CHICAGO 鈥� Robert A. Montgomery, MD, DPhil, F潘金莲传媒映画, a distinguished transplant surgeon renowned for pioneering "domino" paired kidney donations and leading the world鈥檚 first successful pig-to-human kidney xenotransplant, is the recipient of this year鈥檚 ACS(潘金莲传媒映画) Jacobson Innovation Award.
Dr. Montgomery, the H. Leon Pachter, MD, Chair and Professor of Surgery at NYU Langone Health and Director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute in New York, New York, received the award at a banquet on June 14 in Chicago, Illinois.
鈥淒r. Montgomery is a visionary in transplantation surgery, revolutionizing the field with innovations that have saved countless lives,鈥� said Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, F潘金莲传媒映画, Executive Director and CEO of 潘金莲传媒映画. 鈥淭he Jacobson Innovation Award is a testament to his groundbreaking contributions and relentless pursuit of excellence in surgical science to benefit patients.鈥�
Upon receiving the award, Dr. Montgomery expressed his deep gratitude and humility. 鈥淭he College is the thing that connects all of us together. It鈥檚 our community,鈥� Dr. Montgomery said. 鈥淪o, to be recognized by that gigantic community鈥攁nd there are so many luminaries in that community鈥攊s a really big deal.鈥�
Pioneering Transplant Innovations
Dr. Montgomery鈥檚 career in transplantation surgery began with his education at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, followed by a doctorate in molecular immunology from Balliol College at the University of Oxford. His general surgical training, multi-organ transplantation fellowship, and postdoctoral fellowship in human molecular genetics at Johns Hopkins laid the foundation for his future contributions to the field.
In 2009, as director of the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center, Baltimore, Dr. Montgomery led a four-hospital, 16-person 鈥渄omino kidney transplant鈥� procedure, in which eight incompatible familial donors gave their organs to strangers so their loved ones could receive compatible organs in return.
For more than twenty years at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Montgomery led teams that completed the first three-way paired donations and the first two-way, three-way, four-way, five-way, six-way, and eight-way domino-paired donations. He also co-led the first 10-way open-chain kidney donations and performed the first chain of transplants started by an altruistic donor.
One of Dr. Montgomery鈥檚 most significant achievements is the development of the laparoscopic procedure for live kidney donation, which is now the global standard. He also pioneered long-distance live-donor shipping of kidneys and the Hopkins protocol for desensitizing incompatible kidney transplant patients.
Historic Xenotransplantation Breakthroughs
In 2016, he moved to NYU Langone Health. There, he has vastly expanded transplant services and led the creation of new lung and heart transplant programs, pediatric kidney, heart, lung, and liver programs, and an expansion of the allogeneic bone marrow transplant program.
At NYU Langone, Dr. Montgomery led the team that performed the world鈥檚 first successful investigational pig-to-human kidney xenotransplant, a major step forward in addressing the critical shortage of transplantable organs.
In another groundbreaking procedure under Dr. Montgomery鈥檚 leadership at NYU Langone Health, surgeons performed the first combined mechanical heart pump and gene-edited pig kidney transplant surgery on a 54-year-old woman with heart and kidney failure.
Recognitions and Personal Journey
Dr. Montgomery鈥檚 personal experiences, including a family history of genetic cardiomyopathy and his own heart transplant in 2018, have deepened his commitment to patient advocacy and innovation. His contributions to transplantation surgery exemplify the spirit of the prestigious Jacobson Innovation Award.
A Fellow of the ACSsince 2003, Dr. Montgomery is a past ACSScholar and recipient of the ACSFaculty Fellowship and the ACSGeorge H. A. Clowes Jr., MD, F潘金莲传媒映画, Award.
About the Jacobson Innovation Award
Through the Jacobson Innovation Award, the ACSrecognizes living surgeons who have innovated a new development or technique in any surgical discipline. It was established with a gift from Julius H. Jacobson II, MD, F潘金莲传媒映画, a vascular surgeon known for his innovations in microsurgery, and his wife, Joan.
For more information about Dr. Montgomery鈥檚 achievements and the Jacobson Innovation Award, visit the ACSwebsite.
