Robert A. Montgomery, MD, DPhil, FACS, receives NKF’s Excellence in Transplantation Award
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Key takeaways:
- Montogomery spearheaded surgical innovations, such as the laparoscopic procedure and the domino paired donation.
- NKF presented Montgomery with the award at its Spring Clinical Meetings.
The National Kidney Foundation awarded Robert A. Montgomery, MD, DPhil, FACS, its Excellence in Transplantation Award for his work and innovations in transplantation surgery.
The award was presented at the NKF Spring Clinical Meetings in Long Beach, California.
Montgomery is the H. Leon Pachter chairman and professor of surgery at New York University (NYU) Langone Health and director of the NYU Transplant Institute.
Montgomery has played a critical role in transplantation surgery, spearheading innovations such as the laparoscopic procedure for live kidney donation, according to a press release. He was the driving force behind the conception and execution of domino paired donation and the Hopkins procedure for desensitization of incompatible kidney transplant patients.
Montgomery led the surgical teams that performed the first two-way domino paired donation, three-way paired donation, three-way domino paired donation and eight-way multi-institutional domino paired donation. He also co-led the first 10-way open chain.
In 2021, Montgomery presided over the NYU Langone surgical team that performed the first successful gene-edited pig-to-human kidney xenotransplant.
“It is a tremendous honor to receive this award from a patient-based organization like the National Kidney Foundation,” Montgomery said in the release. “As a transplant surgeon and heart transplant recipient, I have walked in the shoes of those patients and know the challenges they face and the hopes they hold for a better future. I am deeply committed to improving outcomes for kidney patients and addressing the critical shortage of organs. I am so grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the NKF’s mission and to continue advocating for advancements in transplantation.”
As a heart-transplant recipient, Montgomery has a personal and professional interest in addressing the organ shortage crisis and advocating for patients in need of transplants, according to the release. He supports efforts to increase organ donation and advance xenotransplantation research.
“We are honored to recognize Dr. Robert A. Montgomery with the prestigious Excellence in Transplantation Award,” Sylvia E. Rosas, MD, MSCE, president of NKF, said in the release. “His groundbreaking contributions to the field of transplantation have saved countless lives [and] provided not only innovation but hope. Dr. Montgomery’s unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and addressing the organ shortage crisis embodies the spirit of excellence and compassion that defines the [NKF’s] mission. Every interested kidney failure patient should have timely access to transplantation.”