UF College of Medicine names chief of the division of transplantation surgery

Kenneth Andreoni, M.D., has been named the new chief of the division of transplantation surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He oversees the division’s kidney, liver and pancreas transplantation program.

Andreoni, who joined UF Health in 2012, is also an associate professor of surgery. He served as interim chief of the division for nearly one year.

“We are fortunate to have a national leader in organ transplantation who provides top-quality leadership for this division. Dr. Andreoni’s expertise in clinical care also will continue to serve our patients well,” said Kevin Behrns, M.D., chair of the department of surgery and the Edward R. Woodward Professor. “In addition, his national leadership experience will continue to propel our programs forward regionally and nationally with patients and referring physicians.”

To date, UF Health’s transplant teams have performed nearly 6,700 abdominal transplant procedures, including approximately 4,700 kidney transplants, 1,775 liver transplants, 200 kidney/pancreas transplants and 50 pancreas transplants.

UF Health transplantation surgeons work closely with a multidisciplinary transplant team, including various physician specialists, nurses, financial coordinators, donor coordinators, administrative support staff, social workers, physical and respiratory therapists and psychologists at the UF Health Shands Transplant Center.

“Our current — and future — goal is to provide cohesive multidisciplinary care for our liver, kidney and pancreas transplant patients and their referring physicians, both before and after transplantation,” Andreoni said. “We want to couple this customer service with state-of-the-art immunosuppressive care and care for the patients’ overall health condition.”Andreoni earned his medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine and completed his general surgery residency training at The Johns Hopkins University, where he served as chief resident from 1994 to 1995. He also completed a gastrointestinal surgery fellowship at Johns Hopkins and a transplant immunology research fellowship, followed by a clinical transplantation fellowship with the division of abdominal transplantation, at The Ohio State University.

Andreoni also served as president of the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS, the nonprofit organization that manages the nation’s organ transplant system under contract with the federal government. He is past chair of the UNOS Kidney Committee; founding chair of the Kidney Paired Donation Project; a member of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and current chair of its Business Practice Services Committee; a member of the American Society of Transplantation; and a member of the American College of Surgeons. He was one of a few transplant surgeons invited to participate in the White House Organ Summit in June.

Andreoni is board-certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery. His clinical interests include kidney, pancreas and liver transplant services for adults and children, as well as public policy in organ transplantation.