Montefiore Opens First Bronx Liver Transplant Program
On August 20th, the New York State Department of Health approved the first and only liver transplant program in the Bronx, at Montefiore Medical Center.
The approval caps an application process extending over several years that involved both surgeons and hepatologists at Montefiore, as well as the Einstein Liver Research Center. Up to now, liver transplant patients from the Bronx were required to travel to Manhattan for surgery. More than 120 Bronx patients were waiting for liver transplants in 2007, and approximately 50 local residents had no choice but to seek a liver transplant outside the borough last year.
The Department's hepatology transplant program is headed by Paul Gaglio, under the divisional leadership of Allan Wolkoff.