George V. Mazariegos, MD

View Dr. Mazariegos's full list of publications from PubMed.

Biography Summary

George V. Mazariegos, MD, is the director of Pediatric Transplantation at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. He also is director of Pediatric Transplantation at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute and an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh in the departments of Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Mazariegos earned a bachelor's degree in medical science at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., in 1984. Two years later, he graduated from Northwestern University Medical School. He completed residency training at Michigan State University in Grand Rapids and completed his fellowship training at the University of Pittsburgh in 1993. He joined the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute in 1994 and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in 1997 as co-director of Pediatric Liver and Intestine Transplantation.

Dr. Mazariegos specializes in the treatment of pediatric patients who have liver and/or intestinal disease that require transplantation. He also cares for children who develop acute liver failure and who may require specialized liver support therapies until they recover or until donor organs are available.

Dr. Mazariegos' research focuses on further refining immunosuppression therapy to improve transplant outcomes and quality of life. He currently is leading clinical efforts to evaluate lowering or withdrawing immunosuppression in long-term liver transplant recipients in order to maximize quality of life and minimize post-transplant complications. Dr. Mazariegos also is analyzing immunologic characteristics of patients successfully withdrawn from immunosuppression. This study, sponsored by the Immune Tolerance Network, is attempting to develop a "tolerance assay" that can be used to prospectively characterize patients who may be candidates for less immunosuppression.

Dr. Mazariegos has authored or co-authored more than 70 original articles, more than 80 abstracts and 10 book chapters. He has been active in coordinating the development of bio-artificial liver support systems for use in patients with acute liver failure. He also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Studies in Pediatric Liver Transplantation, an international registry of pediatric liver transplantation.

Dr. Mazariegos' work has earned him memberships in numerous professional and scientific societies, including the Society of University Surgeons and the International Pediatric Transplant Association. He was named Critical Care Fellow of the Year in 1992 by the University of Pittsburgh Multidisciplinary Critical Care Training Program, and in 1999 he received Children's Hospital's Service Star Award.