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The Transplant History at UAMS The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock Arkansas began its transplant history in 1964 with their first renal transplant. Since then the program has expanded to include heart transplants, kidney/pancreas transplants and in 2005, the addition of a Liver Transplant program. The Liver transplant program headed by Dr. Youmin Wu plans to conduct 20 to 30 liver transplants a year with a potential of 50 to 60 transplants a year, depending on the given need in Arkansas. There are currently around 100 Arkansans on waiting lists to receive a liver transplant. Dr. Youmin Wu joined the UAMS Department of Surgery in 2004 from The University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. He began his medical career in Nanjing, China where he graduated from the Nanjing Medical University in 1982. While doing a residency there he was inspired by a doctor named Thomas Starzl who encouraged him to come to Pittsburgh to further his surgical skills and education. In Pittsburgh Dr. Wu received fellowship training under the leadership of Dr. Starzl, who is known as the "father of liver transplants". Upon completion of his fellowship, Dr. Wu was promoted to faculty status. In 1993, he was recruited to Iowa, where he stayed for more than 10 years. Some of his numerous noteworthy accomplishments include setting four world records in liver transplants, including a record for performing a transplant on the youngest recipient - a 19 day old baby. In 2003 Dr. Wu was included in the "Best Doctor in America" list and he received an award from the Chinese Medical Association in recognition of his contribution to liver transplantation in China. With the addition of the Liver Transplant Program to UAMS, Arkansans will no longer have to travel out of state for this complex and life saving surgery.
Transplant Surgery Office
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