The Long Road to Pancreatic Islet Transplantation

Excerpt

One of us (M.A.H.) has known Dr. Eric Rose since he was a resident at Columbia University, then when he became a fellow in cardiothoracic surgery, and later, when he became a director, first of the heart transplantation program, then of the Cardiothoracic Division, and finally as Valentine Mott/Johnson & Johnson Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, a position he has held for the last 14 years. Having this long relationship with Dr. Rose, I was not sure where or how to begin this tribute to my former resident, long-time colleague and collaborator, and eventually director. It was as an innovative and courageous Chairman that Dr. Rose had a major impact on me when he appointed me as a Residency Program Director. Through his remarkable interest and support of educational changes, the surgical residency at Columbia-NY Presbyterian Hospital has become one of the leading programs in the country. But the greatest inspiration that Dr. Rose brought to the Department of Surgery was his fearless and relentless support of ventures into the unknown. When faced with formalizing heart transplantation as a junior faculty member, he went on to lay the foundation for the largest heart transplant program in the world; when challenged by development and lack of acceptance of left ventricular assist devices, he guided their approval after appropriate multi-institutional studies had led to their adoption as standard of care. His influence extended to the support of a Pancreatic Islet Transplantation Program inspired by his predecessor and mentor, Dr. Keith Reemtsma. Doctor Rose invested in and encouraged both the clinical and experimental development of this program under my guidance as part of his dedication to innovation. …