Inaugural chair holder Dr. Fady Kaldas (left) and Kelly Lee Tarantello. Photo: Courtesy of Delphine Lee
In memory of her beloved daughter Kelly Lee Tarantello, Delphine Lee made a philanthropic gift to establish the Kelly Lee Tarantello Endowed Term Chair in Integrative Liver Transplantation in the UCLA Department of Surgery. Lee established the chair to provide support for a transplant surgeon who has shown commitment to the care and management of patients with combined heart and liver disease, and to facilitate the development of the UCLA heart/liver disease program. On May 1, 2020, Dr. Fady Kaldas (FEL ’10), associate professor of surgery, director of the UCLA Multi-Organ Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery Fellowship Program and medical director of Liver Transplant Services, was named the inaugural Kelly Lee Tarantello Endowed Term Chair holder.
Dr. Kaldas, a liver-transplant surgeon, co-organized the first heart/liver disease symposium at UCLA. He has been invited to speak at national and international meetings as an expert in organ transplantation, including double organ transplantation. The gift from Lee will continue Kelly Lee Tarantello’s legacy and create a lasting impact by funding Dr. Kaldas’ research to advance procedures and the success of combined heart/liver transplantation.
For more information, contact Gretchen McGarry at: 310-794-4746
