A Word From the Director

The Emory Transplant Center continues to mark extraordinary accomplishments in both the clinical and academic arenas, and as is our hallmark, in the integration of the two. We are entering the next phase of the implementation of the Emory Transplant Center organizational integration, bringing together our core transplant faculty into a new section of The Emory Clinic. Our adult clinical transplant programs are thriving, and at the same time, Emory Transplant Physicians and Surgeons continue to perform pediatric transplants at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, which as of May 2007 is tied for the 5th largest pediatric transplant center in the US, ranking in the Top 5 for the seventh consecutive year. For the past three years, CHOA has ranked among the Top 4 pediatric kidney transplant programs in the country. The CHOA liver transplant program has been one of the top 10 busiest in the US for the last 10 years, with one of the highest graft and patient survival rates with no deaths on the wait list of patients with chronic liver disease.

On the academic side, our program continues to show strong growth, despite declining federal funding trends. Our total program funding is now over $12.25 million (FY 07), an impressive increase of more than 50% since FY 04 ($8.1 million). This vitality stems from the unique strength of the Emory Transplant Center - the translation of quality scientific research to patient care, facilitated by unparalleled collaborations, and faculty and staff recruitment, retention and development. We finish this year with a period of exceptional recruitment, including the addition of Dr. Allan Kirk as the Center's first Scientific Director. Dr. Kirk joins us as the 57 th Eminent Scholar of the Georgia Research Alliance. The Emory Transplant Center has grown to encompass 37 faculty, all working towards an ever-increasing level of success.

As we move ahead towards Vision 2012, Emory University is investing in a small number of specialty areas – including transplant – with the goal of launching each to world-renowned excellence. The Emory Transplant Center is already on track towards recognized leadership through our expanding clinical and research programs. Our surgeons, nephrologists, pulmonologists, immunologists, pediatricians, nurses and many others work together clinically and academically to address the most pressing unmet needs in our field, coalesced around our central theme of developing new approaches to overcome the debilitating problems created by the toxicities of the drugs we use to prevent rejection.

The achievements of the Emory Transplant Center are a shining example of what can happen when a diverse and dedicated team pursues a common goal of transforming health and healing. New challenges and numerous opportunities await us in the year ahead. I applaud the remarkable and collaborative work of all of the members of the Emory Transplant Center and am pleased and proud to present the outcome of our work for fiscal year 2007 in this Annual Report. 

Christian P. Larsen, MD, D Phil