A Brief History of the Program
This program was originally based at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and proudly moved to Lahey Clinic on June 11, 1999. The Liver Transplant Team continues its legacy of providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art patient-centered care.
In July 1983, Roger L. Jenkins, MD, FACS, performed the first liver transplant in New England at the former New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston, Mass. This program was the fourth liver transplant program in the United States. Jenkins and colleague W. David Lewis, MD, FACS, launched a cooperative liver transplant venture between Lahey Clinic and Deaconess Hospital in 1989. This joint effort was established in conformity with the recommendation of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that liver transplant programs actively work together to improve access of care to the local and regional hospitals that did not yet perform this complicated procedure.
To better serve the large number of patients in need of a transplant, Drs. Lewis and Jenkins joined together in 1991 at the former New England Deaconess Hospital. In 1995, Fredric D. Gordon, MD, a transplant hepatologist, joined the team. The transplant program rapidly became the largest and most active center in New England.
In July 1998, Elizabeth A. Pomfret, MD, PhD, FACS, joined the team to establish the live donor liver transplant (LDLT) program. The team performed the first adult LDLT in New England in December 1998. James J. Pomposelli, MD, PhD, FACS, joined the team in July 1999.
History of Lahey Clinic Liver Transplant Program
At A Glance...
Program Start Date |
- Fourth liver transplant program founded in the United States; begun July 1983 at the Deaconess Hospital by Roger L. Jenkins, MD, FACS
- First successful liver transplant in New England
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Surgeons |
- Roger L. Jenkins, MD, FACS
- W. David Lewis MD, FACS
- Elizabeth Pomfret, MD, PhD, FACS
- James Pomposelli, MD, PhD, FACS
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Hepatologists |
- Fredric Gordon, MD
- Stephen Fabry, MD
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National Ranking |
- Third highest volume live donor liver transplant program in the United States
- Highest number of transplants for FAP in the United States
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Surgical Experience |
- Hepatobiliary surgeons with experience in liver resection (more than 1,500 performed)
- Transplant surgeons with significant experience in liver transplantation (more than 1,000 transplants performed).
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Volume of Transplants since July 1983 |
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Live Donor Liver Transplants (LDLT); Program Start Date December 1998 |
- >100
- Performed New England's first live donor liver transplant on an adult
- Performed the first simultaneous live donor liver/kidney transplant in the United States
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Domino Transplants |
- Seven domino transplants performed to date; one of the highest volumes in the nation.
- First domino transplant in New England performed at Lahey Clinic in January 2000. The cadaver liver is transplanted into a patient with a metabolic liver disorder, whose liver in turn is transplanted into a patient in need.
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Community Service |
- Educational Programs
- Hepatitis Support Group
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Continued Advances at Lahey Clinic |
- 3-D imaging of the liver
- New dedicated operating room
- Expansion of liver surgery and hepatology services
- Introduction of ablation techniques for liver tumors
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