Graduated Fellows Dr. Peter Than and Dr. Aleah Brubaker with Transplant PA Humberto "Tito" Monge and Program Director Dr. Marc Melcher
STANFORD ABDOMINAL TRANSPLANTATION SURGERY FELLOWSHIP
Accredited by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)
Abdominal Transplantation Fellow Sue Fu, MD in the Operating Room
Thomas Pham, MD
Director, Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship
A message from the Program Director
Thank you for your interest in our Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship. Choosing where to complete your transplant training is one of the most consequential decisions of your surgical career, and we are honored that you are considering our program.
For three decades, our division has trained surgeons who have gone on to lead transplant programs across the country and around the world. Our fellows benefit from one of the busiest clinical services in the nation, performing the full breadth of liver, kidney, pancreas, and intestinal transplantation — including living-donor operations and complex hepatobiliary surgery.
Just as important as operative volume is the culture of mentorship that defines this fellowship. You will be trained shoulder-to-shoulder with faculty who are personally invested in your growth as a surgeon, a scholar, and a leader. We expect our fellows to leave not only technically excellent, but prepared to advance the science of transplantation.
We look forward to learning more about you, and to the possibility of welcoming you to our transplant family.
With warm regards,
Thomas Pham, MD
A Culture of Mentorship — Recognized at the Highest Level
Mentorship isn't a side benefit of our fellowship; it's the value the entire program is built on. That commitment has been recognized by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons through its Francis D. Moore Award — named for one of the founding figures of transplant surgery and given for excellence in mentorship in the field. Our division is one of very few to count two recipients among its faculty, a distinction that reflects a program-wide dedication to developing the next generation of transplant surgeons.
Dr. Carlos Esquivel received the prestigious, 2015 Francis Moore Mentorship in the Field of Transplant Surgery award.
Dr. Stephan Busque receives 2026 Francis Moore Mentorship in the Field of Transplant Surgery award.
About the Fellowship
The mission of our Abdominal Transplant Fellowship Program is to train the future leaders in organ transplantation. This highly competitive fellowship accepts two applicants each year through the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) fellowship match.
The two-year program provides advanced training in liver, kidney, pancreas, and intestinal transplantation. Fellows also receive training in laparoscopic donor nephrectomies, living-donor liver operations, deceased-donor procedures, pre- and post-surgical transplant management, and hepatobiliary surgery, plus extensive experience in pediatric transplantation at one of the busiest pediatric transplant programs in the country.
Our large clinical volume, coupled with a strong academic and basic-science environment, makes this fellowship a premier training program. We expect our trainees to emerge technically expert in clinical transplantation and as scholars in the immunology and science underpinning the field.
Clinical Responsibilities - What our Fellows do
Fellows take an active, graduated role across the full continuum of transplant care — from candidate evaluation to procurement, transplantation, and long-term follow-up.
Fellowship Application Information
Application Website (Must use SF Match Central Application Service)
The Abdominal Transplant Surgery Match will be administered through the San Francisco Match and will feature a central application service. Applicants will be required to submit a distribution list and will pay according to the number of programs they apply to. To review the distribution fees and more information, visit the SF Match website. The application was developed by the ASTS Fellowship Training Committee.
Requirements
- Must have completed general surgery training by start date of our fellowship (August 1st of each year)
- Must be eligible for obtaining a California State Medical License
Important Dates
- The application site will open mid-January
- Applications are due by March 1st
- Interviews will occur from March to May of each year
Fellowship Team
For Administrative Questions:
Division of Abdominal Transplantation
Stanford University School of Medicine
750 Welch Road, Suite 319
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Cynthia Levya, Administrative Associate
e: cleyva@stanford.edu
p: (650) 498-6248
