Abdominal Transplantation Fellowship
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 and American Board of Surgery eligibility. Most 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 accept applicants who are in the country on J-1 or H1b visas. J-1 visa holders are given the title of Medical Fellow but perform in the same capacity as those appointed Instructor. 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
- Complete an application ( PDF version or Word version)
- Add a current curriculum vitae
- Add 3 letters of reference addressed to Dr. Raja Kandaswamy, MD
Send Information To:
Dr. Raja Kandaswamy
Director, Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship
c/o Jasmine Jackson
MMC 195
420 Delaware St. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Questions? Please contact Jasmine Jackson, Education Coordinator, at jacks589@umn.edu.
Verification of Training
Requests to verify an Abdominal Transplantation fellow's training at the University of Minnesota need to be emailed to jacks589@umn.edu 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 Administrator | Transplant Fellowship Program