J. Richard Thistlethwaite, MD, PhDProfessor of SurgeryPresident, Medical StaffJ. Richard Thistlethwaite, MD, the senior member of the University of Chicago Transplant Surgery faculty, has been performing transplants for more than 20 years. In that time, he has performed more than a thousand kidney transplants, 300 liver transplants, and approximately 180 pancreas transplants. Dr. Thistlethwaite performed Illinois' first pancreas transplant and was also a member of the team that performed the first liver transplant in Illinois. One of his patients is the longest surviving recipient of a living-donor liver transplant. The University of Chicago Transplant Surgery section developed this operation. Some of Dr. Thistlethwaite's other patients include the youngest recipient of a deceased donor liver transplant, and the second youngest recipient of a deceased donor kidney transplant worldwide. Dr. Thistlethwaite is a past president of the International Pediatric Transplant Association, the Illinois Transplant Society, and the Medical Staff at the University of Chicago. He has also served as board chairman for the Regional Organ Bank of Illinois, a governor of the American College of Surgeons, and a councilor of both the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the United Network of Organ Sharing. Dr. Thistlethwaite's PhD is in immunology, and he has more than 200 published research papers on transplantation, immunology, and anti-rejection medications. Practice LocationCenter for Advanced Medicine
Year Started Practice1984 Board CertificationGeneral Surgery Medical SchoolDuke University, Durham, NC ResidencyMassachusetts General Hospital, Boston FellowshipsNational Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
MembershipsAmerican College of Surgeons
Language SpokenEnglish jthistle@surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu Office Phone(773) 702-6104 Office Fax(773) 702-2126 Office Postal AddressJ. Richard Thistlethwaite, MD, PhD
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Read More About Dr. ThistlethwaiteIn May 2003, University of Chicago physicians performed the fourth heart/liver/kidney transplant in the United States. Dr. Thistlethwaite performed the kidney portion of the surgery. Years later, Michael Gaynor feels energetic and is helping others cope with life before and after transplant. In 1989, Dr. Thistlethwaite was part of a team that performed the first successful living-donor liver transplant in the world. Catch up with liver recipient Alyssa Smith, her mother and donor, Teri, and members of the transplant team that performed this groundbreaking procedure. Dr. Thistlethwaite performed the first liver and pancreatic islet cell transplant in the Midwest on Patsy Esposito. Only two other medical centers in the U.S. have performed this rare combined cell transplant. Read Esposito's story. Selected PublicationsView a partial list of Dr. Thistlethwaite's publications through the National Library of Medicine's PubMed online database. |
