Jefferson names endowed Professorship in transplant surgery

Aug 4 2009

Cataldo Doria, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S., director, Division of Transplant Surgery, in the Department of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, has been named the Nicoletti Family Professor of Transplant Surgery. This endowed professorship is a generous gift of Robert and Beatrice Nicoletti and their family. The family cited the care they received at Jefferson when Robert received a new kidney donated by his own daughter, as the reason for their donation.

“It is my honor to be the first physician named as the recipient of this Professorship,” said Dr. Doria. “It is very gratifying to accept this honor named after a family with such strong ties and devotion to one another. Their strength and determination as a family reinforces my educational and professional pursuits in researching how transplantation surgery can be improved through traditional and non-traditional techniques such as artificial devices.”

Cataldo Doria, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S.
Dr. Doria is a multi-organ transplant surgeon with extensive expertise in liver and kidney transplantation, as well as numerous other hepato-biliary surgical procedures. He also organized and participated in the first ever laparoscopic nephrectomy with ureterectomy for living related kidney transplantation performed in Sicily, Italy.

His research interests include issues in liver transplantation, transplant immunology, usage of artificial liver, and surgical treatment of liver cancer without usage of blood. Dr. Doria has been listed in Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who's Who in Finance and Industry, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Who's Who in America and Guide to America’s Top Physicians. In 2008, he was named “Transplant Surgeon of the Year” by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the American Liver Foundation. Dr. Doria was instrumental in making Jefferson the fastest growing liver transplant program in the region, with the highest patient and graft survival and the lowest mortality rate of those patients on the transplant waiting list. He recently secured the authorization to proceed with live donor liver transplantation.

He is a member of numerous professional and scientific societies including the Cell Transplant Society, the Academy of Surgical Research, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, AIPAC Associazione Italiana Professori a Contratto (Italian Association Professors of Surgery), the Transplantation Society, the Italian Society of Surgery, the International Liver Transplantation Society, the European Society for Organ Transplantation, the American Society of Transplantation, and the International College of Surgeons (United States Section), American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Hepato Pancreato Biliary Association, The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, American College of Surgeons, Society For The Advancement Of Blood Management and The Society of University Surgeons.

Dr. Doria completed a clinical fellowship in multi-organ transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh and a research fellowship in transplantation at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute. He earned his Ph.D. in Immunology in 2006 from the University of Catania School of Medicine in Catania, Italy. He received a doctor of medicine degree in 1990 from the University of Perugia School of Medicine in Perugia, Italy, graduating magna cum laude, where he also completed his residency in general surgery. Dr. Doria received a bachelor of arts degree in 1983 from F.S. Cabrini in Italy. He has performed more than 450 organ transplants, and authored more than 170 publications, including 58 peer-reviewed articles and 5 book chapters.

Robert and Beatrice Nicoletti
For four years, Robert Nicoletti’s kidneys were progressively failing him – the result of hypertension. He initially concealed his worsening condition from his close-knit family. In early 2006, however, the team at Jefferson determined that he needed a transplant and Robert told his family.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 95,000 United States patients are currently waiting for an organ transplant. Many patients are unable to have a transplant because of organ shortages. Aware of the statistics, seven members of the Nicoletti family volunteered to donate a kidney. Ultimately, only one family member was deemed compatible: Robert’s daughter, Lori N. Peruto, Esq. She recalls, “When we learned of Dad’s condition, we knew what we had to do. There was no question, no hesitation.”

On June 6th, 2006, Robert and Lori arrived at Jefferson for the life-changing procedure. After a few anxious hours, the other members of the Nicoletti family were delighted to learn that the transplant was a success and both patients were doing well.

Robert’s wife, Beatrice, was truly impressed with her family’s experience at Jefferson. “When something like this happens, you’re scared,” she says. “The staff at Jefferson kept us informed every step of the way and that helped ease our fears.”

Robert and Lori quickly regained their strength and returned to their normal lifestyle in a few weeks. Both remain in good health today.