Abdominal Transplantation Fellowship
Our Fellows
First Year
Divyansh Agarwal, MD, PhD
Divyansh grew up in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, and came to the US for college. He graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with exceptional distinction from Yale University, earning both a B.S. and an M.S., and was designated a Yale Journalism Scholar. He then completed a Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with his MD in 2021. While at Penn, Divyansh earned a PhD in Computational Biology. He completed his general surgery residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital, during which he remained a postdoctoral affiliate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and continued his research in computational biology, genomics and big data modeling. He enjoys reading/writing nonfiction, playing basketball, cooking, and spending time with his family.
"I chose UMN because this program has a unique blend of autonomy, innovation, and commitment to training surgeon-scientists. Moreover, on interview day all the people I met were so kind and supportive – it felt like a tight-knit family."
Research Summary: My research interests are focussed on the development and application of novel statistical and computational tools to genomic data, with a particular emphasis on immunobiology. I am also interested in pancreas and islet biology more broadly, as well as cell-based therapies in transplantation.
Email: [email protected]
Kiyonari Noguchi, MD
Kiyonari “Kiyo” Noguchi, MD, was born and raised in Hawaiʻi. He earned undergraduate degrees in chemistry and physics from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and his medical degree from the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine. He completed his general surgery residency and surgical critical care fellowship through Hawaiʻi Residency Programs. Outside of medicine, he enjoys spending time with his fiancée and their cats, exploring Minneapolis, playing video games, and watching television.
"I chose the University of Minnesota because of its long history of leadership in transplantation and the strength of its clinical and operative training. The program offers exposure to a broad range of complex abdominal organ transplants, with progressive responsibility and close mentorship from experienced faculty. I was also drawn to the opportunity to continue my research on transplant access, disparities, and outcomes. Most importantly, I was drawn to the program’s supportive faculty and staff and felt it would be an environment where I could develop into a thoughtful and capable transplant surgeon."
Research Summary: My research focuses on access to transplantation, disparities in transplant care, and post-transplant outcomes. My current work examines disparities in kidney transplantation among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander patients and factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation. I am particularly interested in using national registry data, survival analysis, and competing-risk methods to identify potentially modifiable barriers to transplantation and improve patient selection and outcomes.
Email: [email protected]
Second Year
Jing Han, MD, PhD
Dr. Han was born in China and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She received her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences with a minor in Global Health at Northwestern University, before pursuing her medical degree at Duke University School of Medicine. She completed her internship and residency in General Surgery at The Ohio State University, during which she chose to extend her clinical training to complete a PhD in Biomedical Sciences focusing on Immunology under the support of an NIH Kirschstein-NRSA F32 fellowship. Her graduate research focus was on the regulation of humoral alloimmunity following kidney transplantation and the adaptive immune mechanisms that downregulate alloantibody production.
"I chose UMN because of the fellow and staff camaraderie, incredible emphasis on autonomy, and program support for not only my clinical training but my career goals."
Email: [email protected]
Miriam Steinberger, MD
Miriam grew up in Rockland County, New York. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Yeshiva University followed by her medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After completing an internal medicine residency at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, she completed a general surgery residency at Montefiore Medical Center. In her free time she enjoys swimming, running, and exploring Minneapolis.
"I chose UMN because of its historic place as the first fellowship training program that continues to be a strong clinical and academic program. It is amazing to have access to early leaders in this field, balanced by an unparalleled autonomy as well as unlimited research opportunities."
Email: [email protected]
Past Fellows
View Past Fellows of the University of Minnesota Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship
Based on a foundation of more than 50 years of surgical excellence, the Transplant Division represents one of the oldest and most successful transplant centers in the world, making our training program a premier destination for surgical education. As one of the largest and most experienced programs in the country, our fellowship provides an extraordinary environment dedicated to training the future leaders of transplant surgery and advancing life-saving knowledge globally.
The purpose of the Division of Organ Transplantation is to provide outstanding care and to continue developing new techniques that improve organ transplantation results and to train students, residents, and fellows in this vital surgical field.
At the end of a general surgery residency, residents who want to pursue a career in transplantation may apply for a two-year clinical fellowship in transplantation. This fellowship has been the prototype for the development of transplant fellowships throughout the country. Ours was the first officially recognized fellowship to be approved by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. There is one opening per year for the transplant fellowship program which is July 1st. All positions are filled through a matching program for transplant fellowships. All fellowship candidates must register for the match a year ahead of the actual fellowship start. For additional information, please visit the SF Match.
Prerequisites for the fellowship are completion of five years of a general surgery residency within the United States and American Board of Surgery eligibility. Transplant fellows in our program are appointed to the position of Instructor of Surgery (US citizens and H1b holders). Fellows as Instructors of Surgery are required to obtain a State of Minnesota medical license, DEA, and hospital privileges at University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview. Our fellowship program does not participate in the ACGME NST Program and therefore does not accept J1 Visa holders. All applicants are urged to contact the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice to ensure that they meet the qualifications for licensing.
The first six months of the Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship are spent learning the criteria for donor acceptability (cadaver and living donor), the donor operations, and the care of the living donor following surgery. On the remaining rotations, the fellow receives extensive experience in preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative care of kidney recipients, liver recipients, kidney/pancreas recipients, and pancreas and islet-cell recipients.
These four 6-month rotations fulfill the requirements for membership in the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. Our program meets the criteria for formal training for transplant surgeons in kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, heart-lung, and lung transplantation—as required by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), of which we are an approved institutional member.
Finally, there are many opportunities for clinical and laboratory research. Our fellows are encouraged to participate in the ongoing research and to submit both abstracts (for presentation at national meetings) and publications.
How to Apply
During recruitment, the Abdominal Transplant Fellowship Program utilizes the SF Match application service. Please follow the SF Match application instructions that are located on the SF Match Website.
The program start date is August 1.
Verification of Training
Requests to verify an Abdominal Transplantation fellow's training at the University of Minnesota need to be emailed to [email protected] or faxed to the attention of Verification Processing at 612-625-4411. For verification of subspecialty training, please contact the subspecialty directly.
To verify professional liability insurance information for a former UMN resident or fellow, find instructions on the Medical Malpractice Credentialing/Insurance Verification site.
Program Director
Program Administrator | Transplant Fellowship Program