Organ Transplant Pioneer

Oscar Salvatierra, Jr., MD

Oscar Salvatierra began his work with renal failure management during a stint as a combat surgeon in Vietnam. In the late 1970s, Dr. Salvatierra introduced blood transfusions from the actual kidney donor when it was considered unethical to undergo donor-to-recipient transfusions. This opened the door for the transfusion of donor bone marrow cells in current protocols to establish freedom from immunosuppressive medication following transplantation.

Dr. Salvatierra’s impact on organ donation reached beyond the operating room into national legislators’ offices when he helped draft a pivotal piece of legislation that developed our current national systems for the listing of waiting organ recipients, equitable distribution of organs and a national Transplantation Registry for all organs. The Organ Transplant Act was signed into law in 1984.

Today, Dr. Salvatierra is Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. His current studies focus on post-transplant treatments that eliminate the use of steroid treatments for children with kidney transplants.