The Compass Winter 2024 | Page 4

40 Years of Transformation Through Transplantation

Transplant specialists Drs . Testa and Hall on the legacy and future of Baylor Scott & White ’ s nationally renowned program

FEATURE STORY
4 n 2024 , Baylor University Medical Center ( BUMC ) celebrated 40 years of life-changing transplant services . Since its start in 1984 , the program has expanded to include a comprehensive team offering organ transplants and care for those with heart , pancreas , liver , lung and kidney disease . To mark this milestone , we spoke with Shelley Hall , MD , and Giuliano Testa , MD — two physicians whose leadership has been key in shaping the program .
As the first heart failure transplant cardiologist at BUMC , Dr . Hall , chief of transplant cardiology , mechanical circulatory support and heart failure , joined BUMC at a time when heart failure-focused transplant programs were virtually unheard of . The program has evolved from a traditional surgeon-led model by expanding the role of heart failure doctors in transplant medicine , enabling a more collaborative approach . More than 1,230 patients have received a heart transplant at BUMC .
Dr . Testa , chief of abdominal transplant at BUMC and chairman of the BSW Annette C . and Harold C . Simmons Transplant Institute , leads the uterus transplant program — one of the first in the United States . This initiative has allowed women who were unable to carry children to experience the joy of pregnancy and delivery , resulting in 25 babies born to 18 mothers .
In this conversation , Drs . Hall and Testa share how BSW ’ s culture of forward-thinking leadership and philanthropic support has driven innovations that expand possibilities in patient care , offering a second chance at life for transplant patients .
Baylor Scott & White is a leader in organ transplantation . How did we get here ? Dr . Testa : You need a strong infrastructure to succeed at the level that this program
THE COMPASS / BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE FOUNDATION NEWS / WINTER 2024
has throughout the years , and the mindset of our administrative leadership has always been to encourage exploration of : What ’ s out there ? How can we bring something new and improve patients ’ lives ? How can we reestablish normalcy in the life of the patient ?
Dr . Hall : Our program wants us to produce new science and research , which has allowed us to pull the strengths of a private clinical practice model and create a hybrid clinical and academic model . For example , we now have our own research team at Baylor Scott & White Research Institute focused on heart failure and transplant . Administration ’ s willingness to sit at the table and figure out how to make these things happen is a strong attribute .

Giuliano Testa , MD Abdominal Transplant , Uterine Transplant

Shelley Hall , MD Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology

There is eagerness at Baylor Scott & White to think differently and push beyond status quo . How has that impacted your practice ? Dr . Testa : The mindset at Baylor Scott & White is forward-looking . This is one of the first transplant programs in the U . S ., and it ’ s always been a groundbreaking program where innovations have been brought to reality . Who thought that transplant and fertility [ through uterine transplant ] could go hand in hand ?
Dr . Hall : An example of pushing the status quo has been our ability to better survey heart transplant patients for rejection . When I started , patients underwent invasive biopsies every two weeks for months , then monthly and eventually annually . I thought , there has to be a better way , so we got involved in the first gene expression profiling trial , which showed we could monitor rejection with a blood test . Over time , we reduced surveillance biopsies from about 20 per year to four and now one . This has dramatically improved patients ’ quality of life .
How do programs like uterus transplantation help Baylor Scott & White make its mark on organ transplantation ? Dr . Testa : Uterus transplant is a culmination of a 40-year-long journey : Everything

More to Explore …

See the impact of the Baylor Scott & White Annette C . and Harold C . Simmons Transplant Institute at BUMC in the special insert included in this issue of The Compass .