Transplant Surgery
Medical school/Year Graduated: University of Panama, 1982
Years in practice: 33
This is your 17th year as a Top Doc. What do you think has contributed to your streak?
Painful attention to detail. Transplant patients have multiple complex problems, and every issue has to be addressed. No room for error. I work with a great team of health-care professionals… together we care for each individual’s needs and have improved the lives of thousands of Arizonans.
What is the most common implantation procedure? Which is the most common you personally perform?
Every donor has two kidneys, and there are many lion-hearted live donors – thus, kidney transplants are the most common, and I’ve performed more than 3,000 since completing my training at the University of Minnesota in 1990.
Is hepatobiliary and pancreas surgery rare within implantation medicine? Why or why not, and how did your practice come to focus on this specialty?
Liver and pancreas transplants are very common. In fact, our practice [at Arizona Transplant Associates] focuses on liver, pancreas and kidney diseases because they are so common, yet require very specialized care and our full-time commitment.
What are some misconceptions people have about organ transplant?
The most common misconception is that all you need is a good surgeon to cure you. The transplant surgery is a one-day event, yet it requires a lifetime of care by the patient… not just of the transplant, but also a healthy lifestyle to ensure a long, productive life.
Have you or someone close to you benefited from an organ transplant? If so, how did that experience impact your care approach?
Actually, my brother has waited several years for a kidney transplant… and is still waiting. Seeing the daily physical and emotional toll of dialysis has reinforced in me, not just the great need for organ donation, but also the importance of carefully considering every precious organ – if not for the first patient on the list, then maybe for the last one.
Do patients ever keep in touch with you?
Many patients send me “transplant anniversary” cards with pictures of them with their grandchildren, hiking or traveling. One patient, which I transplanted 25 years ago when I first moved to the Valley, still brings me home-baked cookies every Christmas… it’s a feast!
You’re from Panama! Have you found any restaurants in the Valley that make good Panamanian food?
Growing up in Panama, a meal was rice, beans, a piece of meat and yuca or plantain. Our food is flavorful, but not hot. Restaurants that serve Caribbean food [are] as close as you’ll find here. If you want Panamanian food, come to Panama… you’ll love it!
What are your hobbies and interests outside medicine?
I enjoy studying French, art and opera. When I travel, the highlight is always the art museum and a night at the opera. Reading the great French poets in their own language is a pleasure; I find that poetry expresses what prose calls ineffable.
