Rajeev Sharma, MD, FACS

Associate Professor, Transplant Surgery

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Medicine

Department:

Surgery

Classification:

Faculty

• MBBS, Dr Sampurnanand Medical College, Jodhpur, India

Education:

• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.), Dr. S.N. Medical College, Jodhpur, India, 2000

Residency and Fellowships:

• Fellowship in Pediatric Abdominal Transplant Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, 2013
• Fellowship in Abdominal Transplant Surgery (Kidney, Pancreas, and Liver), McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 2012 (accredited by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons)
• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Solid Organ Transplantation, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, 2009
• Senior Residency (aka Fellowship) in General Surgical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, 2007
• Master of Surgery (M.S.) in General Surgery, Sawai Man Singh Medical College and Hospitals, Jaipur, India, 2003

Certifications:
01/2024: Certified Abdominal Transplant Surgeon, Transplant Accreditation and
Certification Council (TACC)
10/2016: Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons (F.A.C.S.)
09/2013: Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Univ. of the State of NY, Albany, NY (Honorary)
10/2008: Educational commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) Certification
09/2006: Diplomate of National Board (D.N.B) in General Surgery, India

Titles:
Associate Professor of Surgery
Surgical Director of Kidney Transplant Program
Primary Kidney Transplant Surgeon
Primary Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy Surgeon

Biographical Statement
            I am a transplant surgeon with 13 plus years of attending-level experience in abdominal organ transplantation in United States. I completed my general surgery residency at Sawai Man Singh Medical College and Hospitals in Jaipur, India, earning a Master of Surgery (M.S.) degree and a Diplomate of the National Board (D.N.B.) in General Surgery from the National Board of Examinations, New Delhi, India. I subsequently worked as a Registrar (aka senior resident) in multiorgan transplant at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi and then completed senior residency training (aka fellowship) in General Surgical Oncology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.

            After completing a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship in solid organ transplantation at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY, I completed an American Society of Transplant Surgeons-accredited fellowship in abdominal transplant surgery at Northwestern University, with certification in liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation. I then completed an additional fellowship in pediatric abdominal transplant surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC in Pittsburgh, PA. I am a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Certified Abdominal Transplant Surgeon (Transplant Accreditation and Certification Council).

            Before joining WVU Medicine, I led the Wayne Health/DMC–Harper University Hospital Transplant Program in Detroit as its program director and primary kidney transplant surgeon. I also served as Director of Transplant Research Operations at the Henry Ford Transplant Institute and as Director of the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Programs at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where I also served as the Primary Kidney and Primary Pancreas transplant surgeon. Earlier in my career, I served as the primary laparoscopic donor nephrectomy surgeon at the University at Buffalo and Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, NY.

            My national professional service focuses on transplant policy, program leadership, finance, organ allocation, education, and equitable access to transplantation. I currently serve as Chair of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons' Business Practice Services Committee and as the Region 2 representative on the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Kidney Transplantation Committee (OPTN). I have served on the ASTS Business Practice Services Committee since 2019. Through this work, I have helped develop national educational programs in transplant leadership and finance, including the ASTS Leadership Development Program and the ASTS Liver and Kidney Financial Bootcamp. I also serve as a Business mentor at ASTS and was recognized for the same on ASTS Chimera Blog  (Mentorship Program: Discussion with Dr. Rajeev Sharma and Dr. Paulo Martins)

            My other volunteer service includes membership on the Medical Advisory Board of the Center for Organ Recovery & Education in Pittsburgh and previous service on the medical advisory boards of Gift of Life Michigan, Gift of Life Donor Program in Philadelphia, and Upstate New York Transplant Services. I have also served on the ASTS Diversity Issues Committee, the Membership Committee of the International Pediatric Transplant Association, and institutional committees focused on faculty governance, education, quality improvement, organ donation, and clinical research. I am also an editorial board member for the Journal of Transplantation and Stem Cell Biology and the Rajasthan Medical Journal.

            At WVU, I serve on the School of Medicine’s school-wide Promotion and Tenure Committee. I started a living donor and paired exchange program for kidney transplant to improve access to transplantation and performed the first Living donor nephrectomy and the first living donor kidney transplant at WVU in July 2024 (WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance performs first ‘living kidney transplant').

Care Philosophy
            My care philosophy centers on fully involving patients in decisions about their health. I provide an honest and unbiased assessment of the potential risks and benefits of treatment so that each patient can make an informed decision. Once a plan of care is established, I strive to provide evidence-based treatment that reflects the best practices in transplantation and offers the greatest opportunity for an excellent outcome. I treat every patient as I would want to be treated if I were in their position.

Research Interests

• Appalachian living donor awareness and education program.
• Novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to antibody-mediated rejection in kidney transplantation.
• Kidney transplant outcomes, organ utilization, and transplant finance.

Publications
View publications on NCBI

Medical Specialties

• General Surgery
• Transplant Surgery

Special Training

• Residency, General Surgery
  Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur, India
• Fellowship, Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Solid Organ Transplant
  University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
• Fellowship, Clinical Fellow (training position), Transplantation Surgery
  University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
• Fellowship, Fellowship (ASTS accredited), Transplantation Surgery
  McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
• Fellowship, Fellowship, Pediatric Transplantation Surgery
  Childrens's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA