TransplantUnited States
UAB Diethelm Fellowship in Abdominal Transplant Surgery
Birmingham, AL
Two-year multi-organ abdominal transplant fellowship training surgeons in kidney and liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery, with added experience in pancreas, uterus and pediatric transplantation and dialysis access.
Length2 years
Spots1 fellow per year (2 fellows in the program)
StartsAugust
ASTSTACCACGME-recognized Non-Standard Training program (can sponsor J-1 visas)
What stands out
- Uterus transplant exposure, including a weekly uterus transplant clinic
- Robotic donor nephrectomy, robotic kidney transplant and robotic hepatobiliary cases
- Normothermic machine perfusion and normothermic regional perfusion
- Weekly pediatric transplant clinic and dialysis access clinic in the fellow schedule
- Program leads
- Douglas Anderson, Margaret Romine
- Apply through
- ASTS Match (SF Match)
- Timeline
- Most recent ASTS Match (2027 start): registration opened January 14, 2026, target date for complete applications February 11, 2026, rank lists due June 10, 2026; UAB sets no application deadline
- Focus
- Kidney and liver transplantation, pancreas transplantation, hepatobiliary surgery, dialysis access
- Eligibility
- Open to Canadian-trained applicantsUSMLE: not statedJ-1 sponsored; other types case by case
- Contact
- Loading contact…
Training
- Structure
- 12 months on kidney/pancreas/dialysis access and 12 months on liver/hepatobiliary; each year, 6 months as primary fellow on each service
- Research
- Clinical research encouraged; fellows invited to translational research, clinical trials and T.E.A.M. health services meetings; national meetings supported
- Case numbers
- Kidney transplants (program): 258 in 2023, 249 in 2024, 264 in 2025 annualized
- Liver transplants (program): 101 in 2023, 145 in 2024, 156 in 2025 annualized
- Pancreas 4, 5, 9 and uterus 1, 1, 2 transplants (2023, 2024, 2025 annualized)
- About 125 deceased-donor organ recoveries per year with Legacy of Hope OPO
- 158 to 221 kidney and 111 to 149 liver transplants per fellow (recent graduate logs)
- Hospitals
- UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute, Birmingham · Legacy of Hope (local OPO) for deceased-donor recoveries
- Faculty
- Jacqueline Garonzik Wang, Michael Hanaway, Saulat Sajjad Sheikh, Anji Wall, Paige Porrett, Carlton Young, Marcos Pozo Jatem, Muhammad Rabbani
Requirements (5)
- Urology residency graduates eligible (stated on program page)
- Page text: "two-year fellowship for individuals who have completed a general surgery or urology residency"
- Must be eligible for an unrestricted medical license in Alabama (typically at least 2 years of US or Canadian postgraduate training in an AMA-recognized specialty)
- Can sponsor J-1 visas; other visa types considered in some circumstances with applicant's own representation
- Apply through SF Match