Our fellowship offers U.S. general surgery trained residents the opportunity for broad based and exceptional abdominal transplant surgery training at one of the nation’s best and busiest hospitals. The University of South Florida-Tampa General Abdominal Transplant Fellowship is an ASTS-certified two-year program in liver, kidney, and pancreas transplant. We accept one fellow per year.
Why Choose Tampa General for Your Fellowship
At Tampa General Hospital, we are committed to training the next generation of transplant surgeons and providing exceptional care to our patients. Fellows will have the opportunity to work with skilled, experienced, diverse, and academically successful faculty. Our faculty are also kind, open, and available to the fellow for guidance and assistance. Fellows can expect to gain outstanding experience in living donor and deceased donor liver and kidney transplantation, both laparoscopic and robotic donor nephrectomy, pancreas transplant, donor surgery, normothermic liver perfusion, dialysis access, and minimally invasive and open hepatobiliary surgery. We are one of the busiest centers in the nation, and our center serves a diverse population with a wide variety of clinical problems.
Fellowship Overview
This two-year, fellowship offers a wide range of educational activities to enhance the clinical experience including weekly educational conferences to follow the online ASTS online curriculum, journal club, and morbidity and mortality conferences. The fellow can expect to participate in multi-disciplinary hepatobiliary tumor boards, listing conferences, and pathology conferences.
Our model of fellowship training focuses on graduated independence in the operating room and in patient care. The first year, the fellow is progressed to proficiency in kidney and liver back table, kidney transplantation, donor nephrectomy, and deceased donor surgery. The second year, their skills in the procedures are perfected, and the fellow focuses on proficiency in liver transplantation and pancreas transplantation.
The transplant fellow is actively involved in transplant research within our division and expected to present research yearly at a national conference. Our fellows are very well prepared for their future careers and have obtained highly sought after jobs in the field.
Fellow Salaries
We're pleased to offer our fellows the following salaries:
- Junior Fellow: $110,000 per year + education stipend
- Senior Fellow: $125,000 per year +education stipend
Cutting Edge Innovation
We are one of the leading hospitals using organ perfusion machines, and normothermic perfusion. Our local OPO does all deceased donor procurements with normothermic regional perfusion. Fellows will have the opportunity to attend and participate in these procurements.
Fellows will also participate in taking call for liver placements on the normothermic perfusion device once per week with assistance their first year and once per week independently their second year.
Specialized Programs
Our list of specialized programs includes:
- African American Program (Research study Program)
- Hepatitis C Transplants
- Hispanic Kidney Program
- HIV Program
- Living Donor Liver Program
- Living Donor Kidney Program
- Kidney-Pancreas Transplants
Meet the Faculty
The TGH Abdominal Transplant Surgery Team is a world-class, collaborative, and high-performing team. All surgeons in the division are the top in the nation for liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation. With a team of eleven surgeons, the institute emphasizes 50 years of dedication, innovation, and a commitment to providing equitable, quality care. During your two-year training program, you will develop strong professional relationships with these highly regarded surgeons and gain the opportunity to work closely with our colleagues in hepatology, nephrology, cardiology, and other specialties within the Transplant Institute.
For more details about the team, please download the Physician Directory PDF here.
Life of a Fellow
Our transplant abdominal program owes its strength and growth to the exceptional fellows who have trained here. Each fellow, past and present, has played a vital role in shaping the program’s success, contributing fresh perspectives, innovation, and dedication to advancing the field. They are not only integral to the care we provide but also to the program’s evolution, leaving a legacy that inspires the next generation of surgeons. Together, they have molded a program rooted in excellence and collaboration, ensuring its continued progress and impact. Learn more about our fellows and their journeys by downloading our PDF, featuring photos and updates on where they are now.
“Completing my fellowship at Tampa General was a pivotal experience in my career. As one of the nation’s leading transplant centers, TGH provided unparalleled exposure to high-acuity and complex cases. The hospital’s multidisciplinary approach and emphasis on innovation allowed me to work alongside world-class specialists, enhancing my skills, and deepening my understanding of comprehensive patient care. My surgical mentors are now not only my colleagues, but also my friends. My fellowship experience honed my surgical expertise and reinforced my passion for advancing the field of transplantation and improving outcomes for our patients.”
- Chloe Wang, MD FACS, Abdominal Transplant Surgery, TGH Transplant Institute, Assistant Professor of Surgery
“I knew that Tampa General was the right place for me to do my fellowship on the day of my interview. I trained at a community program for surgical residency and was hoping to match into a clinically robust program. All the attending staff are greatly dedicated to fellow education and ensuring that we are not only competent but proficient at the end of our training. As a specialty, Abdominal Transplant Surgery is rapidly evolving with exciting new advancements each year. This year we have become the largest volume transplant center in the nation, we are fortunate to experience the growth in the specialty firsthand. Over the past twenty years the number of patients nationwide requiring transplant has increased year over year, our institute has been dedicated to increasing organ availability and access to transplantation. I am extremely grateful that I have been able to remain on staff as an attending and proud that I trained here in Tampa.”
– Matthew Witt, Abdominal Transplant Surgery, TGH
Download the Life of a Fellow PDF to learn more.
Application Information
For detailed information about the application process and timeline, visit SF Match.
Eligibility:
Candidates for training in an ASTS Accredited Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship Training Program must have satisfactorily completed a residency which satisfies the educational requirements for certification by the American Board of Surgery, American Board of Urology, American Osteopathic Board Certification, or foreign equivalency.
Need More Information?
Email our fellowship program administrator, Dr. Rachel Hogen, to learn more about the program: rhogen@tgmg.org
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, as the fellow matures, they progressively do more of the case until independence is achieved. Our fellows graduate independent in straightforward liver transplantation, kidney transplantation, back table surgery, and donor procurement by completion of fellowship.
No, all deceased donor livers are machine perfused and transplanted during the day.
Yes, our fellows present at conferences on average once per year and publish on average 3-4 papers by completion of their fellowship.
Yes, Tampa is a lovely, mid-sized city with lots of outdoor space and plenty of culture. The hospital sits on an island in the middle of the bay.
Yes, a large portion of our donor nephrectomies are performed robotically. In addition, the surgeons maintain general surgery and hepatobiliary practices on the side where many of the surgeries are performed robotically.
Yes, we have an active vascular access practice.