Ronald W. Busuttil

Ronald W. Busuttil is a Maltese-American surgeon and a preeminent leader in the field of organ transplantation, particularly liver transplantation. He is the Distinguished Professor and Executive Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the founder of the internationally renowned UCLA Liver Transplant Program. His pioneering clinical work and extensive research have significantly advanced the techniques and outcomes of liver transplantation, establishing him as one of the most influential figures in modern transplant surgery.

Early life and education

Ronald W. Busuttil was born on October 24, 1945, in Valletta, Malta. He pursued his initial medical education at the University of Malta, earning his medical degree. Seeking further surgical training, he moved to the United Kingdom, where he obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh. His doctoral research focused on liver ischemia, laying an early foundation for his future career. He then completed his residency in general surgery in the United States, followed by a fellowship in transplant surgery at the University of Minnesota under the mentorship of pioneering transplant surgeon John S. Najarian.

Career and research

Busuttil joined the faculty at the UCLA in 1978 and shortly thereafter founded the UCLA Liver Transplant Program in 1984. Under his leadership, the program grew to become one of the largest and most successful in the world, performing thousands of transplants. His research has spanned critical areas including organ preservation, immunosuppression, and the expansion of donor criteria, such as the use of donation after cardiac death livers and split-liver transplantation. He has held numerous leadership roles, including Director of the UCLA Dumont-UCLA Transplant Center and Chief of the Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation. His work has been instrumental in developing protocols that improved patient survival and expanded access to transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and other end-stage liver diseases.

Awards and honors

Throughout his career, Busuttil has received many prestigious awards recognizing his contributions to surgery and transplantation. These include the American Surgical Association's Medallion for Scientific Achievement, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons Pioneer Award, and the International Liver Transplantation Society Distinguished Service Award. He has been honored with the UCLA Faculty Research Lecturer award, the highest academic honor bestowed by the university. He is an elected member of several esteemed societies, including the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the American Surgical Association.

Selected publications

Busuttil is the author or co-author of over **800** peer-reviewed articles and numerous textbook chapters. He is the co-editor of the definitive textbook "**Transplantation of the Liver**," a major reference work in the field. Other significant publications include pivotal studies on the outcomes of living donor liver transplantation, management of hepatitis C recurrence post-transplant, and the long-term survival benefits of transplantation for cholangiocarcinoma. His extensive publication record has been published in leading journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Annals of Surgery, and Liver Transplantation.

Personal life

Busuttil maintains a strong connection to his Maltese heritage and is a dual citizen of Malta and the United States. He is known as a dedicated mentor who has trained generations of transplant surgeons now leading programs across the globe. Outside of medicine, he has an interest in history and classical music. He and his wife have supported various educational and charitable initiatives, both in Los Angeles and in Malta.

Category:American surgeons Category:Transplant surgeons Category:University of California, Los Angeles faculty Category:Maltese emigrants to the United States Category:1945 births Category:Living people