<p>Nidal K. Abdel Muhdi, MD, MHA, FACS, serves as Surgical Director, Pancreas Transplant Program at Montefiore Einstein and Assistant Professor, Surgery at our Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Muhdi&rsquo;s clinical focus encompasses liver, pancreas, and kidney transplantation, with a commitment to improving outcomes for patients with complex conditions.</p><p>After earning his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan, in 2006, Dr. Muhdi completed an internship at King Abdullah University Hospital in 2007 and his general surgery residency there in 2012. That same year, he obtained a specialized degree in medicine and general surgery from Jordan University of Science and Technology. Dr. Muhdi then advanced his training in the United States, completing an abdominal transplant and hepatobiliary surgery fellowship at Montefiore Einstein in 2022 and earning a Master of Health Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2024.</p><p>Dr. Muhdi&rsquo;s research focuses on optimizing outcomes in kidney, pancreas, and liver transplantation, with an emphasis on patient stratification and marginal donor utilization. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals.</p><p>Board certified in General Surgery by the Jordanian Board of Surgery and in Abdominal Transplant Surgery by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), Dr. Muhdi is also a member of prominent professional societies, including the American College of Surgeons (FACS), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (MRCS) and the International College of Surgeons (FICS). Dr. Muhdi is dedicated to advancing transplant medicine through clinical innovation, research, and education, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the lives of his patients.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Dr. Kinkhabwala is an active member of Einstein&rsquo;s NIH-funded Marion Bessin Liver Research Center, where he is working to develop new treatments derived from stem cells for liver diseases, including liver cancer. An expert in complex liver surgery, including liver transplantation, he helped establish the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation, where physicians, surgeons, nurses and other clinicians work with scientists to deliver integrated care for patients with organ failure.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">In addition to transplantation, Dr. Kinkhabwala specializes in hepatobiliary surgery, which involves advanced operative interventions on the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Earlier in his career, Dr. Kinkhabwala established a pancreas transplantation program at Weill Cornell Medical College and co-founded a center for liver disease at Columbia University. He has held leadership roles in the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Society of Transplantation, and the International Liver Transplantation Society. In addition, Dr. Kinkhabwala has participated in several important policy initiatives leading to improvements in the care of living liver donors, including the NIH Adult to Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study.</span></p>

Transplant Surgery<quillbot-extension-portal></quillbot-extension-portal>

Dr. Kinkhabwala's research is focused on conditions of the liver and issues associated with liver transplantation. He has been a participant in numerous research projects, both investigator-initiated and industry-funded.

<p>Milan Kinkhabwala, MD, FACS, is Chief, Division of Transplantation Surgery and Professor of Surgery and Medicine at Montefiore Einstein. He is also Director, Hepatobiliary Cancer at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and Director, Abdominal Transplantation at Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation. He joined the Montefiore team in 2007 to help build the Transplant Center of Excellence, which included the development of a new liver disease program in adults and children.</p><p>In 1985, Dr. Kinkhabwala received his Bachelor of Arts at Cornell University. He then attended Cornell Medical College, where he received his Doctor of Medicine in 1989. Dr. Kinkhabwala began his postgraduate training in 1989 with a 5-year residency in general surgery at New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center. He then completed a fellowship in transplant/hepatobiliary surgery in 1996 at the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine.</p><p>Dr. Kinkhabwala's research is focused on conditions of the liver and issues associated with liver transplantation. He has been a participant in numerous research projects, both investigator-initiated and industry-funded. Beginning in 2014, Dr. Kinkhabwala has been a part of a study aimed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of an antibody drug in renal transplant patients at high risk of delayed graft function. His work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and books, and has been presented nationally.</p><p>From 2013 to 2015, Dr. Kinkhabwala was named one of Castle Connolly's Top Doctors. In 2014 and 2015, he was also named one of New York Magazine's Top Doctors. Dr. Kinkhabwala has been a member of the Board of Directors, New York Organ Donor Network since 2013.</p><p>He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery, and he is a member of multiple professional societies, including the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.</p>

Clinical focus on liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation, Dr. Graham is driven by his passion to improve patient&rsquo;s lives through treating end-organ failure.

Dr. Graham&rsquo;s research focus centers on identifying and addressing disparity issues in transplantation.

<div>
<h3 align="left"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PUBLICATIONS</span></h3>
</div>
<p><strong>Graham JA,</strong> Samstein B. and Emond JC. Early Graft Dysfunction in Living Donor Liver Transplantation and the Small for Size Syndrome. Curr Transpl Rep. 2014 doi: 10.1007/s40472-013-0006-1 &nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Guarrera JV. "Resuscitation" of Marginal Liver Allografts for Transplantation with Machine Perfusion Technology. J Hepatol. 2014 Apr 23. pii:S0168-8278(14)00275-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2014.04.019. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 24768755.</p>
<p>Langan RC, <strong>Graham JA</strong>, Chin AB, Rubinstein AJ, Oza K, Nusbaum JA,Smirniotopoulos J, Kayser R, Jha R, Haddad N, Al-Kawas F, Carroll J, Hanna J, Parker A, Al-Refaie WB, Johnson LB. Laparoscopic-assisted versus open pancreaticoduodenectomy: Early favorable physical quality-of-life measures. Surgery. 2014 Mar 14. pii: S0039-6060(14)00111-1. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2014.03.018. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 24680859.</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Samstein B, Emond JC, Kato T. Functional distal splenorenal shunt and splenic artery ligation as portal flow modulation in left lobe living donor transplantation. Liver Transpl. 2014 Feb;20(2):245-6. doi: 10.1002/lt.23790. Epub 2014 Jan 2. PubMed PMID: 24382656.</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Guarrera JV. Looking into the crystal ball: "The 60-5 criterion"- a newly proposed predictor of severe complications after liver transplantation.&nbsp; Liver Transpl. 2013 Dec 4. doi: 10.1002/lt.23805. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 24307500.</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Ratner LE. A laparoscopic donor nephrectomy in patients with anomalies of the inferior vena cava. Am J Transplant. 2013 Aug;13(8):2222-34.doi: 10.1111/ajt.12262. PubMed PMID: 23890287.</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Kayser R, Smirniotopoulos J, Nusbaum JD, Johnson LB. Probability prediction of a postoperative pancreatic fistula after a pancreaticoduodenectomy allows for more transparency with patients and can facilitate management of expectations. J Surg Oncol. 2013 Aug;108(2):137-8. doi: 10.1002/jso.23362. Epub 2013 Jun 18. PubMed PMID: 23775846.</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Melancon JK, Shetty K, Johnson LB. Liver transplantation should be offered to patients with small solitary hepatocellular carcinoma and a positive serum alpha fetoprotein rather than resection. &nbsp;Am J Surg. 2013 Feb 7. doi:pii:S0002-9610(13)00046-9. 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2012.12.002. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 23395581.</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Newman DA, Smirniotopolous J, Shetty K, Slidell MB, Johnson LB. Transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma in younger patients has an equivocal survival advantage as compared with resection. Transplant Proc. 2013 Jan;45(1):265-71. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2012.07.151. PubMed PMID: 23375313.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Franklin BR, Jackson PG. A Case of Video-assisted Retroperitoneal Debridement in a Patient With HELLP Syndrome. Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2012 Jun;22(3):e152-4. PubMed PMID: 2267833</p>
<p>Johnson LB, <strong>Graham JA</strong>, Weiner DA, Smirniotopoulos J. How does laparoscopic-assisted hepatic resection compare with the conventional open surgical approach? J Am Coll Surg. 2012 Apr;214(4):717-23.</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Smirniotopoulos J, Ozdemirli M, Shetty K, Johnson LB. De novo intra-pancreatic cholangiocarcinoma following liver transplantation for advanced primary sclerosing cholangitis. J Surg Oncol. 2011 Jul 8. doi: 10.1002/jso.22015.[Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 21744350.</p>
<p>Melancon JK, Cummings LS, <strong>Graham J</strong>, Rosen-Bronson S, Light J, Desai CS, Girlanda R, Ghasemian S, Africa J, Johnson LB. Paired kidney donor exchanges and antibody reduction therapy: novel methods to ameliorate disparate access to living donor kidney transplantation in ethnic minorities. J Am Coll Surg. 2011 Apr;212(4):740-5. PubMed PMID: 21463825.</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Johnson LB, Haddad N, Al-Kawas F, Carroll J, Jha R, Wong J, Maglaris D, Mertens S, Fishbein T. A prospective study of prophylactic long-acting octreotide in high-risk patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy. Am J Surg. 2011 Apr;201(4):481-5. PubMed PMID: 21421102.</p>
<p>Miyajima M, Chase CM, Alessandrini A, Farkash EA, Della Pelle P, Benichou G, <strong>Graham JA</strong>, Madsen JC, Russell PS, Colvin RB. Early acceptance of renal allografts in mice is dependent on foxp3(+) cells. Am J Pathol. 2011 Apr;178(4):1635-45. PubMed PMID: 21435448.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Fray M, de Haseth S, Lee KM, Lian MM, Chase CM, Madsen JC, Markmann &nbsp;J, Benichou G, Colvin RB, Cosimi AB, Deng S, Kim J, Alessandrini A. Suppressive Treg cell activity is potentiated by glycogen synthase kinase 3{beta} inhibition. J Biol Chem. 2010 Oct 22;285(43):32852-9. Epub 2010 Aug 20. PubMed. PMID: 20729209; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2963417.</p>
<p><strong>Graham JA</strong>, Wilkinson RA, Hirohashi T, Chase CM, Colvin RB, Madsen JC, Fishman JA, Russell PS. Viral infection induces de novo lesions of coronary allograft vasculopathy through a natural killer cell-dependent pathway. Am J Transplant. 2009 Nov;9(11):2479-84. PubMed PMID: 19843029; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2766593.</p>
<p>Munene G, <strong>Graham JA</strong>, Holt RW, Johnson LB, Marshall HP Jr. Biliary-colonic fistula: a case report and literature review. Am Surg. 2006 Apr;72(4):347-50. Review. PubMed PMID: 16676862.</p>
<p>Liu W, Nichols AF, <strong>Graham JA</strong>, Dualan R, Abbas A, Linn S. Nuclear transport of human DDB protein induced by ultraviolet light. J Biol Chem. 2000 Jul 14;275(28):21429-34. PubMed PMID: 10777491.</p>
<p>Nichols AF, Itoh T, <strong>Graham JA</strong>, Liu W, Yamaizumi M, Linn S. Human damage-specific DNA-binding protein p48. Characterization of XPE mutations and regulation following UV irradiation. J Biol Chem. 2000 Jul 14;275(28):21422-8. PubMed PMID: 10777490.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div>
<h3 align="left"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">BOOK CHAPTERS</span></h3>
</div>
<p><strong>Jay A. Graham M.D</strong>., Lynt B. Johnson M.D., M.B.A. &ldquo;<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Laparoscopic Liver Resection</span>&rdquo;. Current Surgical Therapy 11^th Edition. &nbsp;Ed John L.&nbsp; Cameron and Andrew M. Cameron. Elsevier Mosby, 2013 - Churchill Livingstone, An Imprint of Saunders.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p><strong>Jay A. Graham M.D</strong>., Kirti Shetty M.D., Lynt B. Johnson M.D., M.B.A. &ldquo;<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Hepatic Malignancy: Resection Versus Transplantation</span>&rdquo;. Current Surgical Therapy 10^th Edition. Ed John L.&nbsp; Cameron. Elsevier Mosby, 2010 - Churchill Livingstone, An Imprint of Elsevier.</p>
<p>&nbsp;<strong>Jay A. Graham M.D</strong>. and Lynt B. Johnson M.D. &ldquo;<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Right Hepatectomy</span>&rdquo;. Surgical Pitfalls: Prevention and Management. Ed. Stephen R.T. Evans. Elsevier, Nov 2008.</p>
<p>&nbsp;<strong>Jay A. Graham M.D</strong>. and Lynt B. Johnson M.D. &ldquo;<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Left Hepatectomy</span>&rdquo;. Surgical Pitfalls: Prevention and Management. Ed. Stephen R.T. Evans. Elsevier, Nov 2008.</p>
<p>&nbsp;<strong>Jay A. Graham M.D</strong>. and Patrick Jackson M.D. &ldquo;<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Surgical Pitfalls in Laparoscopic Surgery</span>&rdquo;. Surgical Pitfalls: Prevention and Management. Ed. Stephen R.T. Evans. Elsevier, Nov 2008.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jay Alexander Graham, MD, MBA, FACS, is ASTS Fellowship Program Director and Associate Professor at Montefiore-Einstein. With a clinical focus on liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation, Dr. Graham is driven by his passion to improve patient&rsquo;s lives through treating end-organ failure.</p><p>After completing his Bachelor of Arts in biochemistry in 1998 at University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Graham attended Georgetown University, earning his Doctor of Medicine in 2004. His postdoctoral training began at Georgetown University Hospital, completing a general surgery internship in 2005 and general surgery residency in 2012, acting as chief resident in his final year. From 2006 to 2009, he pursued a surgical research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2014, he completed his abdominal transplant fellowship at Columbia University-NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and in 2017, he received his Executive Masters of Business Administration from Yeshiva University Sy Syms School of Business.</p><p>Dr. Graham&rsquo;s research focus centers on identifying and addressing disparity issues in transplantation. He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts and numerous book chapters. He has also shared his research findings at national and international conferences.</p><p>Dr. Graham is certified by the American Board of Surgery, and is a member of several professional associations including the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons. He is also the director of Helping Hands, a program for transplantation patients at Montefiore that addresses transplantation barriers by providing social support, temporary housing, medication and transportation assistance.</p>

<p>Liver Transplantation and living donor liver transplantation.</p>
<p>Hepato-Biliary surgery.</p>
<p>Pancreas surgery.&nbsp;</p>

Dr. Bellemare&rsquo;s clinical focus is on complex hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer vascular reconstruction.&nbsp;

Dr. Bellemare&rsquo;s research interests build on her clinical focus.&nbsp;

<p>Sarah Bellemare, MD, FRCS, is an attending physician in surgery and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Montefiore-Einstein. She leads the pancreas cancer tumor board at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care and is the UNOS Surgical Director of both the Live Donor Liver Transplant and Pediatric Liver Transplant Programs at Montefiore-Einstein. A recognized master surgeon, Dr. Bellemare&rsquo;s clinical focus is on complex hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer vascular reconstruction. She is also skilled in minimally invasive cancer surgery and is a core member of the multidisciplinary liver and pancreas cancer teams.</p><p>After earning her Doctor of Medicine in 1996 at Laval University, Quebec, Dr. Bellemare started her postdoctoral training with a general surgery residency at University of Montreal, completing it in 2001. From 2002 to 2004, she pursued a fellowship at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Columbia University, developing her skills in liver transplantation, living donor liver transplantation, pediatric liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery. To further develop her minimally invasive surgery skills, she completed a course on the use of the Da Vinci Robot in 2003 and a minimally invasive hepatobiliary surgery course in 2006.</p><p>Dr. Bellemare&rsquo;s research interests build on her clinical focus. She has contributed to several studies published in peer-reviewed journals, and has also shared her research through abstracts and invited lectures.</p><p>In recognition of her outstanding patient care and humanism, Dr. Bellemare was the first and only surgeon to receive Montefiore Medical Center&rsquo;s prestigious Physician of the Year award in 2019. She is a member of several professional organizations including the International Hepato-pancreato-biliary association, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and the Quebec Transplant Society.</p>