The Hahnemann Liver Transplant Team provides a provides a fully integrated approach to patient care that includes physician and surgeon specialists, nurse coordinators, social worker, pharmacist, financial coordinator and other support staff. This expert team works collaboratively to promote the best possible outcomes for transplant patients.
Hahnemann’s transplant inpatient unit is staffed by specially trained nurses who maintain and support current scientific protocols in delivering care to transplant patients. The team of physicians and medical support staff ensure quality care before, during and well after the transplant procedure.
During the process of transplantation, patients get to know the entire transplant team.
David J. Reich, M.D., FACS, Chief, Division of Multi-Organ and Hepatobiliary Surgery
Gary Xiao, M.D., Multi-Organ Transplant and Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgeon
Kenneth Rothstein, M.D., Medical Director, Abdominal Transplantation and Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
David A. Sass, M.D., Medical Director, Liver Transplant Program and Associate Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Transplant Surgeon
The transplant surgeon performs the actual transplantation procedure and monitors the patient’s medication before, during and after surgery. The surgeon assesses the quality of the donor’s liver before surgery and monitors the patient’s general health and liver status following transplantation.
David J. Reich, M.D., FACS
Chief, Division of Multi-Organ Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hahnemann University Hospital
Vice Chairman and Professor of Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine
Dr Reich is an internationally recognized leader in solid organ transplantation. He specializes in complex liver surgery, transplantation of high-risk patients, safe use of extended criteria donor organs and long-term healthcare following transplantation.
Dr. Reich has experience as a clinician, administrator, educator and scientist. He has published extensively and lectured internationally regarding various research initiatives and clinical aspects of liver surgery, including pioneering work with Donation after Cardiac Death organ transplantation.
Dr. Reich has held numerous, prominent national appointments. He is the current Region Two Representative to the OPTN/UNOS Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplantation Committee and a chairman of the OPTN/UNOS National Liver Allocation Review Board. He is chairman of the Standards on Organ Transplantation Committee of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, and the surgeon-representative on the Clinical Research Committee of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Dr. Reich also serves as chairman of the liver/intestine committee and member of the Medical Advisory Board of the Gift of Life Donor Program. Additionally, he is past chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Liver Foundation, Delaware Valley Chapter.
Before joining the Hahnemann University Hospital Center for Transplant Surgery, Dr. Reich served as director of Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Columbia College of Columbia University in New York and earned his medical degree from McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Reich completed his residency in general surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, and his fellowship in multi-organ transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital also in New York. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery.
Gary Xiao, M.D.
Multi-Organ Transplant and Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgeon. Hahnemann University Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine
Dr. Xiao specializes in liver transplant, hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery, pancreas and kidney transplant, and general surgery. Dr. Xiao is experienced in minimally invasive/laparoscopic liver resection, tumor ablation. Dr. Xiao has broad experience in living donor liver transplantation. Dr. Xiao is a United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) certified primary living donor liver transplant surgeon and American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) certified liver, pancreas and kidney transplant surgeon. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a member of American College of Surgeons (ACS), the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), International International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association ( IHPBA ) and American Society of Transplantation (AST).
With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Xiao has a broad range of clinical training and expertise . Prior to joining the Hahnemann University Hospital Center for Transplant Surgery, Dr. Xiao completed a fellowship in multi-organ transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Xiao also did a clinical transplant fellowship in kidney and pancreas transplantation at Albany Medical Colleg in addition to a surgical residency at Drexel University College of Medicine, and a surgical residency at the First Teaching Hospital of Henan Medical University in Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Dr. Xiao earned his medical degree as well as a master degree in transplantation from Henan Medical University. He has been published in a number of national and international peer-review journals, including the American Journal of Transplantation, Transplant Proceedings, Transplant Review. He also wrote book chapters in “Local Immunosuppression of Organ Transplants”
Transplant Hepatologist
The transplant hepatologist, or liver specialist, monitors all non-surgical aspects of patient care. This includes performing examinations, assessing test results and adjusting medication as needed.
Kenneth Rothstein, M.D.
Medical Director, Abdominal Transplantation, Hahnemann University Hospital
Section Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Dr. Rothstein is a leading expert in the field of Hepatology, with over 20 years of experience. Specializing in the treatment of liver disease and liver transplantation, Dr. Rothstein is an expert in treating complications of cirrhosis such as ascites, bleeding varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and hepatocellular carcinoma. He is also an expert on new treatments for Hepatitis B and C.
Dr. Rothstein is a reviewer for seven medical journals including the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Journal of the American College of Gastroenterology. He is a member of several professional organizations including American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD). He is very active in AASLD, serving on the Annual Meeting Education and Hepatology Associates Committees. He is currently the physician Secretary for the American Board of Internal Medicine Test Committee on Transplant Hepatology.
Dr. Rothstein joins the Hahnemann University Hospital Center for Transplant Surgery from Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he was associate director of the Center for Liver Disease, and Director of the Hepatology Fellowship Program. Dr. Rothstein received his medical degree from Emory University and completed his fellowships in gastroenterology and hepatology at Temple University Hospital.
David A. Sass, M.D.
Medical Director, Liver Transplant Program and Associate Chief, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hahnemann University Hospital
Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine
Dr. Sass came to Hahnemann from the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which has one of the largest liver transplant programs in the country. He served as Associate Director for the GI Fellowship Program and Subspecialty Education Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Medicine at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
A graduate of University of Cape Town Medical School, Dr. Sass completed fellowships in transplantation hepatology and in gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He completed his residency training in internal medicine at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.
A member of the American Society of Transplantation, Dr. Sass currently serves on the governing board of the Pennsylvania Society of Gastroenterology. He is an active member of a number of professional organizations, including American Gastroenterological Association, American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, American College of Gastroenterology and American College of Physicians.
He has been published in numerous professional journals, including American Journal of Gastroenterology, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Immunogenetics.
Transplant Coordinators
The transplant coordinators, who are registered nurses or nurse practitioners, play a key role in the patient’s care and serve as the patient’s primary contact throughout the transplant process. The transplant coordinators ensure continuity of care from the time of admission into the transplant program through long-term follow up care after the transplant, serving as liaison between patients, referring physicians, the transplant team and the hospital. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer emergency questions. The transplant coordinator’s responsibilities include meeting and evaluating all new patients that come to our center as well as scheduling pre-transplant testing, assisting when a donor kidney becomes available, arranging testing for donor compatibility, contacting the patient when a kidney has been found, and ensuring that the patient has the appropriate follow-up care after transplantation. The coordinator also teaches patients how to care for themselves before and after transplantation.
Transplant Nurse Practitioner
The transplant nurse practitioner cares for the patient during hospitalization, helps to coordinate care with the patient’s other caregivers, and prepares the patient for discharge.
Social Worker
The social worker provides social and emotional support to kidney transplant patients, living donors and family members. The social worker sees and evaluates every patient seeking a transplant in order to assess the patient’s overall situation and understanding of the transplant process, and to offer assistance as appropriate. This involves referring patients to services and resources in the community when needed. The social worker’s role includes help with psychosocial and family issues as well as advice regarding health insurance coverage and issues that impact on a patients’ over all emotional, psychological and social well being.
Transplant Pharmacist
The pharmacist helps to educate the transplant patient and family about the crucial role of medications, particularly immunosuppressive drugs, in ensuring the success of the kidney transplant and maintaining the patient’s health. The pharmacist explains what the medications do, provides guidelines for taking them, emphasizes the importance of following the schedule and outlines side effects that the patient can expect.
Financial Coordinator
The financial coordinator helps patient with billing and insurance matters. This includes working with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance carriers, obtaining pre-authorization for transplant surgery and transplant-related procedures.
Data Coordinator
The data coordinator provides accurate and timely submission of data to UNOS.
Transplant Program Administration
The Administrative team oversees all aspects of the department to ensure superior service to our patients.