Donald Dafoe, MD Joins LifeGift as Abdominal Organ Recovery Surgeon

LifeGift, a health services organization, which offers hope to individuals needing organ transplants in 109 Texas counties in Southeast, North and West Texas, partnering with more than 275 hospitals and 10 transplant centers, announces Donald Dafoe, MD, FACS, FAST, has joined the team as an abdominal organ recovery surgeon in the North region.
Dr. Dafoe is responsible for recovering livers, pancreases and kidneys from deceased donors for transplantation and research. He will collaborate with hospital staff to manage the donor hospital recovery process, perform organ biopsies and facilitate biopsy interpretation to assess organ suitability.

He joins LifeGift from TransMedics, Inc. in Andover, Mass. where he served as principal abdominal donor procurement surgeon. Previously, he served as director, division of transplant surgery, clinical professor, department of surgery at the University of California – Irvine, in Irvine, Calif.

“As LifeGift’s abdominal organ recovery surgeon, Dr. Dafoe brings extensive experience in organ donation and transplantation. His background spans transplantation surgery, policy development, government relations, clinical research, medical education and executive leadership,” says Yolanda Becker, MD, FACS, FAST, CTBS, vice president and chief medical officer of LifeGift. “We’re excited to have him join our team!”

Dr. Dafoe received his bachelor of science and his doctor of medicine from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in Madison, Wis. He completed his internship, residency in general surgery and a fellowship in transplant surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa.

Throughout his tenure in the transplantation community, Dr. Dafoe has served in a variety of leadership roles with the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Transplantation, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Surgical Association, Association for Academic Surgery (Emeritus), Society of University Surgeons (Emeritus), Surgical Biology Club II, The Halsted Society and The Transplantation Society. He is a highly respected resource in medical operational leadership and has presented at multiple national and international level industry meetings.

For more information on LifeGift, visit www.lifegift.org. To register as a life-saving organ, eye and tissue donor, visit www.donatelifetexas.org.