Andreas G. Tzakis
Andreas G. Tzakis, M.D., PhD, is a world-renowned liver and intestinal transplant surgeon. His name was brought to the broader public's attention when on July 12, 2007 he was selected to perform the transplant surgery on Christodoulos, Archbishop of Greece.
A native of Greece, Kefallonia, Dr. Tzakis received his M.D. from the University of Athens, and completed a surgical residency at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. After completing a surgical residency under Harry Sozoff, M.D., and Felix Rapaport, M.D., professor of surgery and chief of transplantation at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Dr. Tzakis then successfully concluded a two-year transplantation fellowship under Thomas E. Starzl, M.D., Ph.D., at the University of Pittsburgh.
While with the University of Pittsburgh's transplant team, Dr. Tzakis performed numerous pioneering surgeries, among them the world's first successful islet transplant from a single pancreas in collaboration with DRI' s Camillo Ricordi, M.D., Daniel Mintz, M.D., and Rodolfo Alejandro, M.D.
In addition to being an accomplished liver transplant surgeon, Dr. Tzakis has been a principal contributor to the development of small bowel and multiple-organ transplantation as a viable procedure for both children and adults. In recent years, he performed history-making baboon-to-human liver transplants at the Pittsburgh Medical Center.
In addition to having performed more than 4,000 transplants, Dr. Tzakis has been a leader in innovative techniques that have advanced transplant surgery, as well as furthering research concerning organ rejection and drug toxicity. He has published more than 700 peer reviewed manuscripts in a wide variety of medical journals, such as Transplantation, Annals of Surgery, Journal of Pediatrics, The Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine. He has also published numerous Book Chapters and made presentations in multiple Local, National and International meetings.
