Benjamin Philosophe, M.D.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 15, 2005
Contact: Bill Seiler bseiler@umm.edu
Ellen Beth Levitt eblevitt@umm.edu 410-328-8919

TRANSPLANT SURGEON BENJAMIN PHILOSOPHE PROMOTED TO LEAD UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND DIVISION OF TRANSPLANTATION

University of Maryland transplant program is one of nation’s largest and most prominent

Benjamin Philosophe, M.D., Ph.D., a surgeon who specializes in liver, pancreas and kidney transplants at the University of Maryland Medical Center, has been chosen to head the University of Maryland’s Division of Transplantation. In that capacity, Dr. Philosophe, who is also an associate professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will lead one of the nation’s largest transplant programs,

Dr. Philosophe succeeds Stephen T. Bartlett, M.D., who was recently promoted to be Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Chief of Surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

“Ben has made significant contributions to our program, especially to the field of liver and pancreas transplantation over the past seven years. He will be an excellent, thoughtful leader for our Division of Transplantation,” says Dr. Bartlett.

Dr. Philosophe came to the University of Maryland in 1997 as a fellow, and then joined the faculty in 1998. Since then, he has helped develop the medical center’s living donor liver program, in which part of the liver from a living donor provides a lifesaving transplant for a person in liver failure.

Dr. Philosophe’s research focuses on the role of the liver in preventing organ rejection following a transplant. In 2001, he published a large, authoritative study demonstrating that a particular surgical approach could significantly reduce organ rejection among people who have a pancreas transplant. He showed that connecting a transplanted pancreas to the blood vessel that drains into the liver, instead of the traditional technique of bypassing the liver, helps the body’s immune system to become more tolerant of the new organ, decreasing rejection.

Dr. Philosophe received his medical degree and his Ph.D at Boston University. He did his surgical residency at Barnes Hospital, Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis before coming to the University of Maryland. Born in Lebanon and raised in Montreal, Dr. Philosophe also speaks French and Hebrew.

“My goal is to ensure that our Division of Transplantation continues to be a national leader in patient care and research,” says Dr. Philosophe. “We must continuously look at improving surgical techniques and applying minimally invasive approaches. We must also put more emphasis on bridging the gap between laboratory research and clinical practice, so we can translate the discoveries made by our division’s basic scientists into practical ways to advance patient care.”

###

For patient inquiries, call 1-800-492-5538 or click here to make an appointment.

This page was last updated on: August 29, 2012.