Education

• MD, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Jose Maria Vargas School of Medinice, Caracas, Venezuela, 1981-1987
• Fellowship, Transplant Surgery, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, WI, 2000-2003
• Chief Resident, General Surgery, University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL, 1999-2000
• Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Miami Diabetes Research Institute, Miami, FL, 1995-1997
• Residency, General Surgery, University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL, 1993-2000

Clinical Specialties

Dr. Fernandez is certified by the American Board of Surgery. He specializes in pancreas, liver, islet cell, and renal transplantation.

Dr. Fernandez provides a wide range of services including Kidney Transplant, Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy, Liver Resection, Liver Transplant, and Wedge Resection of the Liver.

Research Interests

Dr. Fernandez’s research interests include pancreas, liver, islet cell, and renal transplantation.

Islet Research Lab

Active Clinical Trials

• Calcineurin Inhibitor-free, Steroid-free Immunosuppressive Regimen in Simultaneous Islet-Kidney Transplantation for Uremic Type 1 Diabetic Patients
  Principal Investigator(s): Luis A Fernandez, MD
  Status: Recruiting
  [ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01033500]
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Recent Publications

• Early Metabolic Markers that Anticipate Loss of Insulin Independence in Type 1 Diabetic Islet Allograft Recipients.
  Hirsch D, Odorico J, Danobeitia JS, Alejandro R, Rickels MR, Hanson M, Radke N, Baidal D, Hullett D, Naji A, Ricordi C, Kaufman D, Fernandez L
  American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons 2012 Feb 2.
  [PubMed ID: 22300172]
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• Ground-level falls: 9-year cumulative experience in a regionalized trauma system.
  Cook A, Cade A, King B, Berne J, Fernandez L, Norwood S
  Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent) 2012 Jan; 25(1):6-12.
  [PubMed ID: 22275774, PMC ID: 3246844]
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• Donation after cardiac death: a 29-year experience.
  Bellingham JM, Santhanakrishnan C, Neidlinger N, Wai P, Kim J, Niederhaus S, Leverson GE, Fernandez LA, Foley DP, Mezrich JD, Odorico JS, Love RB, De Oliveira N, Sollinger HW, D'Alessandro AM
  Surgery 2011 Oct; 150(4):692-702.
  [PubMed ID: 22000181]
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• Simultaneous liver and kidney transplantation using donation after cardiac death donors: a brief report.
  LaMattina JC, Mezrich JD, Fernandez LA, D'Alessandro AM, Bellingham JM, Musat AI, Foley DP
  Liver Transpl. 2011 May; 17(5):591-5.
  [PubMed ID: 21506247, PMC ID: 3088423]
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• Biliary Complications After Liver Transplantation From Donation After Cardiac Death Donors: An Analysis of Risk Factors and Long-term Outcomes From a Single Center.
  Foley DP, Fernandez LA, Leverson G, Anderson M, Mezrich J, Sollinger HW, D'alessandro A
  Ann. Surg. 2011 Apr; 253(4):817-25.
  [PubMed ID: 21358537]
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• Biliary complications after liver transplantation from donation after cardiac death donors: an analysis of risk factors and long-term outcomes from a single center.
  Foley DP, Fernandez LA, Leverson G, Anderson M, Mezrich J, Sollinger HW, D'Alessandro A
  Ann. Surg. 2011 Apr; 253(4):817-25.
  [PubMed ID: 21475025, PMC ID: 3103075]
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• Differences between human and rodent pancreatic islets: low pyruvate carboxylase, atp citrate lyase, and pyruvate carboxylation and high glucose-stimulated acetoacetate in human pancreatic islets.
  MacDonald MJ, Longacre MJ, Stoker SW, Kendrick M, Thonpho A, Brown LJ, Hasan NM, Jitrapakdee S, Fukao T, Hanson MS, Fernandez LA, Odorico J
  J. Biol. Chem. 2011 May 27; 286(21):18383-96.
  [PubMed ID: 21454710, PMC ID: 3099655]
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• The significance of donor-specific HLA antibodies in rejection and ductopenia development in ABO compatible liver transplantation.
  Musat AI, Agni RM, Wai PY, Pirsch JD, Lorentzen DF, Powell A, Leverson GE, Bellingham JM, Fernandez LA, Foley DP, Mezrich JD, D'Alessandro AM, Lucey MR
  Am. J. Transplant. 2011 Mar; 11(3):500-10.
  [PubMed ID: 21342448]
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• Pretransplant donor-specific antibodies detected by single-antigen bead flow cytometry are associated with inferior kidney transplant outcomes.
  Singh N, Djamali A, Lorentzen D, Pirsch JD, Leverson G, Neidlinger N, Voss B, Torrealba JR, Hofmann RM, Odorico J, Fernandez LA, Sollinger HW, Samaniego M
  Transplantation 2010 Nov 27; 90(10):1079-84.
  [PubMed ID: 21293194]
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• Correction of insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal after pancreatic islet transplantation: preliminary results.
  Hirsch D, Odorico J, Radke N, Hanson M, Danobeitia JS, Hullett D, Alejandro R, Ricordi C, Fernandez LA
  Diabetes Obes Metab 2010 Nov; 12(11):994-1003.
  [PubMed ID: 20880346]
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• FoxM1 is up-regulated by obesity and stimulates beta-cell proliferation.
  Davis DB, Lavine JA, Suhonen JI, Krautkramer KA, Rabaglia ME, Sperger JM, Fernandez LA, Yandell BS, Keller MP, Wang IM, Schadt EE, Attie AD
  Mol. Endocrinol. 2010 Sep; 24(9):1822-34.
  [PubMed ID: 20660304, PMC ID: 2940473]
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• A simplified approach to human islet quality assessment.
  Hanson MS, Park EE, Sears ML, Greenwood KK, Danobeitia JS, Hullett DA, Fernandez LA
  Transplantation 2010 May 27; 89(10):1178-88.
  [PubMed ID: 20182409, PMC ID: 2948961]
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• Multicenter analysis of novel and established variables associated with successful human islet isolation outcomes.
  Kaddis JS, Danobeitia JS, Niland JC, Stiller T, Fernandez LA
  Am. J. Transplant. 2010 Mar; 10(3):646-56.
  [PubMed ID: 20055802, PMC ID: 2860018]
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• Validation of methodologies for quantifying isolated human islets: an Islet Cell Resources study.
  Kissler HJ, Niland JC, Olack B, Ricordi C, Hering BJ, Naji A, Kandeel F, Oberholzer J, Fernandez L, Contreras J, Stiller T, Sowinski J, Kaufman DB
  Clin Transplant 2010 Mar-Apr; 24(2):236-42.
  [PubMed ID: 19719726, PMC ID: 3166241]
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• IL-1beta receptor blockade protects islets against pro-inflammatory cytokine induced necrosis and apoptosis.
  Schwarznau A, Hanson MS, Sperger JM, Schram BR, Danobeitia JS, Greenwood KK, Vijayan A, Fernandez LA
  J. Cell. Physiol. 2009 Aug; 220(2):341-7.
  [PubMed ID: 19334038, PMC ID: 2890273]
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• Recurrent atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome associated with factor I mutation in a living related renal transplant recipient.
  Chan MR, Thomas CP, Torrealba JR, Djamali A, Fernandez LA, Nishimura CJ, Smith RJ, Samaniego MD
  Am. J. Kidney Dis. 2009 Feb; 53(2):321-6.
  [PubMed ID: 18805611, PMC ID: 2879708]
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• Can 'extreme' pancreas donors expand the donor pool?
  Neidlinger NA, Odorico JS, Sollinger HW, Fernandez LA
  Curr Opin Organ Transplant 2008 Feb; 13(1):67-71.
  [PubMed ID: 18660709]
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