Find a Provider

Dr. Ronald W. Busuttil is Chair of the Department of Surgery at UCLA.

Dr. Ronald W. Busuttil is currently Distinguished Professor and Executive Chairman of the UCLA Department of Surgery and holds the William P. Longmire, Jr. Chair in Surgery. Additionally, he serves as founding Chief of the Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation and Director of the Pfleger Liver Institute, which includes the Dumont-UCLA Transplant Center and the Dumont-UCLA Liver Cancer Center.

After graduating magna cum laude from Loyola University in New Orleans, Dr. Busuttil earned both his MD and PhD degrees at Tulane University. He served his surgical residency at UCLA under Dr. William P. Longmire, Jr. and was trained in transplantation by Dr. Thomas Starzl at the University of Pittsburgh. He has been a member of the UCLA surgical faculty since 1978.

In 1984, he founded the Liver Transplant Program and has been the Director and Chief Surgeon for 28 years. It has since grown to become one of the largest liver transplant centers in the world. Clinical activities encompass the entire spectrum of liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery for adults and children. Dr. Busuttil and his team have performed over 5200 liver transplants, and he is internationally recognized for his expertise in transplantation and liver surgery.

Dr. Busuttil has demonstrated a life-long commitment to teaching and advancing the field of transplantation and surgery. His training program in transplant surgery is among the foremost in the world. He has trained over 300 transplant surgeons from the US and abroad; many lead liver transplant programs in the US, Asia and Europe. His laboratory has trained a large number of research fellows, including surgical residents and trainees in basic science disciplines.

His basic science research has focused on ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury of the liver. In 1975 he published the first report of the benefits of steroids on cardiac recovery after IR injury and subsequently reported several follow-up studies in other organs. He has been NIH funded since 1981.

His contributions have been recognized through many awards and honors, including the American Surgical Association Medallion for Scientific Achievement, American Society of Transplant Surgeons Francis Moore Excellence in Mentorship in Transplantation Surgery Award, Man of the Year Award from the United Liver Association, the Integritas Award from Loyola University, the Most Distinguished Alumni Award from Tulane University, Man of the Year Award from the American Liver Foundation, the UCLA School of Medicine 50th Anniversary Professional Achievement Award, the Thomas E. Starzl Prize in Surgery and Immunology, the Transplantation Society Award for Education and Training in Transplantation, and the International Liver Transplantation Society Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Busuttil serves on the editorial boards or as a reviewer for many prestigious journals and is the co-editor of the definitive textbook, Transplantation of the Liver, now in its second edition. He has authored more than 600 peer reviewed scientific manuscripts, 55 book chapters, and 400 abstracts. He is an active member of all major national and international surgical and transplantation societies and has routinely held key committee positions. He is a Past President of the International Liver Transplantation Society, a Past President of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Past First Vice President of the American Surgical Association, a past member of the council of The Transplantation Society, and has served on the Board of Directors of United Network for Organ Sharing.

Hospital Staff Appointments

• 2008-present Co-Director Asian Liver Program, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, Ca
• 2004-present Surgeon-in-Chief, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, Ca
• 2003-present Director, The Pfleger Liver Institute, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, Ca
• 2000-present Director, The Dumont-UCLA Liver Cancer Center, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, Ca
• 1995-2000 Chief, UCLA-Cedars Sinai Medical Center Joint Liver Transplant Program, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, Ca
• 1992-present Director, The Dumont-UCLA Transplant Center, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, Ca
• 1978-1987 Attending Staff Surgeon, Sepulveda Veterans Administration Hospital, Sepulveda, Ca
• 1978-1984 Trauma Coordinator, Emergency Medical Center, University of California Los Angeles

Academic/Teaching Appointments

• Distinguished Professor and Executive Chairman, The William P. Longmire, Jr. Chair in Surgery, Department of Surgery University of California Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
• Chief, Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation, University of California Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Memberships in Scholarly or Professional Societies

• American College of Surgeons - Fellow
• American Surgical Association
• Society of University Surgeons
• Pacific Coast Surgical Association
• Association for Academic Surgery
• The Transplantation Society
• California Medical Association
• Los Angeles County Medical Association
• Los Angeles Surgical Society
• International Society of Surgery, United States Chapter
• American Society of Transplant Surgeons
• International Society of Surgery
• Southern Surgical Association
• International Liver Transplantation Society
• The Longmire Surgical Society
• Society of Surgical Chairs
• European Surgical Association
• French National Academy of Surgery
• Alpha Sigma Nu - Academic Honorary Society
• Alpha Omega Alpha - National Honorary Medical Society
• Beta Beta Beta - National Biological Honorary Society
• Delta Epsilon Sigma - National Society for Arts & Science
• James IV Surgical Traveler
• Rotary Club - Beverly Hills Chapter

National Elected Office Organizations

• 2008-2011 Councilor, James IV Association of Surgeons
• 2008-2009 President, International Liver Transplantation Society
• 2007-2008 President-Elect, International Liver Transplantation Society
• 2006-2007 First Vice President, American Surgical Association
• 2004-2007 Councilor, The International Liver Transplantation Society
• 2003-2005 President, The Longmire Surgical Society
• 2001-2005 Councilor, The Transplantation Society
• 2002-2004 UNOS National Board of Directors, Medical Scientific Representative
• 2002-2003 Vice President, The Longmire Surgical Society
• 1999-2000 President, American Society of Transplant Surgeons

Patient Stories