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Transplant Program

Virtual Kidney Transplant Symposium 2023: Navigating Through Transplant

Event Details

At this year's Virtual Kidney Transplant Symposium, attendees learned about the continuum of care for patients who require a kidney transplant with an emphasis on:

  • Optimizing clinical management
  • Patient education and support before and after kidney transplantation

The symposium included presentations by members of the Temple Kidney Transplant Program and personal accounts from living donors and recipients.

Speaker Bios

Serban Constantinescu, MD, PhD is Professor of Medicine in the Section of Nephrology, Hypertension and Kidney Transplantation at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. He earned his MD/ PhD from Carol Davila University in Romania. He completed Nephrology and Transplant fellowships at University of Pennsylvania. Since 2011 he has been the Medical Director of the Kidney and Pancreas Programs at Temple University Hospital.

His research focuses on pregnancy outcomes in solid organ recipients for female transplant recipients who have had post-transplant pregnancies and male transplant recipients who have fathered pregnancies. He is the co-investigator for the Transplant Pregnancy Registry International, an ongoing research study focused on the effects of pregnancy on transplant recipients and the effects of immunosuppressive medications on fertility and pregnancy outcomes.


Antonio Di Carlo, MD, CM, is a transplant surgeon at TUH and St. Christopher’s Hospital for surgeon. Dr. Di Carlo performs kidney, liver and pancreas transplants and living donor nephrectomies. Dr. Di Carlo also addresses other surgical needs in transplant patients and patients with end-stage organ disease. Dr. Di Carlo is the Chief of the Abdominal Organ Transplant Program.


Adam Diamond PharmD, BCPS, FAST is a clinical pharmacy specialist in abdominal organ transplant. Dr. Diamond completed post-graduate training after pharmacy school in the area of solid organ transplant at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. His clinical practice includes caring for kidney, liver, and pancreas transplant recipients. Dr. Diamond is also actively involved in various national transplant organizations and clinical transplant research.


Sunil Karhadkar, MD, FACS, is a transplant surgeon at TUH and St. Christopher’s Hospital. Dr. Karhadkar performs kidney, liver and pancreas transplants and living donor nephrectomies. Dr. Karhadkar also addresses other surgical needs in transplant patients and patients with end-stage organ disease including parathyroidectomy and vascular access surgery for dialysis. He also focuses on outcomes research in transplantation and was recently highlighted in Nephrology Times for his study, “Obesity and Outcomes of Simultaneous Kidney-Pancreas Transplantation.”


Diana R. Kline has spent that past seven years as a dedicated, passionate educator and advocate for organ donation and transplantation. She currently works at Temple University Hospital conducting outreach to patients and physicians for the kidney and liver transplant programs. Prior to working at Temple, she spent five years at the Gift of Life Donor Program in Hospital Services as an educator in the field of organ donation to healthcare workers throughout Philadelphia and the state of Delaware.


John Mulligan has been a Registered Nurse for over 30 years. His experience is varied working with patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He has worked in the health care business sector as a clinical educator for medical device and pharmaceutical companies. His clinical specialties include renal and cardiac care. John has a passion for education and has been an adjunct faculty member for the Holy Family University RN-to-BSN program.


Michiko Taniguchi, MSci, Ph.D., F(ACHI), is an Associate Director of the Immunogenetics Laboratory and Assistant Professor at TUH.  She joined the faculty of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in May 2022.  Her passion for HLA came from her experience as a senior research scientist at Terasaki Foundation in Los Angeles under the mentorship of Dr. Paul I. Terasaki, a pioneer in HLA antibody testing.  She received a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from Kobe University in Japan, an M.S. in Molecular Microbiology & Immunology from the University of Southern California, and a B.App. Sc. in Medical Laboratory Sciences from RMIT University (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) in Australia after obtaining medical science training at Ulster University in Coleraine, United Kingdom.  

Objectives

Antonio Di Carlo, M.D., CM, FACS, FRCSC: Introduction to Temple Transplant Team & Concepts of Transplant
Learner will be able to:

  • Discuss Living kidney donation
  • Define aggressive decease donor kidney transplant
  • Discuss transplant options for patients with renal failure

Kenneth Chavin, M.D. MD, MBA, PhD, FACS: Nutcracker Syndrome

Learner will be able to describe Nutcracker Syndrome

Serban Constantinescu, M.D., Ph.D.: Genetic Connection to Kidney Disease/Polycystic Kidney Disease
Learner will be able to:

  • Describe the strategies for evaluating kidney recipients and family members with inherited kidney diseases, who are considering kidney donation
  • Discuss Polycystic kidney disease, including types of genetic mutations, as well as the role of genetic testing for transplant recipients and kidney donors
  • Demonstrate an understanding of Alport Syndrome and role of genetic testing in determining inheritance pattern

Sunil Karhadkar, M.D., FACS: Innovations in Transplantation: Getting A Kidney Transplant Faster 
Learner will be able to:

  • Describe Innovations in transplantation to decrease the time awaiting an organ for transplant

Tatyan Clarke, M.D.: Energy Economics 

Learner will be able to:

  • Understand the contribution of energy intake to weight, health, and metabolism
  • Understand the contribution of energy output to weight, health, and metabolism
  • Describe macronutrients and micronutrients

Michiko Taniguchi, Ph.D., F(ACHI): Navigating the World of HLA – From Test Tubes to Transplants and Beyond
Learner will be able to:

  • Define the role of HLA in medicine
  • Explain HLA testing procedures, including blood sample requirements
  • Discuss how test results guide donor selection and treatment options
  • Address patient communication undergoing HLA testing
  • Discuss the role of HLA in the post-transplant phase

Adam Diamond, PharmD, BCPS: Immunosuppression in Kidney Transplant: How Many Pills Will I Have to Take?
Learner will be able to:

  • Summarize immunosuppression and other pharmacological modalities in kidney disease/transplant

John Mulligan, MSN, RN, CCTC: Kidney Living Donor Options
Learner will be able to:

  • Describe the function of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
  • Discuss the role that the National Kidney Registry (NKR) plays in living kidney donation
  • Identify the difference between remote donation and remote work-up

Diana R. Kline: Patient Panel
Learner will be able to:

  • Discuss real life experiences with transplant
  • Describe experiences from the patient perspective in various transplant phases