The FAIR Foundation is dedicated to fair and equitable distributions of Nation Institutes of Health (NIH) research funds for all diseases, including the sixteen that kill more Americans than AIDS.

John J. Fung, M.D., Ph.D., FACS
Chairman, Department of General Surgery
Director, Transplant Center
Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH

Education and Training:
Dr. Fung pioneered the use of the immunosuppressant tacrolimus in solid organ transplantation and was the first ever to perform baboon-to-human liver transplantation. Dr. Fung has performed more than 500 liver transplants, more than 200 kidney transplants, and more than 200 other hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgical procedures.

A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Fung earned his medical degree and PhD in Immunology from the University of Chicago, Chicago Illinois. Dr. Fung completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York and a fellowship in transplantation surgery at the University of Pittsburgh under Dr. Thomas Starzl. In 1988, he joined the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine as a faculty member and subsequently became Chief Operating Officer of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Chief, Division of Transplantation Surgery and Director of Liver Services.

Clinical and Cognitive Interests:
Dr. Fung is an active champion of fair organ allocation practices, has served on two statewide task forces to examine organ transplant policies -- in New York and in Pennsylvania. In addition, he has served on the Liver/Intestine and Scientific Advisory committees of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and served as the Regional Councilor of UNOS Region 2. He also serves as a board member of Family House -- a charitable organization that provides low cost housing facilities for families that are staying in Pittsburgh while receiving medical care. In addition, Dr. Fung is an active Board Member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Transplant Recipient International Organization (TRIO) and holds active membership on the Medical Advisory Committee the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Kidney Foundation.

Dr. Fung is a member of numerous professional and scientific societies including the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American College of Surgeons, American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association, American Liver Foundation, American Medical Association, American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Society of Transplant Physicians, American Surgical Association, Association of Academic Surgeons, Society of University Surgeons, and the Transplantation Society. He currently serves as president of the International Liver Transplantation Society and the Transplantation Society of Overseas Chinese.

He has authored or co-authored over 500 research papers, 150 extended abstracts, and 75 book chapters. Dr. Fung’s current research interests reflect critical problems in transplantation. His research in the area of xenotransplantation – transplantation of organs between different species -- focuses on methods of preventing rejection of xenografts. He also is engaged in a NIH-sponsored clinical trial to examine the feasibility of using donor bone marrow to aid in development of organ tolerance. Study of tolerance in transplanted organs aids understanding the mechanism whereby some organs can survive without the need for immunosuppression. Success in this area of study has the potential to improve the quality of life and the length of time a transplanted organ will function. Additional work involves regulating and arming the immune system to specifically treat certain viral diseases. This approach may be applicable to treatment of certain cancers and chronic viral conditions such as hepatitis. His research in the area of immunosuppression and the use of drugs to suppress the immune response is intended to increase survival and decrease morbidity associated with rejection of the transplanted organs.

Dr. Fung has received numerous honors including the Special Award for Leadership in Liver Transplantation from American Liver Foundation for work relating to organ allocation, the Transplantation Society Award for Outstanding Clinical Presentation for pioneering work in the use of tacrolimus in organ transplant patients, the Gift of Life Award from the National Kidney Foundation for contributions to immunosuppression in kidney transplant patients, and the Upjohn Award for Outstanding Research in histocompatibility. Dr. Fung, an awardee of the Competitive Medical Research Fund of the R.K. Mellon Foundation, also has consistently been listed in The Best Doctors in America since 1991 for his expertise in organ transplantation.

Selected Publications:

Fung JJ, Demetris AJ, Porter KA, et al. Use of OKT3 with cyclosporine and steroids for reversal of acute kidney and liver allograft rejection. Nephron, 1987, 46:19.

Fung JJ, Zeevi A, Starzl TE, et al. Functional characterization of infiltrating T lymphocytes in human hepatic allografts. Human Immunol, 1986, 16:182.

Fung JJ, Todo S, Jain A, et al. Conversion from cyclosporine to FK506 in liver allograft recipients with cyclosporine-related complications. Transplant Proc, 1990, 22:6.

Fung JJ, Todo S, Jain A, et al. The Pittsburgh randomized trial of tacrolimus versus cyclosporine for liver transplantation. J Am Coll Surg, 1996, 183:117.

Casavilla AF, Rakela J, Kapur S, et al. Clinical outcome of patients infected with hepatitis C virus infection on survival after primary liver transplantation under tacrolimus. Liver Transplant Surg, 1998, 4:448.