Meet, Dr. Lopez!
Lifeline of Ohio is excited to welcome Dr. Roberto Lopez-Solis as its newest recovery surgeon. He will be sharing responsibilities with Dr. Stalin Campos in performing organ procurement surgeries and working with organ preservations systems.
Dr. Lopez brings more than 20 years of experience in abdominal transplantation to his new position. During his career, he’s actively participated in all aspects of transplant care, including: patient evaluations, selection committees, post-transplant care, organ recoveries and the training of general surgery residents and transplant fellows.
Dr. Lopez earned his medical degree from Universidad de Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, Mexico and completed his residency at the Army Medical Center in Mexico.
He completed his fellowship training in multi-organ transplantation at the Thomas Starzl Transplantation Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Before coming to Lifeline of Ohio, he worked for the University of West Virginia Medical Center.
Find out more about Dr. Lopez below!
Can you please tell us about your work at UPMC?
I was an active member of their Cadaveric and Living Related Liver, Kidney and Small Bowel Transplant programs; I served as Director of Organ Procurement and I was a faculty member of the McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
With my participation, several research projects were completed, including the development and evaluation of a bio-artificial Liver Support System (where we were able to provide data to support a Phase I Clinical Trial for safety evaluation); and more recently, the development of ectopic livers by hepatocyte transplantation into swine lymph nodes. I participated as co-investigator in the development of a sub-normothermic machine perfusion model for liver preservation.
What were your responsibilities at WVU School of Medicine?
In 2019, I joined the faculty of the West Virginia University School of Medicine as Associate Professor of Surgery and Associate Director of the Kidney Transplant Program, of which I acted as Interim Director for several months.
How have you been able to share your work?
Yes, I’ve collaborated with colleagues in the completion of several book chapters on liver transplantation, both in English and in Spanish. I also have participated in research projects that have yielded several peer-reviewed papers and conference presentations in the United States and Mexico.
Are you a member of any professional organizations?
I’m a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the International Liver Transplantation Society and the American Society of Transplantation.
Why did you decide to join Lifeline of Ohio?
I was very happy to join the team of Lifeline of Ohio because it offered me the opportunity to apply my extensive experience in performing organ procurement surgeries as well as in organ preservation systems. I’m happy to bring to Lifeline of Ohio more than 20 years of experience in transplantation surgery, which I’m excited to share with all the staff that collaborates in the organ recovery process.
What are your interests and hobbies?
In addition to my lifelong love for medicine, and particularly for surgery and transplantation, I tremendously enjoy long-distance running. I’ve completed several Pittsburgh marathons with my family, and I also have completed several ultra-marathons throughout the United States. However, as much as I am thrilled every time I complete one of those races, nothing compares with the joy that running on the trails with my dog, Lara, brings me almost every day. Few things can compare with breathing the forest-fresh air and running behind my inquisitive and mischievous dog. I also enjoy mountain biking, although I haven’t been able to do it as frequently as I used to because Lara doesn’t know how to bike yet!
Photo credit: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)