University Hospital Celebrates 20 Years of Liver Transplantation

Contact: Laura Koehler (513) 585-7200
5-10-2006

Cincinnati - On Thursday, May 11, The University Hospital will celebrate 20 years of liver transplantation in Greater Cincinnati at the Newport Aquarium from 6:45-7:15 p.m. Media are invited to attend and patients and physicians will be available for interviews and photographs.

The schedule of the program is as follows:

Guy Neff, M.D., medical director of the Liver Transplant Program

J. Wesley Alexander, M.D., founder of the Liver Transplant Program and retired transplant surgeon

Present Day Liver Transplant Program

Steven M. Rudich, M.D., surgical director of the Liver Transplant Program

"The University Hospital liver transplant program has given more than 500 people a second chance at life," says Guy Neff, M.D. "Since 1986, medical treatment options for liver diseases have greatly improved, giving end stage liver disease patients a better quality of life. When medical therapies no longer work, liver transplantation is an appropriate next step."

The 20^th Liver Transplant Anniversary celebration is part of the program's "Got Liver" educational symposium to help educate patients about caring for themselves after their transplant.

The University Hospital Liver Transplant Program is Greater Cincinnati's only adult liver transplant program. Five hundred and forty-two people have received liver transplants through the 20 years of the program. There are currently 33 patients on the waiting list for a liver transplant at The University Hospital.