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Transplant Team

Listed below are the types of team members you will meet on team evaluation day:

Transplant Surgeon -The transplant surgeon will perform your heart transplant surgery and will be in charge of your care immediately following your surgery.

Pulmonologist -The pulmonologist is the doctor who possess specialized knowledge and skill in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary (lung) conditions and diseases and who will perform your overall evaluation.

Transplant Coordinators -The transplant coordinator is a registered nurse who will help arrange your evaluation, teach you and your family about transplantation, and follow your progress if you are listed for transplant. They will also be responsible for assisting in all care provided after transplant.

Social Worker -A social worker is available for supportive counseling for you and your family during this challenging and stressful time as well as to inform you about housing, fund-raising and other transplant resources that are available to you.

Cardiologist -A transplant cardiologist may meet with you to evaluate your cardiac function.

Psychiatrist -A psychiatrist will meet with you to obtain a general mental health history. He or she may recommend counseling to deal with emotional needs or issues, such as depression or alcohol, drug use, or tobacco use that might affect the outcome of the transplant. A psychiatrist will be available for any developing needs.

Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist -The psychiatric clinical nurse specialist works with you and your family on issues such as stress, anxiety, depression and addiction.

Clinical Nutritionist -The clinical nutritionist will see you before and after your transplant to evaluate your diet and to help you make healthy food choices.

Financial Coordinator -The financial coordinator will help you understand the cost of transplantation and your insurance benefits and assist you in identifying resources available to you.

Pharmacist -The transplant pharmacist may begin working with you the day you transfer to the surgery floor. It is important for you to clearly understand your medications and how each affects your body. The pharmacist will explain the actions, dosages and side effects of your medications. The pharmacist will be available during each hospitalization and by phone to answer questions about your medications.

Physical Therapist -A physical therapist may help pre-transplant patients understand what exercises are prescribed by the transplant pulmonologist. He or she is specially trained to help you regain your strength after surgery and will refer you to a pulmonary rehabilitation program in the early weeks after transplant. Exercise is important to your recovery. It can reduce complications after transplant surgery, improve your endurance and help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Chaplain -Transplantation often poses many spiritual issues. A chaplain will visit with you while you are at Emory Hospital and is on call 24 hours a day. The chaplain can help you and your family deal with conflicting emotions and difficult spiritual questions that are often associated with transplantation.

Staff Nurses -Staff nurses are responsible for monitoring your day-to-day progress as well as maximizing your environment for a smooth recovery. They will teach you how to monitor your vital signs, look for signs and symptoms of infection and care for your incision once you go home.

Call Center Team - The Emory Transplant Call Center team is specially trained to review offers for all organs that match with potential recipients at Emory University Hospital.  This nursing  team is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to review donor offers with the transplant surgeon on call.   Together with numerous organ procurement organizations,  this team of specially trained nurses is responsible for coordinating the transplant process from the time the initial offer is received through calling a patient in for their transplant.  If and when a patient is offered a possible transplant, one of these coordinators will be in contact.

PHYSICIANS
E. Clinton Lawrence, MD, FACP, FCCP Director, McKelvey Center for Lung Transplantation and Pulmonary Vascular Diseases Medical Director, Lung Transplantation Program Phone: 404-727-9650 Fax: 404-727-1516 Board-Certified: Allergy and Immunology (Board Certified) Internal Medicine (Board Certified since 1976) Pulmonary Disease (Board Certified since 1980) Transplantation Professional Degree: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center � Dallas Internship: University of California San Francisco - Moffitt Hospital Residency: University of California San Francisco � Moffitt Hospital Fellowships: National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, (Immunology) and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (Pulmonary) Clinical/Research Interests: critical care medicine, lung transplantation, pulmonary hypertension, sarcoidosis	Seth Force, MD Surgical Director, Lung Transplantation, McKelvey Scholar Phone: 404-778-5345 Fax: 404-778-4346 Board-Certified: Surgery (Board Certified since 2002) Thoracic Surgery (Board Certified since 2004) Professional Degree: Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA Internship: Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Residency: Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Fellowship: Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, MO Clinical Interests: lung disease, lung transplantation, and myasthenia gravis
Micah Fisher, MD Pulmonologist Director of Pulmonary Hypertension Program Phone: 404-778-4391 Fax: 404-727-1516 Board-Certified: Internal Medicine (Board Certified since 2002), Pulmonary Medicine (Board certified since 2005), Critical Care (Board Certified since 2005) Professional Degree: Medicine, Wake Forest University Internship:  University of Pennsylvania Residency: Internal Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Fellowship: Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University where he received specialized training in Pulmonary Hypertension Clinical Interests: Pulmonary Hypertension	Daniel L. Miller, MD Emory Clinic Physician, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Surgical Director Thoracic Oncology Program Phone: 404-727-9651 Fax: 404-727-1516 Board-Certified: Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (Board Certified) Surgery (Board Certified since 1992) Professional Degree: University of Kentucky School of Medicine, Lexington, KY Internship: Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. Residency:  Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. Fellowship: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Clinical/Research Interests: bronchoscopy, dysphagia, emphysema, esophageal cancer, esophagus, gastroesophageal reflux, hyperhydrosis � microinvasive, laparoscopic anti-reflux surge, lobectomy, lung cancer, lung disease, lung transplantation, thoracic surgery, and tracheal surgery
Andres Peleaz, MD Transplant Pulmonologist Phone: 404-727-9651 Fax: 404-727-1516 Board-Certified: Internal Medicine (Board certified since 2001, Pulmonary Medicine (Board certified since 2005 Professional Degree: Medicine, Centro de Studios de la salud, Medellin, Colombia, South American Residency: Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center Fellowship: Intervential Bronchoscopy and Lung Transplant, University of Texas Health Science Center; Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine	David Neujahr, MD Transplant Pulmonologist Phone: 404-727-9651 Fax: 404-727-1516 Board-Certified: Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care Medicine Professional Degree: Duke University School of Medicine Residency: Internal Medicine, Cornell University Fellowship: Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Hopsital of University of Pennsylvania
Allan Ramirez, MD Pulmonologist Phone: 404-727-9651 Fax: 404-727-1516 Board-Certified: Internal Medicine (Board Certified since 1998) Pulmonary Disease (Board Certified since 2000) Professional Degree: Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL Residency: Northwestern University, Chicago, IL Fellowship: University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL Clinical/Research Interests: bronchoscopy, critical care medicine, lung transplantation, pulmonary hypertension	Felix Fernandez, MD Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery Phone: 404-778-5345 Fax: 404-727-1516 Board-Certified: General Surgery (2007) Cardiothoracic Surgery (Board Eligible 2009) Professional Degree: Wayne State University School of Medicine; Detroit, MI Internship: Barnes-Jewish Hospital; St. Louis, MO Residency: Barnes-Jewish Hospital; St. Louis, MO Fellowship: Barnes-Jewish Hospital; St. Louis, MO (Cardiothoracic Surgery) Clinical/Research Interests: lung transplantation, transplant immunology

Staff