Liver Transplant / Advanced Practice Fellowship
Why do a Liver Transplant Anesthesia Fellowship at UCLA?
- The UCLA Liver Transplant program was established in 1984 by Dr. Ronald Busuttil. At that time, UCLA was the only liver transplant center west of the Mississippi River. Over 6500 liver transplants have been completed to date at our center.
- In 2020, we did 172 liver transplants, and in 2019 we did 168 liver transplants.
- Our fellows participate in 40-60 transplants per year.
- Our patient outcomes are better than expected in critically ill patients with high MELD scores.
- We do specialized cases including pediatrics, combined cardiothoracic surgery – liver transplant, multivisceral and intestinal transplants.
- In 2020, our pediatric liver transplant volume rose 27.3%. Over 1060 pediatric liver transplants have been completed at our center to date.
- Our combined cardiothoracic surgery – liver anesthesia volume continues to increase per year, with over 30 combined cases to date.
- Fellows receive training in transesophageal echocardiography and experience for basic certification.
- Our robust clinical research program allows fellows to start or augment their academic career.
- Our team is involved in national transplant organizations allowing for job opportunities locally and nationally.
- The salary reflects a blended role as fellow and staff anesthesiologist, with the additional ability to moonlight.
- Fellows learn from our fantastic team of internationally recognized leaders in liver transplant anesthesia, department leaders, and anesthesiologists recognized for clinical and teaching excellence.
For questions or to submit an application, please contact our fellowship director:
Christine Nguyen-Buckley, MD
[email protected]
Fellowship Goals
- The primary goal of the one-year liver transplant anesthesia fellowship is to prepare fellows for an academic career that focuses on the perioperative care of high-acuity abdominal organ transplants (liver, small bowel and multi-visceral) and non-transplant surgery for patients with hepatic/pancreatic/biliary disease.
- The fellow will gain experience in TEE image acquisition and interpretation, a key requirement for basic certification in echocardiography.
- The research goals will focus on research in transplantation, transfusion and coagulation monitoring. The fellow will be given time to attend the annual International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS) perioperative (one-day) meeting accompanying the ASA annual meeting, and the ILTS International Congress (2½-day meeting). Educational
- Echo, blood bank, and liver transplant ICU rotations supplement operating room learning.
- The fellowship is not regulated by the ACGME/RRC. Thus, regularly scheduled time working as an attending in the main operating room will be included. Given that the participant will be providing some clinical services as an attending, their salary as a fellow will be supplemented to reflect this blended role.
- The focus for the first portion of the year will be on autonomy and in the second portion of the year, the focus will shift to include increased resident supervision and the acquisition of teaching skills.
Our Fellows
| Year |
Fellow |
Residency |
Post-Fellowship Employment |
| 2021-22 |
Mansi Sheth, MD |
University of Michigan |
|
| 2021-22 |
Hai Pham, MD, MS |
UCSF |
|
| 2020-21 |
Courtney Scott, DO |
Mayo Florida |
Mayo Florida , Jacksonville, FL |
| 2020-21 |
Colby Tanner, MD |
UCLA |
UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2018 -19 |
Elaine Boydston, MD |
Mount Sinai |
UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA |
|
Jeieung Park, MD |
University of British Columbia |
Vancouver General Hospital / University of British Columbia Hospital,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
|
| 2017-18 |
Govind Rangrass, MD |
Washington University
in St Louis |
University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL |
| 2016-17 |
Christine Nguyen-Buckley, MD |
UCLA |
UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2014 - 15 |
Brent Ershoff, MD, MSCR |
UCLA |
UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA |
2021 - 2022 Fellow Profiles
Dr. Pham
Hai Pham, MD, MS
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Undergraduate: Yale University, BS Biology
Graduate: UCB, MS Health and Medical Sciences
Medical School: UCSF School of Medicine (UCB-UCSF Joint Medical Program)
Residency: Anesthesiology, UCSF School of Medicine
Why I chose UCLA: I choose UCLA for the well-rounded breadth and depth of clinical experiences. Most of all, I chose UCLA for the community of Anesthesiologists that are truly dedicated to education and my development as a whole person. Program leaders are engaged and support fellows' growth personally, clinically, and professionally. UCLA is at once intellectually stimulating yet down to earth and approachable.
Dr. Hai Pham was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the US when he was one year old. He is proud to be among the first generation in his family to complete college. Dr. Pham was in the in the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, a 5-year MS/MD program, as part of the Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved. During his free time, he enjoys cooking, wine tasting, checking out jazz clubs, and staying active with Barry’s Bootcamp.
Dr. Sheth
Mansi Sheth, MD
Hometown: Houston, TX
Undergraduate: UCLA, BS Physiological Science, minor in English Literature
Medical School: Keck School of Medicine at USC
Residency: Anesthesiology, University of Michigan School of Medicine
Why I chose UCLA: Supportive learning environment
Dr. Mansi Sheth is a lifelong Bruin and is happy to return to UCLA for fellowship training. It's not surprising that she enjoys chatting with her fellow Bruins about UCLA Basketball. During her free time, she loves to bike, play soccer, and hang out with her cat, Sherlock.
A Sample of Academic Work Produced by our Fellows:
- Bui CCM, Tanner C, Nguyen-Buckley C, Scovotti J, Wray C, Xia VW. Combined Cardiothoracic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Versus Isolated Liver Transplantation. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2020 Aug 26:S1053-0770(20)30846-6. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2020.08.051. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32951998.
- Wong-Lucio P, Moreno-Franco P, Canabal J, Lowman P, Scott C, Croome K, Chadha R. Post-Cardiac Injury Following Liver Transplantation for Budd-Chiari Syndrome. Prog Transplant. 2020 Dec 4:1526924820978594. doi: 10.1177/1526924820978594. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33272084.
- Boydston E. International Liver Transplantation Congress 2019. ROTEM Values Vary Among Liver Transplant Recipients According to Etiology of Liver Failure and MELD Score.
- Park J. International Liver Transplantation Congress 2019. Early postoperative myocardial injury is associated with perioperative cardiovascular complications after liver transplantation.
- Nguyen-Buckley C and Wong M. Anesthesia for Intestinal Transplantation. In: Anesthesiology Clinics. Elsevier 2017
- Nguyen-Lee J, Nguyen-Buckley C and Bagdagsarjana A. Liver and Gastrointestinal Pharmacology. In: Hemmings H and Egan T. Pharmacology and Physiology for Anesthesia. 2nd Elsevier 2017
