Transplant Specialist And Policy-Maker Andrew S. Klein Receives Endowed Chair

Andrew S. Klein, director of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Comprehensive Transplant Center, will receive the Esther and Mark Schulman Endowed Chair in Surgery and Transplant Medicine in a May 31 ceremony. A pioneer in transplantation surgery and research, Klein plays a significant role in shaping the nation’s organ transplant policies.  

Los Angeles - June 1, 2006 - Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has awarded the Esther and Mark Schulman Endowed Chair in Surgery and Transplant Medicine to Andrew S. Klein, MD, in recognition of his national achievements in the field of transplant medicine.

Klein, director of the medical center’s Comprehensive Transplant Center, received his endowed chair on May 31 at a special ceremony in Cedars-Sinai’s Harvey Morse Auditorium.

A pioneer in transplantation surgery and research, Klein has played a significant role in setting the nation’s organ transplant policies. He was elected secretary of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in 2004 and is currently chairman of its Living Donor Transplant Committee. He will use the endowment to further enhance the medical center’s clinical and academic leadership in transplantation.

“My goal is for Cedars-Sinai to not only thrive in the competitive environment of organ transplantation, but to also assume a leadership role,” Klein said. “That means defining a model that successfully integrates clinical excellence, innovative science and a commitment to educate the next generation of transplant professionals.”

Klein emphasizes a comprehensive, patient-centered perspective.

”We will be developing multi-disciplinary, disease-focused teams designed to support, rejuvenate and revitalize patients with organ failure. This approach will promote a responsive working group that adapts to the rapidly changing healthcare environment,” Klein said.

Klein joined Cedars-Sinai in 2004, after more than 20 years of experience at Johns Hopkins University, where he served as chief of the Division of Transplantation and founding director of the Comprehensive Transplant Center.
    
To date, there are 34 endowed chairs at Cedars-Sinai. The Esther and Mark Schulman Endowed Chair in Surgery and Transplant Medicine is a permanent chair that was originally bestowed to Cedars-Sinai in 1998.   

“I am honored to receive this award and I appreciate Cedars-Sinai’s confidence in my ability to oversee its transplant initiatives,” Klein said.