Robert Montgomery (physician)

Robert Montgomery
Born
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
Children4
AwardsThomas J. Watson Fellowship[citation needed]
Scientific career
FieldsTransplant Surgery
Institutions- New York University; Johns Hopkins University (2000 - 2016)

Robert Montgomery is the director of the Transplant Institute at NYU Langone Health.

Early life and education[edit]

Montgomery was born in January 1960, in Buffalo, New York and spent his early years on Potter Avenue in Orchard Park, New York growing up with his three older brothers and all the kids on the street. The fourth of four male siblings, he decided to pursue a career in medicine after the long illness and death of his father from familial cardiomyopathy at age 52.[1] He received his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1987.[2] As a Fulbright Scholar,[3] he completed a doctorate in molecular immunology from Balliol College in Oxford, England.

Career[edit]

Montgomery received his general surgical training at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1987 to 1995.[citation needed] He was a co-resident with Peter Attia.[4] During his residency, he took time out to complete his D.Phil in Transplantation Biology at the University of Oxford, graduating in 1993. He did a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins in Human Genetics.[5] He then finished his clinical training in Multi-Organ Transplantation at Johns Hopkins from 1997-1999 after which he joined the clinical staff as an Assistant Professor of Surgery.[6] In 2003 Montgomery became Chief of the Division of Transplantation and Director of the Comprehensive Transplant Center at Johns Hopkins, positions he held until 2016.[6] In the first year at those positions Montgomery was lead physician in what Johns Hopkins called the world's first simultaneous "triple swap" kidney transplant operation.[7] Other such surgeries with Montgomery as lead physician occurred at Johns Hopkins during the decade.[8][9] In 2003, Montgomery was the inaugural recipient of the Margery K. and Thomas Pozefsky Professorship in Kidney Transplantation. In 2016, he accepted a position as the inaugural Director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute in New York.[10]

Montgomery helped develop a laparoscopic method for removing a kidney from a living donor which became common practice.[11]

On September 25, 2021, Montgomery performed the first genetically engineered pig kidney xenotransplantation to a human. The kidney was engineered by Revivicor, Inc., a subsidiary of United Therapeutics, to remove the alpha-gal sugar, which is associated with hyperacute rejection. It was transplanted to a deceased human body donor, which did not reject the kidney while ventilated for 54 hours.[11]

In summer 2023, Montgomery led the longest study of a genetically engineered kidney xenotransplant in a human body to date.[12] The pig kidney was observed for two months in a neurologically deceased human, and maintained optimal kidney function throughout the study.[13]

He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2023.[14]

Personal life[edit]

Montgomery is married to opera singer Denyce Graves.[15] His favorite Opera is Carmen.[16]

Montgomery has received a transplanted heart.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "BuildingNY:NYStories - Robert Montgomery, MD: Transplant Surgeon/NYU Langone - CUNY TV". CUNY TV. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  2. ^ "Robert Montgomery". nyulangone.org. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  3. ^ "Fulbright Scholar Program: Robert Montgomery". Fulbright Scholar Program. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  4. ^ "17. Robert Montgomery, MD: Immunology, Pig Organs, and the Future of Transplantation". 28 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Robert A. Montgomery". Center for Health Journalism. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  6. ^ a b Simpkins, Beth. "Surgeon Biographies". Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  7. ^ Dakss, Brian (2 August 2003). "'Triple Swap' Kidney Transplant". CBS News.
  8. ^ "Doctors Perform 3-Way Kidney Swap". ABC News. 6 January 2006.
  9. ^ Dominguez, Alex (20 November 2006). "5-Way Kidney Swap Performed at Hopkins". The Washington Post. The Associated Press.
  10. ^ "Pioneering Surgeon to Lead New Transplant Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center". nyulangone.org. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  11. ^ a b c "Progress in Xenotransplantation Opens Door to New Supply of Critically Needed Organs". NYU Langone News. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
  12. ^ "Two-Month Study of Pig Kidney Xenotransplantation Gives New Hope to the Future of the Organ Supply". NYU Langone News. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  13. ^ "Pig kidney works a record 2 months in donated body, raising hope for animal-human transplants". The Associated Press. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  14. ^ "National Academy of Medicine Elects 100 New Members". National Academy of Medicine. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  15. ^ Herndon, Jessica (13 September 2009). "Opera singer Denyce Graves Weds Surgeon Robert Montgomery". PEOPLE.com.
  16. ^ "17. Robert Montgomery, MD: Immunology, Pig Organs, and the Future of Transplantation". 28 April 2022.