Transplant Center: Meet the Team
Strong results reflect a multidisciplinary approach to patient care that draws on the combined talents and experience of transplant physicians, transplant surgeons, nurse coordinators, transplant assistants, social workers, financial counselors and psychologists.
UF Health Shands Transplant Center team members offer state of the art immunosuppression protocols to improve patient and graft survival rates.
Transplant Center Director
Transplant Surgeons
- Thiago Beduschi, M.D.
Chief, Division of Transplantation & Hepatobiliary Surgery - Georgios Vrakas, M.D.
Director, Adult Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program - Ashraf El-Hinnawi, MD
Director, Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program; Associate Director, Kidney & Pancreas Transplant Program - Mark Johnson, M.D.
- Ali Zarrinpar, MD, PhD
- Daiki Soma, M.D., Ph.D.
- Wen Y Xie
- Alp Demirag
Transplant Physicians
- Alfonso Santos, Jr., M.D.
Medical Director, Adult Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program - Muhanned Leghrouz, M.D.
- Hisham Ibrahim, M.D.
- Rohan Mehta, M.D.
Physician Extenders
- Nicole Gazzola
Manager of Kidney and Pancreas Transplant and the Living Donor Programs
- Sandra Demasters-Reynolds, MSN, RN, CCTC
Living Donor Team
- Stephanie Sharpe, RN, BSN – Coordinator
- Angela Hoppe, LCSW – Social work & ILDA
- Vickie Connell – Transplant Assistant
Pre-Transplant Assistants
- Vickie Connell
- Phyllis Mitchell
- Pam Tilley-Hewlett
- Michaela Wiley
Post-Transplant Assistants
- Viva Brown
- Edward Harley
- Kathy Henderson
- Latosha Wiliams
Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Coordinators and Assistants
Pre-transplant Coordinators
- Mojdeh Bannister BSN, RN
- Goldwyn Rahman BSN, RN, CCRN
- Laura Schoonmaker MSN, RN, CCTC
- Michelle Tharp, RN, BSN
Live Donor
- Stephanie Sharpe, RN, BSN
Post-transplant Assistants
- Ke'van Brown, RN, BSN
- Karen S. Miller, RN, BS
- Kennisha Miranda, RN, BSN
- Wilma Thomas-Simmons RN, MSN, MBA
- June Sims, RN, BSN
Financial Coordinators
UF Health is contracted with most transplant networks. Check with your employer or insurer for more information about accessing UF Health for transplant services or our call financial coordinators with any questions.
- Stephanie Achour, 352.265.0358
- Katina Rees, 352.265.0359
- Carol Smith, 352.594.6951
Social Worker
- Jennifer Zeidman, MSW, LCSW, CCTSW (Adult and Pediatric)