Sukru H. Emre, MD, FACS
Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
Director, Yale-New Haven Transplantation Center
Chief, Section of Transplantation and Immunology
Department of Surgery
Yale University School of Medicine

Dr. Emre received his medical degree from the University of Istanbul where he also completed a residency in general surgery. His clinical post-doctoral training includes completion of a hepatobiliary surgery fellowship at the University of Istanbul and a transplant fellowship at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He also completed two transplantation research fellowships, one at SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn and another at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York. He holds a foreign board certification in general surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Emre is an expert in adult and pediatric liver transplantations. He has performed more than 1,500 liver transplants, of which the youngest patient was 16 days old and the oldest was 75 years old. His special interests are performing split-liver transplants (dividing a liver between two recipients thus saving two lives) and living donor transplants which involves transplanting a portion of a donor’s healthy liver. He is also expert in hepato-biliary surgery including resection for liver cancer, portal hypertension surgery, repair of complex bile duct injuries and Kasai procedure for biliary atresia. Dr. Emre’s research interests include acute liver failure, biliary atresia and rare cholestatic diseases in children, and transplanting adult patients with hepatitis B, C and liver cancer.

Antonios Arvelakis, MD, received his medical degree from the University of Athens Medical School in Athens, Greece. After serving his general surgery residency at First Surgical Clinic of the University of Athens, Dr. Arvelakis joined the faculty of the Recanati-Miller Transplantation Center at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York as a multi-organ transplant sureon.

Dr. Arvelakis specializes in liver, kidney and pancreas transplantation, as well as hepatobiliary surgery. He has high interest in living donor liver transplantation, split liver transplantation and pediatric liver transplantation.

Julie Goodwin, MD, is an associate research scientist in pediatric
nephrology at Yale School of Medicine. She maintains board certification in pediatrics. Dr. Goodwin received her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine. She trained in general pediatrics at Georgetown University Hospital and Pediatric Nephrology at Yale School of Medicine.
Dr. Goodwin’s clinical interests are in acid-base disturbances, fluid and electrolyte disorders, hematuria, proteinuria, hypertension, nephrotic syndrome, hemolytic uremic syndrome, chronic renal failure, end-stage renal disease, renal replacement therapy and renal transplantation. Her research interests are glucocorticoid-induced hypertension and vascular biology.

Sandra Iragorri, MD, received her medical degree from University Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, in Bogotá, Colombia and completed post-doctoral studies in clinical tropical medicine at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine at the University of London. Dr. Iragorri completed her residency in pediatrics at Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital/Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, England , and Guys Hospital/Royal Free Hospital, in London, England. Dr. Iragorri completed her fellowship in pediatric nephrology at Royal Free Hospital, in London , England.
Dr. Iragorri is an instructor of pediatric nephrology at Yale School of Medicine. Her clinical interests include acute, chronic and genetic renal diseases, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, acid-base disorders and hypertension, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and kidney transplantation.

Thomas L. Kennedy, MD, is a clinical professor of pediatrics
and the acting section chief of pediatric nephrology at Yale School of Medicine. He maintains board certification in both pediatrics and pediatric nephrology. Dr. Kennedy received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College. He trained in both general pediatrics and pediatric nephrology at the University of Pennsylvania/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Dr. Kennedy’s clinical interest are in renal diseases, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, acid-base disorders and hypertension, nephrotic syndrome, hemolytic uremic syndrome, hematuria, proteinuria, chronic renal failure, end stage renal disease, renal replacement therapy and renal transplantation. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners and a member of numerous medical and professional societies. He is an author of 11 peer reviewed articles and 19 book chapters.

Hetal Kocinski, MD, is an associate research scientist in pediatric nephrology at Yale School of Medicine. She maintains board certification in both pediatrics and pediatric nephrology. Dr. Kocinsky received her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and her medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. She trained in general pediatrics at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia and Pediatric Nephrology at Yale School of Medicine.

Dr. Kocinsky’s clinical interests are in the full spectrum of pediatric nephrology including, but not limited to fluid, electrolyte and acid base disorders, hypertension, glomerulopathies, inherited renal disorders, renal replacement therapies, end-stage renal disease, chronic kidney disorders and renal transplantation. Her research interests are in regulation of Na+/H+ exchange in the renal proximal tubule and the role of proximal tubule NHE3 in acid-base and volume homeostasis.

Sanjay Kulkarni, MD, is a multi-organ transplant surgeon specializing in kidney, pancreas and liver transplants. He is the current director of kidney transplant, pancreas transplant and dialysis access services at Yale-New Haven Transplantation Center (YNHTC).
Dr. Kulkarni has developed a multidisciplinary approach to the complete management of the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population, starting with close communication with referring physicians regarding dialysis access needs, through patients transplant evaluation and ultimately their transplant.
Dr. Kulkarni is responsible for the total laparoscopic kidney donation program at Yale-New Haven Hospital –the only center in Connecticut to provide this service, regardless of kidney anatomy.
Dr. Kulkarni received his M.D. from Medical College of Wisconsin and completed his general surgery training at the University of Chicago, followed by two additional years of transplant research involving single-chain antibody formation and programmed cell death. Dr. Kulkarni served a two-year fellowship in multi-organ transplant surgery at the University of Chicago, with additional living donor liver transplantation experience at the renowned University of Essen Transplant Program. During his transplant surgery fellowship he was accepted into an NIH-funded clinical research training program.
Dr. Kulkarni is a member of the Vascular Biology & Transplant consortium at Yale University and is a participant in investigations looking at animal models of vascular remodeling following ischemic injury. These studies have important implication to kidney transplant patients and how their transplants change over time.