplant Service
Director, Transplant Fellowship Program