New Jersey’s First Liver Transplant Center is National Leader in Three-Year Survival Rates

The University Hospital Center for Advanced Liver Diseases and Transplantation, led by the nationally recognized physicians at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), has been ranked by The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) as the national leader in three-year survival rates for liver transplant programs across the country. The Newark-based Center ranks ahead of several other skilled centers that perform at least 10 transplant procedures within 12 months and covers survival rates for transplant procedures performed from July 1, 2017-December 21, 2019.

With an estimated three-year survival rate of 98.72%, the Center for Advanced Liver Diseases and Transplantation was rated as the top center of its kind in the country. University Hospital edged out its peers at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. It is notably ahead of institutions such as Colombia University Irving Medical Center, The Cleveland Clinic, John Hopkins Hospital, and Mt. Sinai Health System.

“We are excited to report our outstanding three-year outcomes after liver transplantation. We congratulate every member of our team for their incredible dedication in delivering patient-centered care and innovation to transplant candidates and recipients who face their illness with tremendous courage and strength,” said Dr. James V. Guarrera, Professor and Chief of Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery at NJMS and Program Director of University Hospital’s Liver Transplant Program. “We must also thank all of our organ donors and families for making transplantation possible with their selfless gifts of life.”

The Center for Advanced Liver Diseases and Transplantation at UH, under the guidance of skilled physicians from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, is the first such center in New Jersey and one of 61 centers nationally. Since it opened in 1989, the center has performed more than 1,650 liver transplant surgeries, including nearly 80 transplants in the last two years alone. The SRTR, operated by the Chronic Disease Research Group, a division of the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, is a federally supported program under contract from the Division of Transplantation, Healthcare Systems Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Innovation and research are at the core of its mission, from groundbreaking work in the field of liver transplant preservation to being the highest global enroller of patients in multiple transplant hepatology studies

“Having the top liver transplant survival rates in the nation validates our belief that University Hospital is the preeminent academic medical center in New Jersey. It also endorses the Center for Advanced Liver Diseases and Transplantation as another point of pride for the institution,” said Ed Jimenez, President and CEO of University Hospital. “The SRTR ranking broadens our profile and enhances the awareness of University Hospital, and our partners at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, to the larger world. Lives are being saved because of the Center for Advanced Liver Diseases and Transplantation, the leadership of Drs. Guarrera and Pyrsopoulos, our dedicated team members, and the active support of our partners at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.”

“The stellar three-year survival rate is a testament to our multidisciplinary approach to transplantation. We are treating patients whose only hope of survival is receiving a liver transplant,” said Dr. Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos, Professor of Medicine and Director of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at NJMS and Medical Director of Liver Transplant for University Hospital. “The dedication and the exciting innovations in care that our team is offering to these patients and our community at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and University Hospital is second to none.”

The Minnesota-based SRTR supports the transplant community with studies and evaluations of institutional transplant performance to better patient results and experience. Through the review of national data collected by the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) on transplant programs and organ procurement organizations, their program-specific reports provide wide-ranging information about transplant programs and their results. Improving patient outcomes is their number one goal.

The SRTR is also a trusted resource for epidemiological data and statistical analysis regarding the status of solid organ transplantation and the transplantation system in the United States. It seeks to provide information that is accurate, clear, and timely for use by the public, the Department of Health and Human Services, the OPTN/United Network for Organ Sharing, transplant programs, organ procurement organizations, transplant candidates, transplant recipients, living donors, and donor families.

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About University Hospital

University Hospital is part of one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers and is the Level 1 Trauma Center for Northern New Jersey. Located at University Heights in Newark, University Hospital is a principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and a regional resource for advanced services across many medical specialties. For more information about University Hospital, please visit www.uhnj.org.

About Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Founded in 1954, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School is the oldest school of medicine in the state. Today it is part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and graduates approximately 170 physicians a year. In addition to providing the MD degree, the school offers MD/PhD, MD/MPH, and MD/MBA degrees through collaborations with other institutions of higher education. Dedicated to excellence in education, research, clinical care, and community outreach, the medical school comprises 20 academic departments and works with several healthcare partners, including its principal teaching hospital, University Hospital. Its faculty comprises numerous world-renowned scientists and many of the region’s “top doctors.” Home to the nation’s oldest student-run clinic, New Jersey Medical School hosts more than 50 centers and institutes, including the Public Health Research Institute Center, the Global Tuberculosis Institute, and the Neurological Institute of New Jersey. For more information please visit njms.rutgers.edu.