Meet the Team

At Ochsner, we truly function as a team made up of physicians, advance practice providers, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, social workers, financial coordinators and other healthcare providers. Your transplant coordinator will be there for you whenever you need her, walking you through the process every step of the way.

For the convenience of our patients, we schedule pre-transplant medical, psychosocial and financial consultations all on the same day. And after transplantation, Ochsner closely monitors all patients. We take pride in creating an environment that supports the needs of our patients and their families.

Ari J. Cohen, MD, Medical Director of Multi-Organ Transplant Institute, Section Head of Transplant Surgery

Reinaldo Rampolio, MD, Medical Director, Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute Lung Transplant Program

George E. Loss Jr, MD, Associate Medical Director and System Chairman, Department of Surgery Chief, Multi-Organ Transplant Institute

Jorge C. Garces, MD, Associate Program Director, Nephrology Fellowship Training Program Associate Professor of Medicine, Louisiana State University Transplant Nephrologist

Nigel Girgraph, MD, Section Head, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Shobha Joshi, MD, Director, Hepatology Research Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine and Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine

Humberto E. Bohorquez, MD, Transplant Surgeon, Section of Abdominal Organ Transplantation

Shobha Joshi, MD, Director, Hepatology Research, Transplant Hepatologist

Natalie H. Bzowej, MD, Director of Liver Transplant Heptology Research, Transplant Hepatologist

David S. Bruce, MD

Emily Bugeaud, MD, PhD

Ian C. Carmody, MD

Nyan Latt, MD

Pinky Patel, MD

Dennis Sonnier, MD

George Therapondos, MD

Gia Tyson, MD

Anna McDermott, PA-C

Tara Redwantz, APRN

Dana A. Paddock, AGPC, NP-C, APRN, MSN

Research

Our hepatologists are leading the nation with cutting-edge clinical research, including treatment of viral hepatitis that allows many patients to avoid transplantation. Research is also being done at Ochsner on liver cancer and fatty liver disease. Click here to learn more.

Who Needs a Liver Transplant?

When a liver function test verifies that the liver is not functioning properly as a result of liver damage, liver disease or liver failure, a transplant may be required. The following may lead to the need for a transplantation:

• Liver cancer
• Liver tumors
• Liver sclerosis/Liver cirrhosis caused by chronic hepatitis C
• Fatty liver disease (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis)
• Alcoholic liver disease
• Biliary atresia
• Urea cycle disorders
• Familial hypercholesterolemia
• Autoimmune diseases
• Bad reactions to over the counter or prescription medicines, illegal drugs, and herbal medicines
• Blockage of the blood vessels to the liver
• Genetic disorders
• Toxins

Acute liver failure maybe caused by:

• Autoimmune diseases
• Bad reactions to over the counter or prescription medicines, illegal drugs, and herbal medicines
• Blockage of the blood vessels to the liver
• Genetic disorders
• Toxins
• Viral hepatitis

Liver Cancer Treatment

Liver cancer symptoms include:

• Abdominal swelling
• Fatigue
• General weakness
• Jaundice
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Unexplained weight loss
• Upper abdominal pain
• Vomiting.
• White, chalky stools

If you have symptoms of liver cancer, schedule an appointment today.

What Referring Physicians Need to Know

The Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute provides consistent follow-up information to all referring physicians via written correspondence. You’ll be kept abreast of initial clinic visits, surgery, hospital discharge and routine follow-up visits to the clinic. After surgery, our team continues to monitor for transplant-related complications and regulates maintenance immunosuppression.

To refer a patient to one of the best liver transplant hospitals in the country, call our 24-hour Referral Hotline: 1-800-643-1635 or email referrals to: LiverTransplant@Ochsner.org.