Abdominal Transplant Fellowship
The University of Washington Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship is a two-year fellowship accredited by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS). We match one fellowship position per year, with certification in liver and kidney transplantation. Throughout the fellowship, fellows gain experience in:
- Operative techniques of deceased donor liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation
- Operative techniques of living donor liver and kidney transplantation
- Deceased donor organ procurement (with a 20-30% rate of donation after circulatory death)
- Living donor hepatectomy and nephrectomy
- Running the inpatient transplant service
- Management and evaluation of transplant patients in the outpatient setting, including recipient and donor evaluations, post-operative management of the transplant patient and immunosuppression
Sites of Practice
The main site of practice is the University of Washington, but fellows are also involved with the care of patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Virginia Mason Medical Center.
Research
In addition to clinical training, fellows have the opportunity to be involved with ongoing clinical research. Research is performed with the assistance of faculty mentorship and statistical support. Additionally, fellows may be provided financial support to travel to meetings. Examples of conferences fellows have presented at in the past include:
- American Transplant Congress (ATC)
- ASTS Winter Symposium
- Controversies in Transplantation
- International Liver Transplantation Society Annual Congress
- International Pediatric Transplant Association Meeting
Operative Experience
Our program aims to develop transplant surgeons who graduate with proficiency in all aspects of liver and kidney transplantation including pre- and post-operative management of the transplant patient, and operative independence.
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
University of Washington |
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Liver Transplants | 90 | 80 | 86 | 90 |
Kidney Transplants | 107 | 136 | 160 | 198 |
Pancreas Transplants | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Living Donor Nephrectomy | 25 | 34 | 38 | 38 |
Living Donor Hepatectomy | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Seattle Children’s Hospital |
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Pediatric Liver Transplants | 15 | 15 | 11 | 16 |
Pediatric Kidney Transplants | 17 | 17 | 22 | 21 |
Virginia Mason Medical Center |
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VM Pancreas Transplants | 8 | 5 | 3 | 7 |
VM Donor Nephrectomies | 20 | 22 | 17 | 30 |
LifeCenter Northwest |
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Brain Dead Donors | 150 | 53 | 72 | 73 |
DCD Donors | 50 | 162 | 174 | 198 |
Total Donors | 200 | 215 | 246 | 271 |
Current Fellows

Peter Joseph Edpao, MD
Fellow 2018-2020
Residency: University of California, Riverside
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate: UCLA

James Hendele, MD
Fellow 2019-2021
Residency: University of Illinois, Chicago
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of St. Andrews