Biography

Hidetaka Hara (MD, PhD) is Research Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Hara obtained his MD from Kawasaki Medical School, Okayama, Japan in 1995, and then completed a general surgery fellowship and PhD at Department of Surgery at Hiroshima University, Japan.

During his surgical and research training, he became interested in organ transplantation, particularly in the field of xenotransplantation. He has joined the research group of Dr. Cooper at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh since 2004. Dr. Hara performs experimental surgeries in large animal models, including pig-to-non-human-primate heart, kidney, liver and islet transplants; and pig-to-pig spleen, kidney, heart and islet transplants.Dr. Hara also has extensive in vitro research experience, investigating the human-to-pig immune response. Dr. Hara has recently developed interest in pig corneal xenotransplantation. Dr. Harahas contributed to illuminating how genetic modifications in pigs can protect their organs from human immune responses.