David P Foley, MD

Professor

  • Folkert O. Belzer Chair, Division of Transplantation
  • Program Director, Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship

foley@surgery.wisc.edu
(608) 263-2527

Clinical Science Center
600 Highland Avenue
Madison WI 53792

Education

  • MD, Boston University
  • General Surgery Residency, University of Massachusetts Medical School
  • Surgical Research Fellowship, University of Massachusetts Department of Surgery
  • Transplant Surgical Fellow, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, WI

Honors

Castle Connolly America’s Top Doctors Surgery

Madison Magazine Top Docs 2016 Award Surgery, Transplantation

Avant-Garde Health General Surgery Research All-Stars (2024)

Dr. Foley is involved with the following professional societies:

  • American Society of Transplant Surgeons
  • American Society of Transplantation
  • American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  • Association for Academic Surgery
  • Surgical Biology Club II
  • Society of University Surgeons
  • Central Surgical Association
  • Transplantation Society
  • Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association
  • International Liver Transplant Society

Dr. Foley has been very active in leadership positions in national surgical and transplant societies. He has served as Co-Chair for the Grants Review Committee for the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. He served on the Executive Committee for the Association for Academic Surgery and Co-Chair of the Education Committee. He has been the Co-Chair and Chair of the Executive Committee for the Liver and Intestine Community of Practice for the American Society of Transplantation.

Clinical Specialties

Dr. Foley is certified by the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery. Dr. Foley’s clinical focus is in liver and kidney transplantation.

Research Interests

Dr. Foley’s clinical research interests include studying protective strategies to decrease organ damage and enhance organ function after kidney and liver transplantation. Dr. Foley focuses on identifying and modifying clinical risk factors that lead to poor liver function after liver transplantation. These include studying the use of older donor livers, livers recovered from donation after circulatory determination of death donors, and livers with steatosis. In addition, Dr. Foley leads clinical studies aimed at decreasing delayed kidney function after kidney transplantation.

Dr. Foley’s basic research efforts are focused on identifying novel protective strategies to minimize ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in liver and kidney transplantation. More specifically, his laboratory investigates the cell-specific effects of augmenting endogenous antioxidant pathways in the setting of hepatic and renal IRI. Activation of these pathways in a cell-specific manner can decrease oxidative stress and may promote cellular recovery from these deleterious processes. The ultimate goal is to discover new pharmacologic therapies that can decrease IRI and improve organ function after kidney and liver transplantation.

Recent Publications

  • ASO Visual Abstract: Racial Disparities in Liver Transplant for Hepatitis C-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
    Bennett FJ, Keilson JM, Turgeon MK, Oppat KM, Warren EAK, Shah SA, Agopian VG, Magliocca JF, Cameron A, Orloff SL, Kubal CA, Cannon RM, Akoad ME, Emamaullee J, Aucejo F, Vagefi PA, Nguyen MH, Dhanireddy K, Kazimi MM, Sonnenday CJ, Foley DP, Abdouljoud M, Sudan DL, Humar A, Doyle MBM, Chapman WC, Maithel SK
    Ann Surg Oncol 2024 Oct 29;
    [PubMed ID: 39470892]

  • ASO Visual Abstract: Hepatic Resection as the Primary Treatment Modality for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Following Orthotopic Liver Transplantation.
    Matar AJ, Oppat KM, Bennett FJ, Warren EAK, Wehrle CJ, Li Z, Rajendran L, Rokop ZP, Kubal C, Biesterveld BE, Foley DP, Maeda M, Nguyen MH, Elinoff B, Humar A, Moris D, Sudan D, Klein J, Emamaullee J, Agopian V, Vagefi PA, Dualeh SHA, Sonnenday CJ, Sapisochin G, Aucejo FN, Maithel SK
    Ann Surg Oncol 2024 Oct 26;
    [PubMed ID: 39460817]

  • Racial Disparities in Liver Transplant for Hepatitis C-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
    Bennett FJ, Keilson JM, Turgeon MK, Oppat KM, Warren EAK, Shah SA, Agopian VG, Magliocca JF, Cameron A, Orloff SL, Kubal CA, Cannon RM, Akoad ME, Emamaullee J, Aucejo F, Vagefi PA, Nguyen MH, Dhanireddy K, Kazimi MM, Sonnenday CJ, Foley DP, Abdouljoud M, Sudan DL, Humar A, Doyle MBM, Chapman WC, Maithel SK
    Ann Surg Oncol 2024 Oct 16;
    [PubMed ID: 39414703]

  • Renal autotransplant as a definitive treatment for nutcracker syndrome: A multicenter retrospective study.
    Philip JL, Saben J, Meram E, Steinberg T, Lauer K, Malamon J, Pomfret E, Nydam T, Foley DP, Pshak T
    J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord 2024 Sep 24; 101983
    [PubMed ID: 39326788]

  • ASO Author Reflections: Hepatic Resection as the Primary Treatment Modality for Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Orthotopic Liver Transplantation.
    Matar AJ, Oppat KM, Bennett FJ, Warren EAK, Wehrle CJ, Li Z, Rajendran L, Rokop ZP, Kubal C, Biesterveld BE, Foley DP, Maeda M, Nguyen MH, Elinoff B, Humar A, Moris D, Sudan D, Klein J, Emamaullee J, Agopian V, Vagefi PA, Dualeh SHA, Sonnenday CJ, Sapisochin G, Aucejo FN, Maithel SK
    Ann Surg Oncol 2024 Dec; 31(13): 9223-9224
    [PubMed ID: 39277547]

All Publications on PubMed