New UA Medical Dean Performed 1st Liver Transplant

TUCSON, AZ — A renowned transplant surgeon who performed the first liver transplant more than 25 years ago and has since pioneered surgical procedures and approaches to the care of transplant patients has been named the dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson.

Dr. Michael M.I. Abecassis will begin his duties in November, and will become the ninth dean of the College of Medicine since it was founded in 1967. He succeeds Dr. Irving Kron, who has served as interim college dean for about a year.

Abecassis was at the Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago when he performed the first liver transplant in 1993. He had been recruited the same year from the University of Iowa at Iowa City, where he was an assistant professor of surgery and director of liver transplantation of surgery.

He currently is the J. Roscoe Miller Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Microbiology-Immunology at Feinberg, and chief of the Division of Organ Transplantation and founding director of the Comprehensive Transplant Center.

His appointment to UA’s College of Medicine comes after a national search.

“The appointment of Dr. Abecassis, a nationally recognized leader in medicine, speaks volumes about the incredible impact that the UA College of Medicine – Tucson is making in education, biomedical research and patient care, as well as the many exciting opportunities ahead for the college to address the global health care challenges of the 21st century,” university President Robert C. Robbins said in a news release.

Abecassis has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health for the past 23 years, serving as principal investigator of research grants that span from studies of the molecular mechanisms of cytomegalovirus latency and reactivation, to translational and clinical studies in pursuit of a molecular biomarker strategy for both kidney and liver transplant recipients.

“The many facets of Dr. Abecassis’ leadership and achievement, as well as his commitment to advancing education, research, clinical care and community engagement, will help elevate our academic efforts and the reputation of the College of Medicine – Tucson for many years to come,” Dr. Michael D. Dake,senior vice president for UA Health Sciences, said in the news release. “I look forward to Dr. Abecassis guiding the college into a new era of medical training, scientific discovery and care delivery, as UAHS begins to shape the future of health care in Arizona, the nation and throughout the world.”

Abecassis is a member of many national and international professional societies, including the Society of University Surgeons and the American Surgical Association.

He has served and continues to serve on the editorial boards of several major journals, and has been a member of several NIH study sections and special emphasis panels relating to both transplantation and virology.

“I am humbled, honored and privileged to join President Robbins’ and Senior Vice President Dake’s team, and the wonderful and talented academic leaders, faculty and staff of the UA College of Medicine – Tucson, as its new dean,” Abecassis said in the news release. “Together with our many partners, we will align and galvanize the tripartite mission of the COM-T, as we continue striving toward creating an environment of collaborative innovation that serves and benefits our patients, our community and the residents of our state, while training the next generation of physicians and scientists."