Message from
Peter L. Abt, MD - Program Director

Peter L. Abt, MDThe Penn Transplant Fellowship is committed to training the future leaders in transplant surgery. As one of the busiest transplant programs in the United States, we provide unparalleled training in liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation with exposure to islet transplantation, vascularized composite tissue transplantation, and hepatobiliary surgery. Fellows are educated in a supportive multidisciplinary environment where they are integrated into all aspects of surgical care, inpatient and outpatient management, and the evaluation of both living and deceased donors. The faculty believe that progress in the field of transplantation requires fostering the development of surgeons who are not just clinically adept, but genuinely interested in advancing the art and science of transplantation through clinical, basic and translational research.

Peter L. Abt, MD
Program Director, Transplant Surgery Fellowship
Professor of Clinical Surgery

The Division of Transplantation at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn Transplant Institute is one of busiest clinical transplant centers in the country, with active intraabdominal programs in liver, kidney, pancreas, uterus, and islet cell transplantation providing exceptional comprehensive care for the transplant recipient. The kidney and liver training programs are accredited by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS). The ASTS match will be coordinated through the SF Match Residency and Fellowship Match Services.

The transplant training program offered at Penn is a two-year clinical fellowship with opportunities for clinical research. Additional years for laboratory research may be available for specific individuals who arrange for this in advance. The program accept 1 fellow per year. (Complete list of the Transplant Faculty.)

         FY22 Transplant Volume at CHOP 

We pride ourselves on training well-rounded transplant surgeons, with exposure to kidney, liver and pancreas transplantation as well as a busy pediatric program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The best way to judge the success of a transplant program is by its outcomes. The Penn Transplant Institute has an extraordinary history of outstanding outcomes for both organ and patient survival.

The clinical fellows rotate every other month between the liver and kidney/pancreas services. During these rotations, the fellows cover all transplant procedures, manage patients in the intensive care units and the floor, and attend the pre-transplant and post-transplant clinics. The fellows gain experience in both recipient and living donor evaluations and patient selection. They will acquire extensive knowledge in donor procurements, kidney, liver and pancreas transplantation, and gain experience in living donor laparascopic nephrectomy techniques, living donor and split liver transplantation, and clinical islet cell transplantation.

There is also a significant amount of non-transplant surgery that involves both the fellow and senior resident, such as vascular access, hepatobiliary procedures, and general surgery on transplant patients. The transplant team at HUP also covers kidney and liver transplantation at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The transplant fellow participates in and eventually independently performs procurements of liver, kidney and pancreas grafts. They will be fully trained in donor management and the policies of the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS).

A more detailed description of our fellowship can be found in this attached file.

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