Dr. John McBroom, gynecological oncologist, recently performed the first Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion (HIPEC), a minimally invasive robotic treatment for ovarian cancer, at Northside Hospital. During the procedure, Dr. McBroom used the robot to remove all visible adhesions and cancer within the patient’s abdominal cavity prior to starting HIPEC.  This marks the first time ever that robotic technology has reportedly been used, in conjunction with HIPEC, for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Growth of ovarian cancer is most often relatively silent and, by the time of diagnosis, it usually has spread throughout the abdominal cavity.  Until recently, treatment options for patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer have only included surgery and conventional chemotherapy.  However, with HIPEC and robotic surgery, surgeons can potentially improve their odds and reduce the morbidity associated with traditional open procedures.

Performed during surgery, HIPEC delivers heated chemotherapy into the abdominal cavity, which allows a much higher dose of chemo to permeate the diseased tissue than could be accomplished conventionally.  The heat increases the effectiveness of the chemo.  After the surgeon removes as much visible cancer as possible, the heated chemo is circulated throughout the abdomen, for up to 90 minutes, in an effort to kill the remaining cancer cells.

“We are very excited about the possibility of using both technologies to improve outcome and limit morbidity in our patients with advanced ovarian cancer,” said Dr. McBroom.  “Ovarian cancer is typically not conducive to a laparoscopic procedure because the disease can hide and be hard to find. However, the improved dexterity and 3D vision of robotic technology allows us to successfully complete more complicated procedures and, in this case, find more of the disease to remove.”

As a result of Dr. McBroom using robotic technology, in conjunction with HIPEC, his patient was able to be discharged from the hospital two days after surgery and is recovering well.

HIPEC is useful with newly diagnosed patients as well as with patients who have a recurrence with minimal disease. However, whether performed traditionally or with the robot, it is not appropriate for everyone.

Previously, HIPEC has only been performed in conjunction with laparoscopic or traditional open surgery. However, the rise in robotic surgery has given surgeons even better tools to perform the most intricate of minimally invasive procedures and achieve better outcomes for their patients in a growing range of specialties including GYN oncology. Patients benefit from smaller incisions, less pain and scarring, reduced blood loss and need for transfusions, shorter hospital stays, quicker recoveries and reduced risk of infection.

Dr. McBroom is one of an elite group of surgeons qualified to perform the da Vinci Robot’s surgical techniques for gynecologic cancer surgery and is board certified in gynecologic oncology and general obstetrics and gynecology. His honors include AAGL Special Excellence in Endoscopic Procedures Award, Honorary Order of the Spur (3rd ACR, Operation Iraqi Freedom), and the Army Commendation Medal (Operation Iraqi Freedom). He is an active member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists and American College of Surgeons and American Society of Clinical Oncology, the author of more than 15 published articles and a sought after keynote speaker, nationally and internationally. He is a member of University Gynecologic Oncology, a women’s cancer care center committed to providing patients with state of the art treatment and innovative clinical trial options.

A new, not-for-profit clinic returns the focus to the patient

November/December 2009

By Helen K. Kelley

Considering the current recessive economic climate and a raging healthcare debate that can kindly be referred to as “divisive” in our country, it’s astonishing that anyone would believe this is the right time to establish a new medical clinic — especially one that focuses on the patient’s needs rather than the number of patients walking through the door. But that’s exactly what the founders of the Malizia Clinic believe.

“If we don’t do it now, when would we? There is no better time,” says Anthony Malizia Jr., M.D., President and Clinic Director. “Our goal is simply to stay focused on what we hope to accomplish — doing what’s best for each patient — at a time when everyone’s arguing over healthcare. We’re going to keep moving forward and not look back.”

The Malizia Clinic, which opened its doors just a few months ago in the Piedmont West building in Atlanta, is a state-of-the-art urology facility with a staff and equipment that are second to none. However, there is a big difference in the way this clinic is run.  The Malizia Clinic is not-for-profit. Its employees are salaried, which means that Malizia Clinic patients will receive old-fashioned, one-on-one care from their physicians without the pressures that managed care has brought to healthcare in recent years.

Malizia says that physicians today are hampered by the large number of patients they have to see each day in order to make a living due to the dictates of managed care.

“Most of my career has been spent performing urologic cancer surgery. Over the years, the reimbursement for these time consuming procedures continued to decrease to a point where it was no longer financially feasible to be out of the office for the amount of time these surgeries required,” he explains. “I began to question how I could remain in practice and continue to provide my patients the time, attention and services that I felt were best and that they deserved. Our board members became aware of this dilemma five years ago, and it was one of the reasons for the formation of the Clinic.”

That work ethic is a large part of the Malizia Clinic’s mission… and its not-for-profit status comes as a relief to its staff.

“Our employees feel blessed to have this opportunity. We are able to focus on our patients and give them the highest quality care,” Malizia states.

Creating a model

It was Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus who first envisioned the clinic. Marcus, a patient of Dr. Malizia’s, felt that patients deserved more time and attention (and, therefore, better care) and that doctors should be able to practice without the restraints and high volume imposed by the managed care system. He proposed a practice model in Atlanta, styled after the Mayo and Cleveland Clinics.

Marcus called on some friends and colleagues (and fellow patients of Dr. Malizia’s) — Howard M. Jenkins (Chairman of Publix Supermarkets), Dan T. Cathy (President and COO of Chick-fil-A), Robert S. Martin (Chairman and CEO of Boar’s Head Provisions Co.), Robert Fisher (attorney/investor), Judge G. Conley Ingram (former Georgia Supreme Court Justice) and the late Silas Cannon (Ford Motors) — to help develop the concept and bring it to fruition.

The group also spearheaded a drive to raise operating funds for the clinic through donations from supporters. This philanthropic support, combined with funds from private and government health insurance programs, was the key to attaining tax-exempt status.

It took five years to complete the planning, paperwork and funding that have made the Malizia Clinic a reality. Although it opened its doors as a urologic center, the clinic’s 501 (c) (3) status allows for the potential to expand into other areas of treatment. Already, Malizia Clinic has plans to add a gynecological center in the near future.

But what about the question of viability — the ability to compete with other practices and medical centers that rely on large patient volume to survive? The clinic’s staff and board of directors are certain that the Malizia Clinic will succeed and be competitive for a different reason: the quality of care it provides.

“We’re confident that if we always do what’s best for our patients, the system will work,” says Malizia.

Partnership for the greater good

Another interesting facet of the Malizia Clinic is its partnership with the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation.

The clinic will use a $150,000 grant from the Foundation in three ways: 1) to educate experienced physicians about new or complex procedures; 2) to teach missionary physicians urology skills that they can take back and practice in the communities they serve; and 3) to provide care to retired ministers and church members who otherwise could not afford it.

“Georgia Baptist believed in us and we are grateful for their support,” says Malizia. “We’ll honor that support by giving back in ways that carry out the vision of their Health Care Ministry Foundation as well as our own commitment to research and training.”

Top-notch resources

The Malizia Clinic’s physicians are highly specialized and knowledgeable in leading-edge urologic care and treatments. In addition to Dr. Malizia, who specializes in diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, the staff includes Chief of Urology J. Gilbert Foster Jr., M.D., and two urologic surgeons — James S. Goodlet Jr., M.D. (a urology generalist) and Raymond Wei Pak, M.D. (a specialist in robotics). Jaime Wong, M.D., a specialist in laparoscopic procedures, will join the staff in December.

Assisted by a staff of nurses and technicians, the 18,000 square foot clinic offers a full complement of urological and imaging services including CT Scan, Digital X-rays, Video Urodynamics and Ultrasound. In addition, an outpatient surgery center is under construction in the Piedmont West building and should be open in March 2010. This will allow 90 percent of urological imaging and surgical procedures to be performed in this one building.

Dr. Malizia anticipates that the clinic will ultimately offer a broad range of services and specialties.

“Although we hope to someday achieve the level of service of the Mayo or Cleveland Clinic, in the end, we’re about helping people,” he says. “That’s our real goal.”

Urologic Services
The Malizia Clinic offers a full spectrum of urologic services, providing expert care to patients who suffer from problems of the urinary tract and reproductive organs such as:
• Urologic Cancer
• Prostate Obstruction
• Incontinence
• Urologic Stones
• Urinary Tract Infections
• Female Urologic Disorders
• Infertility
• Erectile Dysfunction

Leading-Edge Treatments
Diagnostic and treatment procedures performed at Malizia Clinic include:
• General Urologic Exams
• Laboratory Testing
• Imaging (Ultrasound, Digital X-ray and CT Scanning)
• GreenLight™ Laser
• Cystoscopic Procedures
• Urodynamics
• Vasectomies and Reversals
• Minimally-invasive Prostate Procedures
• Intravesical (intra-bladder) Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy
• Prostate Biopses

Hospital-based Services
Malizia Clinic is affiliated with Piedmont Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown. Malizia’s urologic surgeons perform surgeries and procedures at these facilities, including:
• Minor and major surgeries relating to kidney, bladder, prostate, penis and testicles in the male
• Kidney and bladder surgeries for the female
• Lithotripsy to treat kidney stones.

High-Powered Technology
The Malizia Clinic will utilize the Ziehm Vision-R C-arm, which offers high-power capabilities for interventional vascular procedures. The Vision-R has some unique features, including:
•    Pulse technology that allows up to 30 frames per second with a compact monoblock generator and a rotating anode for exceptional patient access and clear image quality
•    High dynamic camera that clearly visualizes even the tiniest anatomical structures
•    Object Detected Dose Control (ODDC), which provides superb image quality with object detection while using the lowest possible radiation dose
•    Excellent real-time image control over 2 x 256 measurement cells covering the entire field of view
•    Automatic adjustment of noise reduction level
•    Synchronized TFT touch-screens conveniently mounted on both the c-arm and the monitor cart, which make it possible to fully control the system from both locations
•    Advanced active cooling for prolonged fluoroscopy times in highly demanding imaging procedures (nearly three times the cooling capacity compared to conventional C-arms)
Malizia Clinic is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit corporation with the same tax-exempt status. For more information about the clinic, log on to www.MaliziaClinic.org.

The American Heart Association’s Council on Clinical Cardiology has honored renowned Emory cardiologist Nanette K. Wenger, MD, with its highest accolade, the James B. Herrick Award, for her profound impact on clinical cardiology practice. Wenger is a professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, and former chief of cardiology at Grady Memorial, where she has worked to change the lives of patients for more than 50 years.

Wenger received the award at the 2011 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting, where she delivered the Herrick Lecture titled, “Women and Coronary Heart Disease a Century After Herrick: Understudied, Underdiagnosed, and Undertreated.” The award and lecture are named for pioneering physician James B. Herrick, the author of history’s first clinical description of coronary disease.

Wenger has contributed immeasurably to the field of cardiology, particularly heart disease in women. Wenger was among the first physicians to focus on women’s heart disease and to evaluate the different risk factors and features of the condition in women and men. Her pioneering and innovative research in gender differences in cardiovascular disease has influenced both health professionals and the public about these differences in disease development, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes.

A native of New York City and a graduate of Hunter College and Harvard Medical School, Wenger received her medical and cardiology training at Mount Sinai Hospital before coming to Emory University School of Medicine and Grady Memorial Hospital in 1958. Since then she has been a trailblazer in the field of cardiology as author and co-author of more than 1,400 scientific and review articles and book chapters.

Wenger co-authored the 1993 landmark publication in the New England Journal of Medicine that called attention to the fact that heart disease in women was ubiquitous, often overlooked, and usually inadequately managed. The article aggressively addressed the prejudice that heart disease was solely a man’s disease.

Wenger remains one of the most outspoken and best-known champions for women with cardiac disorders. Thanks to her clinical impact we know that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, accounting for 38 percent of all female deaths– more than all forms of cancer combined.

Wenger helped write the American Heart Association’s 2007 Guidelines for Preventing Cardiovascular Disease in Women and the recent 2011 update, Effectiveness-Based Guidelines for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Women. She is a past vice-president of the American Heart Association, past governor for Georgia of the American College of Cardiology and a past-president of the Georgia Heart Association.

Wenger has served as a member and frequently chairperson of over 500 committees, scientific advisory boards, task forces, and councils of the American Medical Association, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the Society of Geriatric Cardiology. In 2010, the Georgia Commission on Women honored Wenger with its prestigious Georgia Woman of the Year Award.

Most recently, Wenger has focused her efforts on raising the consciousness of the U.S. and international cardiology communities concerning heart disease in the elderly.

Suresh Ramalingam, MD, director of the division of medical oncology in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and a leader of Winship’s  Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Program, has been named chair of the thoracic malignancies committee for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), one of the oldest and largest cooperative cancer groups in the country.

As chair of this important committee that selects new trials for such cancers as lung and other malignancies of the chest, Ramalingam, who has served as vice chair of the committee since 2008, will be in a leadership role to help design studies and to test new treatments for lung cancer.

“Dr. Ramalingam has distinguished himself as one of the leading national experts on lung cancer, and he is beginning to shift the treatment paradigm for this disease,” said Walter J. Curran Jr., MD, executive director of Winship Cancer Institute.

“Dr. Ramalingam is an exceptional translational researcher and a superb physician whose entire focus is on improving the care of patients with lung cancer and mesothelioma,” said  Fadlo R. Khuri, MD, deputy director of Winship and chair of Emory’s Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, “His accomplishments would be remarkable in an individual twice his age. Dr. Ramalingam has the talent, skill, innovation, and dedication to make a major difference in the war on lung cancer.

Khuri noted that the National Cancer Institute recently awarded Ramalingam a Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award, an honor given to only a select few physician leaders annually. Robert L. Comis, MD, Group Chair of ECOG, cited Ramalingam’s expertise in clinical research in lung cancer as a reason for his selection.

ECOG was established in 1955 as one of the first cooperative groups launched to perform multi-center cancer clinical trials. ECOG is currently one of the largest clinical cancer research organizations in the U.S. with almost 6,000 physicians, nurses, pharmacists, statisticians, and clinical research associates from the U.S., Canada, and South Africa.

Ramalingam currently serves as chair of E5508, a national Phase III clinical trial that is studying whether giving bevacizumab and pemetrexed disodium alone or in combination after induction therapy is more effective in treating patients with advanced stage non-squamous cell, non-small cell lung cancer. The trial will involve about 1,300 patients.

Craig Mines, M.D. is an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist. He graduated from Albany Medical College and was certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery in 2002. Dr. Mines provides sports medicine to local high schools and serves as volunteer medical director for the Atlanta Fire Hockey Program, evaluating player injuries.

Dr. Mines recently began prescribing The BioniCare Knee System and OActiveTM Knee Brace. BioniCare has provided patients the opportunity to regain mobile and active lifestyles, including running, walking, jogging and every day activities, while treating the symptoms associated with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Created by VQ OrthoCare, The BioniCare Knee System was cleared by the FDA in 2003 and is a non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical alternative treatment option for osteoarthritis of the knee. BioniCare delivers a low-level pulsed electrical signal to the knee held in place on the inside of a joint unloading brace, mimicking the naturally occurring signal present in a healthy knee joint.  Unlike a standard knee brace, the BioniCare device is integrated into the OActive “unloader” knee brace to reduce the impact of body weight on the knee and alleviate the patient’s pain. BioniCare patients are under the care of a physician at all times and, on average, patients using the BioniCare Knee System and OActive Knee Brace have reported experiencing positive results after 750 hours.

Dr. Mines’ orthopedic practice, Eastside Orthocare, LLC, is located in Snellville, Georgia.

A respected medical oncologist, Dr. Ronald Steis was recognized as the Medical Honoree at American Cancer Society’s 2011 Evening of Hope event held in April.  Dr. Steis is a physician with Atlanta Cancer Care, a medical oncology practice.

Dr. Steis was selected for this honor for the work he does for cancer patients in the Atlanta community.  He currently serves as the head of North Fulton Hospital’s Cancer Committee, contributing not only to his patients in his private practice but also to all of those in the hospital through his involvement with the multidisciplinary group.

The American Cancer Society’s Evening of Hope is a gala intended to raise funds for the organization and honor local cancer survivors and medical professionals that continuously work to give hope.

Dr. Steis received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. Following his clinical fellowship at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Dr. Steis continued during the next several years to conduct research work there, leading investigational studies while serving as Chief of the Clinical Research Branch of NCI. He has authored articles published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Oncology and Blood.

Dr. Steis currently is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Steis has been a resident of Atlanta since 1991, when he began practicing as a full-time medical oncology specialist. He is the principal investigator of all clinical trials being conducted at Atlanta Cancer Care. He has twice been named as one of Atlanta’s “top docs” by Atlanta Magazine.

A recent sleep study titled ‘Workplace Power Outage’ found that nearly 1 in 4 American office workers have taken a nap at work. In response to the study results, Dr. Russell Rosenberg, currently the Vice Chairman of the National Sleep Foundation and Director of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and Technology, said “the findings…support the link between sleep and workplace performance.” He adds “the survey shows that inadequate sleep and poor sleep habits are primary factors for poor job performance, and can also lead to increased irritability, moodiness and lack of energy.”

The study, commissioned by Philips Consumer Lifestyle, reveals that most American office workers don’t consistently get good sleep, which is affecting their on-the-job performance.

Some key findings include:

• 85 percent of office workers admit that if they slept more, they would be more productive while on the job
• More than half (56%) of office workers don’t consistently get a good night’s sleep
• Two-thirds (64%) of office workers surveyed believe that lack of sleep means their day begins on a low note
• Two-thirds (64%) of employees do not wake up before their alarm goes off and more than one-third (37%) are not ready to get up when their alarm goes off

“The typical office worker usually accounts for hours slept as a measure of healthy sleeping, when in fact, there are several variables, ” says Dr. Rosenberg. “Room temperature, comfort, bedtime, room lighting and method of wake up are all contributing factors of healthy sleep habits that can make a person feel better during the day. One tip is to get at least 30 minutes of exposure to bright light in the morning using a light  device to energize you and prepare you for a productive day.”

With 25 years of experience in clinical sleep medicine and research, Dr. Rosenberg is a Board Certified Sleep Specialist and Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.  He obtained his doctorate in clinical and research psychology from Ohio State University and received specialized training in sleep disorders medicine and research at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical center in Chicago.

Dr. Rosenberg’s current research interests include treatments for insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders as well as treatments for disorders that cause excessive sleepiness.

Gary A. Levengood, M.D., Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and Founder of Sports Medicine South L.L.C, has been practicing for nearly 20 years offering the most advanced, orthopedic treatments to help restore his patient’s natural mobility. In an effort to achieve superior results, Dr. Levengood offers customized knee resurfacing implants designed uniquely for each patient’s anatomy, decreasing the amount of bone removal and pain after surgery.

Dr. Levengood has performed more than 1,000 total knee replacements (TKRs), but believes that it’s not the only option for people suffering from knee pain. Since TKRs only come in a set of 5-6 pre-determined sizes for patients, physicians must fit the patient’s knee to the implant. A traditional TKR also requires complete removal of the ends of the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone), often including one or both of the ACL and PCL.  This can result in a painful procedure and knee kinematics that can feel very different than the native kinematics of the patient, something that many physicians will hear from patients when they talk about how it feels.

Dr. Levengood provides counsel to each of his patients based on their age, activity level and other mitigating factors in their life.  For younger or more active patients with osteoarthritis in just a part of their knee, he will recommend patient-specific implants that can provide patients with a less invasive, bone-sparing alternative to TKR surgery. Dr. Levengood has regularly prescribed an advanced line of patient-specific implants developed by ConforMIS since last year. He has helped to bring the latest innovation, the iDuo® G2, to market by participating in the early evaluations of the implant by a limited group of surgeons prior to broad commercial release.

Personalized partial knee implants are designed to the exact shape and size of a patient’s knee preserving far more bone and tissue than a standard knee replacement and helping to maintain a more natural feeling knee. Because they are more minimally invasive, treating only the diseased compartments, they can also preserve all ligaments, an important driver of knee kinematics.

The iDuo G2 is a personalized bicompartmental knee resurfacing device that preserves more of a patient’s own bone and all of their ligaments for those suffering from knee pain in two out of the three compartments of the knee. ConforMIS also offers a custom, personalized solution unicompartmental device, the iUni® G2, for patients whose arthritic damage is limited to one compartment of the knee. These implants also simplify the surgical procedure, allowing for a less traumatic surgery for the patient and to safeguard further surgeries. Dr. Levengood has performed more than 20 patient-specific implants thus far, and says his patients are happy with the end results.

Dr. Levengood’s specialties include arthroscopic surgery, sports medicine, and joint arthroplasty. In addition, he supports the local community by serving as Team Physician for Brookwood High School, Orthopedic Consultant for Loganville High School, and Medical Director of Gwinnett Gymnastics Center. He has traveled internationally with the U-17 national men’s soccer team as their physician.

Dr. Levengood is the current Team Physician of the Georgia Force, a Gwinnett arena football team and the Atlanta Silverbacks Soccer team; he is also the Medical Director for the Georgia State Soccer Association’s Olympic Development program and is Chief of Orthopedics at Gwinnett Medical Center. Formerly, he served as the Team Physician for the Atlanta Silverbacks from 2000 – 2007.

Nancy Collop, MD, a nationally recognized expert in sleep medicine, has been named director of the Emory Sleep Center. She also will have a primary appointment in the Emory School of Medicine as professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, and a secondary appointment as professor of neurology.

Collop comes to Emory from Johns Hopkins University, where she served as a professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and as the medical director of The Johns Hopkins Hospital Sleep Disorders Laboratory.

Collop will work in close partnership with experts from all disciplines of medicine to further the Emory Sleep Center’s interdisciplinary approach to treating patients with a variety of sleep disorders.

“Sleep medicine spans the spectrum of all medicine,” says Collop. “You can look at any part of medicine and find that sleep has an effect. I look forward to leading the collaborative work and research we will be doing with our colleagues in neurology, pediatrics, nursing, otolaryngology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and other areas to provide a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan for our patients.”

Collop graduated summa cum laude from Edinboro State University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania and earned her medical degree at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, where she was awarded the Roche Clinical Psychiatry Research Award and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Collop completed her internal medicine internship and residency at the Medical College of Virginia and a pulmonary/critical care fellowship at the University of Florida. She was a recipient of the Research Fellowship Award from the American Lung Association of Florida.

She has been awarded several prestigious honors including “Best Doctors in America,” Baltimore’s “Top Doctor” in pulmonary and critical care medicine and sleep medicine, the Al Soffer Award for Editorial Excellence and the College Medalist by the American College of Chest Physicians, Distinguished Alumna for Natural Sciences (Edinboro University), and the Helmut S. Schmidt Award (American Board of Sleep Medicine).

Collop has served on the Board of Directors for the American Board of Sleep Medicine since 1998 and was the president from 2002-2009. She is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and is currently the president elect; she is also on the Board of Directors for the American Sleep Medicine Foundation. She was on the founding committee of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Sleep Medicine Examination Committee and also serves on the ABIM Pulmonary Self Evaluation Process committee. Collop is an associate editor of the journal Chest and serves on the editorial board of Pulmonary Reviews. Her research interests include diagnostic testing for sleep-disordered breathing and standards for polysomnography.

Stuart Knechtle, M.D. recently joined Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as Chief of Pediatric Liver Transplant Surgery, Surgical Director of the Liver Transplant Program and the Carlos and Marguerite Mason Chair for Liver Transplant Surgery.

Dr. Knechtle will also remain Chief of the Division of Transplantation and Professor of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine as well as Clinical Director at the Emory Transplant Center and Director of Liver Transplantation at the Emory Clinic.

“Dr. Knechtle’s leading-edge surgical, research and teaching skills have earned him acclaim and respect throughout the medical community,” said Amy Hauser, Service Line Administrator for Transplant Services at Children’s. “His combination of talents will allow Children’s and Emory to stay at the forefront of transplant research, specifically in transplant immunology. We are thrilled to officially welcome him to the Children’s Transplant family.”

A leader in the field of liver and kidney transplantation, Dr. Knechtle has designed and led a variety of clinical trials in organ transplantation. He operated a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research lab for 17 years and continues research focused on the immunologic mechanisms of transplant rejection and immunologic tolerance. Prior to joining Emory and Children’s, Dr. Knechtle led a team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that performed the state’s first liver transplant from a living donor, as well as the state’s first combined liver and pancreas transplant.

A member of several professional and scientific organizations, including the American Surgical Association and the American Society of Transplantation, Dr. Knechtle has presented at more than 60 international conferences and meetings. An accomplished author, Dr. Knechtle has also contributed to more than 300 research articles, publications and abstracts in the areas of transplantation and transplant immunology.

Dr. Knechtle earned his medical degree from Cornell University and completed both his residency and transplant immunology research fellowship at Duke University Medical Center. After finishing his transplantation fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital Department of Surgery, Dr. Knechtle remained on staff for nearly two decades and most recently served as a Professor of Surgery and Director of Liver Transplantation.