John Roberts, M.D. Elected President of the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing's Board of Directors

Twenty-Five Department of Surgery Faculty Named to U.S. News “Top Doctors” List

In its most recent survey, U.S. News in collaboration with Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. listed twenty-five (25) surgeons in the UCSF Department of Surgery, nearly one-third (1/3) of the clinical faculty, on the list of U.S. News "Top Doctors". The list, compiled from the opinion of colleagues, denotes the top 10% of physicians within a region practicing a given specialty. Fifteen of the 25 department surgeons were also named by their peers to the list of America's Top Doctors (ATD), a distinction reserved for the top 1% of physicians in the nation for that specialty. The listings are published online at U.S. News. The group rankings are intended to guide patients in selecting a doctor and physicians in making specialty referrals.

UCSF Receives Grant to Improve Outcomes in Organ Donor Transplantation

Claus Niemann, MD, Associate Professor in the UCSF Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care and co-Director of the Ischemic Organ Injury Lab (pictured left), has been awarded a $2 million grant by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to improve outcomes in organ donor transplantation. The grant award also included collaborators John Feiner, MD, Ryutaro Hirose, MD, and John Roberts, MD, chief of the UCSF Division of Transplant Surgery, the California Transplant Donor Network and Darren Malinoski, MD, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The innovative project is designed to determine the optimal management of organ donors before the procurement operation occurs. Research in this area has been  hindered by numerous obstacles including the logistical challenges of conducting research in large hospitals in California and northern Nevada.

16th Annual Chris Mudge Pediatric Transplant Picnic

On Saturday August 13th, 2011, the UCSF Pediatric Transplant Program held its annual Chris Mudge Pediatric Transplant Picnic at McNears Beach in San Rafael, CA. 

The annual celebration children who received transplants and their families featured a costume contest, music, dancing, kayaking, face-painting and many other activities.

Click the flyer or here to enlarge

New Hepatobiliary Service to be Led by Carlos Corvera, M.D.

The Department of Surgery announces the launching of a new multidisciplinary service, the Hepatobiliary Service as of July 1, 2011 under the direction of Dr. Carlos Corvera. This new multidisciplinary program will bring faculty members together from Surgery, Hepatology, Medical Oncology, Anesthesia, Radiology and Pathology to care for patients with benign and malignant conditions of the liver, gallbladder and biliary tract. The service will hold clinics at the Mt. Zion campus on Wednesdays (all day) and on Thursday afternoons. A weekly Tumor Board at Mt. Zion will augment the weekly Parnassus Tumor Board. The Department believes the creation of this program will enhance care of these patients.

UCSF Researchers Uncover Hormone Pathway to Fatty Liver Disease

"Fatty liver disease is an increasingly prevalent condition that is poorly understood," Weiss said. "We knew that growth hormone had been linked to fatty liver, but previous reports showed that it both causes and cures the condition. We set out to figure out why that happens."

Dr. John Roberts Elected VP & President-Elect of National Transplantation Network

Dr. John Roberts, UCSF professor and chief of transplant surgery, has been elected vice president/president-elect of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing (OPTN/UNOS) Board of Directors. Roberts will serve a one-year term beginning in June 2011 and will become the organization's president in June 2012.

UCSF Liver Transplant Team Shares Expertise in Latin America

"Previously, Uruguay had tried to go it alone, but high mortality rates soon caused doctors to shut the program down. After their initial visit, the UCSF transplant team, including anesthesiologist Claus Niemann, MD (pictured first), and surgeons Ryutaro Hirose, MD (pictured second), and Peter Stock, MD, PhD, (pictured third) continued to consult with the team in Uruguay, guiding them through everything from patient selection procedures to the use of immunosuppressive medications following surgery. When it came time for Uruguayan doctors to conduct their first liver transplant since revamping the program, UCSF doctors oversaw the operation by dialing in via Skype."

15th Annual Pediatric Transplant Picnic

On Saturday August 7th, UCSF will hold its annual Pediatric Transplant Picnic at McNears Beach in San Rafael, CA. We expect hundreds of children and their families will attend this yearly celebration of the Transplant Service at UCSF. A space-themed party has been planned to include a costume contest, music, dancing, kayaking, face-painting and more. Barbeque fare and drinks will be provided and guests are encouraged to bring potluck dishes corresponding with the first letter of their last name: snacks (A-G), dessert (H-P) and salads (Q-Z).

Click image at left to enlarge

Register As Many Organ, Eye and Tissue Donors As We Can!

Throughout the month of August, in partnership with the California Transplant Donor Network (CTDN), UCSF will be competing with Stanford University to register as many organ, eye and tissue donors as we can. The Stanford Throwdown begins August 1^st and all UCSF employees are encouraged to sign up potential donors at Donate LIFE California.

Show your UCSF spirit and make a difference today by asking friends, family and coworkers to sign up to give the gift of life. Tables hosted by CTDN volunteers will be set up every Tuesday from 11:00a-1:00p in front of the Courtyard Caffe and/or the Millberry Union Food Court for any questions.

Giants First Baseman Travis Ishikawa and SF Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting Urge Fans to Get Tested for Hepatitis B

"As part of the continued partnership with San Francisco Hep B Free and the San Francisco Giants in May, first baseman Travis Ishikawa, San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, San Francisco Hep B Free Co-Founder Janet Zola, and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital's Dr. Ming Tsang urged fans to ask their personal physicians to test them for hepatitis B. The plea was part of the pregame ceremony with Giants mascot Lou Seal on Friday, May 14."

Travis Ishikawa made a plee to fans "to get tested and vaccinated."

National Hepatitis B Awareness Month

"The San Francisco Hep B Free initiative is launching "Which One Deserves To Die?" an ad campaign alerting the Asian American community as May 2010 marks the 15th Anniversary of National Hepatitis B Awareness Month. One in ten Asian Americans is chronically infected with hepatitis B - the leading cause of liver cancer -- compared to 1 in 1,000 in the general population. According to the National Cancer Institute, San Francisco has the highest rate of liver cancer in the nation."

Viral hepatitis appears on World Health Assembly agenda for first time

"The World Health Organization is being urged to step up the fight against viral hepatitis and develop a comprehensive approach to its prevention and treatment, with a resolution on the disease to be presented to the 63rd World Health Assembly later this month.

This will be the first time that the assembly has considered viral hepatitis, despite the huge burden of disease worldwide, said Steven Wiersma, medical officer and hepatitis focal point at WHO's headquarters in Geneva.

"One in 12 people in the world are chronically infected with hepatitis B [and] the burden is extraordinarily high, yet somehow it's been left off the world's public health agenda," he said.^"

Kaiser Permanente Praises UCSF Liver Transplant Outcomes

UCSF Medical Center's Liver Transplant Program exceeded all standards for adult transplants in an annual review by the Kaiser Permanente National Transplant Network. Outcomes data, including national benchmarks of the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), were used in the review. Dr. Ronald Potts, quality performance medical director at Kaiser, recognized UCSF for the "statistically high patient and graft survival outcomes."  UCSF outcomes for adults have been consistently higher than national averages. For example, liver transplant patients at UCSF Medical Center have a survival rate of 94 percent after a year, compared to the national rate of 91 percent. In a letter to Dr. John Roberts, chief of the UCSF Transplant Service, Potts said, "Our collaborative efforts continue to provide Kaiser Permanente members with the best possible transplant care and service." UCSF has had a contract with Kaiser to perform liver transplants since 1988. Kaiser patients account for about 60 of UCSF's 150 liver transplants a year.

"Hepatitis B Hero Mobile" hits the road to promote hepatitis B awareness among Asian Americans

"Subaru of America has donated a 2010 Subaru Legacy Sedan to the San Francisco Hepatitis B Free campaign in the fight against hepatitis B disease among the Asian American community. The first partnership of its kind, the "Hep B Hero Mobile" Legacy Sedan promotes the campaign theme which calls on everyone to "B a Hero" in preventing liver cancer and hepatitis B with a traveling road show throughout the Bay Area and a social media campaign that will outreach to Asian Americans nationwide."