Dow, Chicago University pair up for liver transplants

The liver transplant programme at the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) Karachi has quickly achieved another milestone by pairing up with the University of Chicago’s programme, DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Saeed Quraishy told The News on Saturday.

“This pairing up with the University of Chicago has been done under the initiative of the International Liver Transplantation Society and The Transplantation Society, which are considered benchmark societies in the field of liver transplants globally.”

He said that this pairing programme has basically been initiated to facilitate the vital multidisciplinary training as well as an exchange of knowledge and expertise.

This blend will benefit both university programmes, as the US programme is involved in global health, and promotes ethical and competent transplantation, while Dow’s youngest transplant team hopes to grab this opportunity to make a mark globally, he added.

He said that by this pairing programme, teams at both centres aim to share transplant protocols, have online multidisciplinary meetings, conduct symposia and lectures, and bring best patient outcomes. Not only this, but the teams have plans to visit each other’s centres for learning and bringing modifications wherever necessary, he added.

“This has been possible under the guidance of Dr Sohail Rao, chief scientific adviser to vice chancellor,” Dr Quraishy said, adding that they have constituted the youngest team of transplant surgeons and transplant hepatologists, being led by Dr Jahanzaib Haider, which is doing a marvellous job.

The teams at both the centres have expressed hope that they would prosper in the field as well as give their best for the betterment of their patients, the DUHS VC said.