MDNews - Mid Hudson

fellowship, Dr. Veillette is enthusiastic about his new position. "Dr. Wu had just started here when I heard about the program," he says. "He is extremely eminent in the field for the excellent outcomes he achieves. As a young surgeon just coming out of training, I am excited to have such an experienced mentor." Together, these three surgeons are building a multidisciplinary team that includes not only transplant physicians, but also hepatologists, nephrologists, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians and a host of other support professionals. Dr. Wu's philosophy of teamwork, attention to detail and efficiency is creating a successful and increasingly widely-known program. Why the Team Counts "We run our service as an integrated medical and surgical kidney and liver transplant program," Dr. Diflo says. "The paradigm we use is really the multidisciplinary approach to rounds. Every morning the entire team, including surgeons, nephrologists, hepatologists, nurse coordinators and fellows, discusses the care and progress of every patient who is in the hospital for a kidney or liver transplant. Our transplant psychiatrist, infectious disease specialist, pharmacist and nutritionist also participate in the rounds. We take a well-coordinated and comprehensive approach that accounts for every aspect of transplantation, before and after surgery." Headed by the five nurse coordinators, each professional in the group has a job to do, from the dietitians who measure patients' caloric intake after surgery to the nurses who follow up rigorously on myriad details before and after procedures to ensure patients thrive in the long term. "My first goal is quality," Dr. Wu explains. "Without that, you waste an "Our referral rate at Westchester Medical Center's liver transplant program increased by 40 percent last year. I appreciate those referring physicians' support and the trust they place in us. Our goal is to live up to that trust and always give our patients and referral physicians the best service possible." — Youmin Wu, MD, Chief of Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery at Westchester Medical Center, and Professor of Surgery, New York Medical College Gregory Robert Veillette, MD, and Thomas Diflo, MD, FACS, meet with liver transplant patient prior to his surgery, scheduled for later that day. Dr. Diflo prepares the patient for liver transplant while Dr. Veillette prepares the donor liver. THOMAS DIFLO, MD, FACS "IT LOOKED LIKE they were rebuilding the program," Dr. Diflo, Surgical Director of Renal Transplantation at Westchester Medical Center and Professor of Surgery at New York Medical College says of his decision to join the liver transplant team at Westchester Medical Center. "I wanted to lend my assistance." Dr. Diflo has a talent for going where he can help out. From his undergraduate days as a tutor in physics and mathemat- ics at Harvard University to his time at Boston University, where he obtained his medical degree and became chief resident in surgery, his record is one of service and collegiality. A transplant surgeon specializing in multiple organs, Dr. Diflo has been practic- ing for 25 years and has performed more than 1,000 kidney and liver transplants. Before joining Westchester Medical Center, Dr. Diflo served as Director of Renal Transplantation at New York University Medical Center. He is also known for his work in human rights issues, particularly the fight to end illegal organ trafficking. M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Mid Hudson | 7

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