American Foundation for
Donation & Transplantation
8154 Forest Hill Ave, Suite 3
Richmond, VA 23235
Phone: (804) 323-9890
Toll Free: (800) 543-6399
FAX: (804) 323-1300
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Board of Directors
 Gazi B. Zibari, M.D. (President)
LSU Medical Center, Shreveport
Shreveport, LA
A native of Kurdistan, Iraq and a graduate of David Lipscomb College in Nashville, TN and the UTHSC College of Medicine (1985) in Memphis. Dr. Zibari completed his general surgery Residency Program at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, LA. He then completed a fellowship in transplantation at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Zibari returned to LSUHSC Shreveport in 1993, where he has served as Professor of Surgery with Tenure, Director of Pediatric and Pancreatic Transplantation, Chief of the Division of Transplantation, and Director of Willis-Knighton/LSUHSC Regional Transplant Center. He holds the Malcolm Feist Chair in Transplantation Surgery. Additionally, he was appointed as a Vice Chairman, Dept of Surgery for Academic Affairs at LSUHSC-S.
Dr. Zibari has received numerous awards including AOA, Verstanding Award, elected as best Resident of the year (x4) by his peers at LSUHSC-S. Additionally, he was given “Best Refugee Award” by the State Dept. in 1991. However, one of which he is particular proud of is the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He is a member of numerous professional organizations (ASTS, AST, AHPBA, ACS, SUS, AAS, SSA, SESC, AMA). He is a current Board Member of the American College of Surgeons/Louisiana Chapter, AHPBA, AFDT, and Board Member of International College of Surgeons/World Body, Chair of the Board of Regents and Vice President of International College of Surgeons/US Section and President of the American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation (AFDT). He is actively involved in medical missionary / Charity work since 1992. His clinical interest is in area of Solid Organ Transplantation, HPB Surgery and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery.
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 Robert A. Fisher, M.D. (Vice President)
VCU Medical Center
Richmond, VA
Robert A. Fisher MD, FACS has been a certified Amer Board of Surg., General Surgeon since 1987 and an adult and pediatric liver, pancreas, kidney and Hepatocyte Transplant Specialist. He is the tenured HM Lee Professor of sugery and pediatrics at the Medical College of VA hospitals at VA Commonwealth University where he has practiced since 1991. He conducted the first Human Hepatocyte successful Transplant in the US in 1993. He and his MCV/VCU team performed in 1998 the first non-relative living donor adult liver right lobe transplant in the US. He is also a member of more than 10 professional organizations and is on the Editorial Board of Liver Transplantation and Cell Transplantation and a Journal Editorial Reviewer of more than 10 ranked professional Medical and Scientific Journals. Dr. Fisher has published more than 166 full length manuscripts and 192 abstracts, posters and presentations as well as 12 book Chapters. He holds 2 RO1- NIH grants and 3 NIH grant subcontracts including several Industry grants.
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Helen Spicer, RN, (Treasurer)
Virginia Transplant Center at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital
Richmond, VA
Gigi did her nurse training at the Medical College of Virginia and graduated in 1969. She began her career in solid organ transplant in 1983 at the Medical College of Virginia. She served as the clinical coordinator in charge of the kidney transplant service until 1989. During that time, she developed the outpatient services for the kidney transplant program. She was working with the liver transplant team to develop care guidelines for the Liver transplant program. In 1990, she moved to Henrico Doctors’ Hospital to establish a kidney transplant service in a community setting. She currently serves as clinical director for the program. Her role encompasses oversight of all clinical operations, quality and performance improvement activities, data analysis and reporting, and regulatory compliance. Gigi is a member of NATCO, The Organization for Transplant Professionals and American Society of Transplantation. Gigi is currently on the board of directors for National kidney foundation for the local Virginia chapter. In addition, she serves on the executive council of National Kidney Foundation’s newly formed Council of Professional Living Donor Advocates (CPLDA). She has been a member of the Mid-Atlanta Renal Coalition on kidney transplant subcommittee since 1993. She has assisted in the development of metrics to monitor referrals for Transplant, developing educational materials for dialysis staff to support patient education. The most recent efforts have focus on the development of the role of the Kidney transplant liaison within the dialysis units. She has also been an active member of a number of OPTN/UNOS committees including the Transplant Administrators Committee, the Minority Affairs Committee, the Membership and professional affairs committee. Most recently, she has served on the AD Hoc living donor data subcommittee and Co-chairmen the UNOS Primer. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation. She has been a board member since 1990. She is currently serving as Treasurer as well as the co-chairman of the Living Organ Donor Network, a program founded by the AFDT board. She has served as Chairman for the development of educational programs for the Independent living donor advocates and living donor teams. Gigi has also served on the planning committee of numerous transplant programs. She has been an invited presenter at numerous educational events related to kidney transplantation and the living donor care
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 Jean L. Heneghan, MS, CHS
(Secretary)
Tulane Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics Laboratory
New Orleans, LA
Jean Heneghan received her Bachelor of Science degree Cum Laude in Biology from Loyola University of the South in New Orleans, and her Master of Science degree in Biology from Tulane University. Ms. Heneghan is currently a Research Instructor and Assistant Director of the Tulane Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics Laboratory. She also serves as Co-Director of the Histocompatibility Proficiency Testing Program of the American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation.
Ms. Heneghan is Board Certified as a Histocompatibility Specialist by the American Board of Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics. She serves on the Board of Directors of the American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation, and as faculty and on the organizing committees for the AFDT Basic and Specialist Histocompatibility Courses. She is a member of the American Society for Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics, the United Network for Organ Sharing, the American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation, and the American Society of Transplantation. Ms. Heneghan is also a certified Laboratory Inspector for the College of American Pathologists and for the American Society for Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics.
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 Sander Florman, M.D.
Mount Sinai Medical Center
New York, NY
Sandy Florman, MD is currently the Alfred and Florence Gross Professor of Surgery and Director of the Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. Prior to this, he was the Director of Abdominal Transplantation at Tulane University and Childrens Hospital in New Orleans. He graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1994 and completed his surgical residency at Tulane University in 2000. Following completion of his fellowship in hepatobiliary and abdominal transplantation at Mount Sinai in New York, he remained on staff there until returning to Tulane in 2003. Dr. Florman has been very active in UNOS having served on the Liver and Intestine Committee and as the Chair of the Region 3 Review Board. He co-chaired the Down staging group at the UNOS HCC Consensus Conference and was active on the Combined Liver/Kidney and Broader Sharing subcommittees. In addition, he has served on several ASTS committees (Bylaws, Communications and CME) and has been very active with the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency LOPA), having served as the Executive Board President, and is currently on the Board of Directors of the New York Organ Donor Network (NYODN). Dr. Florman is a member of many professional societies and has published more than 85 manuscripts and 10 book chapters.
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Marian O’Rourke, CCTC
Mount Sinai Medical Center
New York, NY
Marian did her nurse training in Ireland and graduated in 1987. After spending a
few years in London, she moved to New York in 1991. Her career in solid organ
transplant began at the Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute at the Mount
Sinai Medical Center, New York as a liver transplant coordinator for 5 years and
in 1997, she became the Senior Clinical Coordinator for the Adult Liver
Transplant Program. In 1998, she assisted in the development of the first
Intestinal Transplant Program in New York and also the Adult Living Donor Liver
Transplant Program. In January 2004, she joined the Tulane Abdominal Transplant
Institute as the Director of Administration at Tulane University Hospital &
Clinic, New Orleans. In November 2009, Marian returned to the Mount Sinai
Medical Center as the Director of Clinical Affairs for the Recanati/Miller
Transplantation Institute. Her role encompassed oversight of all clinical
operations, quality and performance improvement activities, data analysis and
reporting, and regulatory compliance. Most recently, Marian has joined the Miami
Transplant Institute as Associate Director with responsibility for patient care
services for the multi-organ transplant programs at Jackson Memorial Hospital in
Miami. Marian has been an active member of NATCO, The Organization for
Transplant Professionals since 1992. She served on the Board of Directors for 6
years including the position of President of NATCO in 2006. Marian has also been
an active member of a number of OPTN/UNOS committees including the Data Advisory
Committee, the Transplant Coordinators Committee and she currently serves as the
Vice Chair of the Ad Hoc International Affairs Committee. She has also served on
the OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors. She currently serves on the Board of Directors
for the American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation. Marian has also
served on the planning committee of numerous national transplant meetings and
programs, has published on various areas of transplant and has been an invited
presenter at numerous national and international transplant meetings.
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 Thomas R. McCune, M.D.
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
Norfolk, VA
Thomas R. McCune, MD, FACP is the Chairman of the Division of Nephrology at Eastern Virginia Medical School and a Managing Partner in Nephrology Associates of Tidewater. He practices Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. He has been active in AFDT since 1991. In 2003, he received the AFDT Award from this organization. Dr. McCune is currently the Medical Director of the Living Organ Donor Network.
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 Thomas G. Peters, M.D.
Shands Jacksonville Transplant Center
Jacksonville, FL
Dr. Thomas G. Peters is Professor of Surgery at the University of Florida Health Sciences Center Jacksonville. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1970 and took general surgical training in the hospitals of the Medical College of Wisconsin followed by a clinical fellowship in organ transplantation at the University of Colorado. From 1978 to 1988 he served on the faculty of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, where he rose to the tenured rank of Professor of Surgery. In 1988, Dr. Peters organized the Jacksonville Transplant Center at Methodist Medical Center as its initial Director, and served as Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Methodist Medical Center for 10 years. He became Co-Chief of Surgery at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center in 1999 serving until 2001, and is currently Chief of its Transplant Division. Dr. Peters has published numerous scientific and professional papers and book chapters, and has been an invited speaker in America and abroad. He has lead a number of transplant and other professional organizations as a committee chair, officer, or president, and holds editorial appointments with five national medical publications. In 2006, Dr. Peters received a gubernatorial appointment to the Florida Board of Medicine. Dr. Peters was a commissioned medical officer in the U.S. Army Reserve for over three decades, during which time he was active staff at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, served three active duty tours, and retired as a Medical Corps Colonel.
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 Fuad Shihab, M.D.
University of Utah Medical Center
Salt Lake City, UT
Dr. Fuad Shihab is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Utah where he is also the Medical Director of the
Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation Program. He joined the Board of Directors at AFDT in 2009.
He served on a number of national committees in the field of transplantation and is currently Chair of the Conflict of Interest Committee of AST.
He has chaired its Renal Fellowship Accreditation in addition to having been involved in its Kidney-Pancreas, Clinical Practice,
Development and International accreditation committees. He also served on the Membership and Professional Standards committee of
UNOS and the Transplant Advisory Group of ASN in addition to being on the Medical Advisory Board and the Clinical Research committee of NKF.
In addition to his clinical duties, Dr. Shihab has research interests in nephrotoxicity of immunosuppressive drugs, chronic allograft
nephropathy, living donation and outcome research.
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 Francis H. Wright, Jr., M.D. (Immediate
Past President)
Methodist Specialty & Transplant Center
San Antonio, TX
Dr. Wright is the Director of the Solid Organ Transplant Program, and the Director of Transplant Surgery Fellowship Program at Texas Transplant Institute on the campus of Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital. Dr. Wright received his MD degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 1978. After work at the University of Iowa with Dr. Robb Corry he directed the transplant program at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He joined Dr. Lynn Banowsky in San Antonio in 1994 and later helped found the Texas Transplant Institute as Director of Organ Transplantation for the Institute. He also directs the Transplant Surgery Fellowship training program at TTI.
Dr. Wright is certified by the American Board of Surgery, is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and has personally performed over 2000 transplant procedures in his nearly twenty years of transplant surgery experience. He is active with the United Network for Organ Sharing working to develop national transplant policy. Dr. Wright is a member of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the International Transplantation Society and other major professional organizations. He has served as president of the Southeastern Organ Procurement Foundation and the American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation. He has research interests in immunosuppression, pancreas transplantation and organ preservation, and has multiple publications regarding organ transplant topics.
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