Surgeon Mark Laftavi, MD, is the interim chief of transplant services at Upstate University Hospital.

The kidney transplant program at Upstate has been able to keep going without a significant drop during the coronavirus pandemic, says surgeon Mark Laftavi, MD, the interim chief of transplant services. The Upstate program, which dates back decades, performs about a hundred such operations per year and marked its 1,000th deceased donor transplant in December 2020. It has also transplanted about 400 kidneys from living donors, he says, noting the constant need for organ donation. Laftavi also describes the importance of a trained support team and the advances in transplant surgery during his career, as well as those on the horizon. For more information about kidney donation, contact Upstate transplant services at 315-464-5413.