Surgery News & Notes

Stefan G. Tullius MD PhD, FACS, chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery, Reza Abdi, MD, director of the Transplantation Research Center and staff physician in the Division of Renal Medicine and Peter Sage, PhD, associate immunologist, received an $11 million research project grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the aging immune response after transplantation.

With a rapidly increasing number of older individuals receiving organ transplants, it is critical to optimize the treatment of this patient population. In a collaborative effort between the Division of Renal Medicine and the Division of Transplant Surgery, Abdi, Tullius and Sage have received the project program grant from the NIH to elucidate the unique immunological mechanisms leading to transplant rejection in the elderly. These studies will form the foundation for new therapeutics that specifically treat this unique and fragile patient population.

The research project grant program is the original and historically oldest grant mechanism used by NIH and supports health-related research and development based on the mission of the NIH.

Stefan G. Tullius, MD, PhD
Joseph E. Murray Distinguished Chair in Transplant Surgery
Chief, Division of Transplant Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Director, Transplant Surgery Research Laboratory
Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Tullius is the chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. He received his medical degree from the Johann-Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany; a PhD from the Charité in Berlin, Germany; and a (honorary) Master of Arts from Harvard University.  He has published over 280 peer-reviewed articles, led numerous externally funded studies, and is frequently invited to speak locally, nationally, and internationally.

His research career in transplantation immunology covers a period of more than 15 years and has greatly contributed to an improved understanding of the pathophysiology of long-term graft failure. His more recent research interests include individualized immunosuppression and the investigation of basic mechanisms of clinically relevant aspects in organ transplantation, focusing on novel routes for optimized utilization of organs for transplantation and organ preservation/perfusion. Dr. Tullius has also contributed with pioneering work in face, hand and uterus transplantation.

In addition to his clinical practice and research interests, Dr. Tullius has contributed to the international transplant community with his editorial, societal and committee activities. He is an executive editor of Transplantation, associate editor of Transplant International, and has served as associate and consulting editor of the American Journal of Transplantation. He has also served on the board of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) and was the founding chair of the Basic Science Committee of ESOT. He has co-chaired several international meetings for The Transplantation Society (TTS), chaired several committees for the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and was the founding chair of the AST Vascular Composite Tissue Transplant Committee.

Dr. Tullius is currently a member of the National Kidney Registry (NKR) Medical Board, the Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group (DICG), the senior treasurer of TTS and vice president of the International Society of Uterus Transplantation (ISUTx). In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Tullius has received several awards, including the Clinical Science Investigator Award of the AST, the Joseph E. Murray and Simon J. Simonian Award and the Excellence in Kidney Transplantation Award from the National Kidney Foundation.

Dr. O’Brien-Coon has been awarded an R01 grant for the project titled, “Molecular mechanisms of hormone-mediated sex differences in wound healing.”

Wound healing is a major clinical problem affecting millions of patients. Preliminary clinical and large animal data show that testosterone impairs tissue repair while estrogen improves it, yet the mechanisms of these effects are poorly understood. This study seeks to transform current concepts of how testosterone and estradiol modulate soft tissue repair with the dual aim of defining hormone-induced alterations in the wound immune environment that drive regenerative versus fibrotic responses and developing potential new therapeutic approaches.

Devin O’Brien-Coon, MD, MSE
Associate Surgeon, Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Fellowship Director, BWH Complex Gender & Microsurgery Program
Clinical Director and Surgical Co-Director, Brigham Center for Transgender Health
Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

Dr. O’Brien directs a basic science lab focusing on cutaneous repair, fibrosis and regeneration, as well as sex hormone-mediated control of wound healing and scarring. He is also interested in biomedical innovation and has invented and successfully translated two FDA-approved medical devices (a bioresorbable implant and a 3D ultrasound system) to clinical use.

Before joining the Brigham, Dr. O’Brien served as the founding chief medical director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender Health, where he developed a multidisciplinary service line across eight departments that became one of the largest academic programs in the U.S. He is recognized as a leader in genitourinary salvage procedures and is frequently referred secondary revision cases. He initiated and directed the Johns Hopkins Complex Gender & Microsurgery Fellowship. He will serve as inaugural clinical and surgical director of the new Brigham Center for Transgender Health.

His primary clinical areas are facial gender surgery, facial aesthetic surgery, genital gender-affirming surgery and genital/pelvic reconstruction for revision or oncologic patients.

Dr. O’Brien attended college and medical school at the University of Pittsburgh and holds a master’s in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He completed integrated plastic surgery training at the Johns Hopkins/UMD Shock Trauma Center program and is board certified in plastic and reconstructive surgery.