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Center for Hernia Repair & Abdominal Wall Reconstruction »  Meet the Team »  Transplant Surgery »  Chris E. Freise, M.D.
Chris E. Freise, M.D.

Chris E. Freise, M.D.

  • Professor of Surgery
  • Chief, Division of Transplant Surgery

Contact Information

(415) 353-1888 Clinical, Liver
(415) 353-1551 Clinical, Kidney and Pancreas
(415) 353-9321 Academic
[email protected]
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Education

  • University of Minnesota, B.A., Chemistry, 1978-82
  • University of Minnesota, M.D., 1982-86

Residencies

  • University of Minnesota, Intern, Surgery, 1986-87
  • University of Minnesota, Resident, Surgery, 1987-89
  • University of Minnesota, Resident, Surgery, 1992-93
  • University of Minnesota, Chief Resident, Surgery, 1993-94

Fellowships

  • University of California, San Francisco, Research Fellow, Surgery, 1989-92
  • University of California, San Francisco, Clinical Fellow, Transplant Surgery, 1994-96

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Surgery, 1995

Clinical Expertise

  • Bile Duct Injuries
  • Bile Duct Strictures
  • Cholangiocarcinoma (Bile Duct Cancer)
  • Choledochal Cyst Disease
  • Dialysis Access
  • Expanded Criteria Donor Kidney Transplantation
  • Fulminant Hepatic Failure
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis C
  • Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Liver Cancer)
  • Intestinal Transplantation and Rehabilitation
  • Kidney and LIver Transplantation in HIV Patients
  • Kidney Auto-transplantation
  • Kidney Transplantation
  • Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy
  • Laparoscopic Kidney and Liver Surgery
  • Liver Transplantation
  • Living Donor Kidney Transplantation
  • Living Donor Liver Transplantation
  • Pancreas Transplantation
  • Pediatric Kidney Transplantation
  • Pediatric Liver Transplantation
  • Polycystic Kidney Disease
  • Polycystic Liver Disease
  • Portal Hypertension
  • Surgical Shunts

Research Interests

  • Delivery of Immunosuppressive Agents to Organ Allografts
  • Improvement Organ Function in Deceased Donors
  • Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

Biography

Chris E. Freise, M.D. received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota where he also did his internship and residency in General Surgery. He later completed a  transplantation fellowship at UCSF.   

He is a member of numerous professional organizations including The Transplantation Society, the International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association, the Transplant Infectious Disease Society, the American Hepato-Pancreato-Billiary Association and the Society of University Surgeons. In addition, he recently served as the Medical Director for California Transplant Donor Network. He is also the Associate Counselor for UNOS Region 5, and a member of the UNOS Membership and Professional Standards Committee.

Dr. Freise has authored more than eighty (80) in peer-reviewed publications and five (5) book chapters. He is an accomplished researcher and clinical educator. Dr. Freise is also a frequent invited lecturer to national and international and conferences in the field.         

Research Overview

Dr. Friese's basic science research focuses on the delivery of immunosuppressive agents to organ allografts, ischemia reperfusion injury, and methods to improve organ function in deceased donors. His clinical research includes  a multicenter trial investigating donor and recipient outcomes following living donor liver transplantation.

Research & Funding

Data provided by UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI
  • Living Donor Liver Transplant :Short & Long-Term Impact on Donors and Recipients
    Sponsor:
    Sponsor ID:
    Funding Period:
    Feb 2010
    -
    Aug 2015
    Principal Investigator
  • Living Donor Liver Transplant :Short &Long-Term Impact on Donors and Recipients
    Sponsor:
    Sponsor ID:
    Funding Period:
    Sep 2002
    -
    Aug 2015
    Principal Investigator

Publications

MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 125
Data provided by UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI
  1. Ku E, Copeland T, McCulloch CE, Freise C, Legaspi S, Weinhandl E, Woo K, Johansen KL. Peritoneal dialysis catheter complications after insertion by surgeons, radiologists, or nephrologists. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2023 Oct 17. View in PubMed
  2. Meier RPH, Nunez M, Syed SM, Feng S, Tavakol M, Freise CE, Roberts JP, Ascher NL, Hirose R, Roll GR. DCD liver transplant in patients with a MELD over 35. Front Immunol. 2023; 14:1246867. View in PubMed
  3. Meier RPH, Kelly Y, Yamaguchi S, Braun HJ, Lunow-Luke T, Adelmann D, Niemann C, Maluf DG, Dietch ZC, Stock PG, Kang SM, Feng S, Posselt AM, Gardner JM, Syed SM, Hirose R, Freise CE, Ascher NL, Roberts JP, Roll GR. Advantages and Limitations of Clinical Scores for Donation After Circulatory Death Liver Transplantation. Front Surg. 2021; 8:808733. View in PubMed
  4. Chipman V, Cooper M, Thomas AG, Ronin M, Lee B, Flechner S, Leeser D, Segev DL, Mandelbrot DA, Lunow-Luke T, Syed S, Hil G, Freise CE, Waterman AD, Roll GR. Motivations and outcomes of compatible living donor-recipient pairs in paired exchange. Am J Transplant. 2022 01; 22(1):266-273. View in PubMed
  5. Thiessen C, Arslan G, Roberts J, Freise C. Biliary obstruction following ureteral revision of a transplanted kidney. Am J Transplant. 2021 04; 21(4):1657-1659. View in PubMed
  6. View All Publications

Videos

Data provided by UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI
  1. Live Donor Liver Transplants and Surgery for Non-HCC
  2. UCSF Kidney Transplant Update: State of Transplantation, New Drugs, New Trials, Transplant Controversies
  3. Management of Cystic Liver Disease and Transplant Infectious Disease
  4. UCSF 2010 Liver Transplant Update: Extending the Indications for Live Donor Liver Transplants
  5. UCSF Kidney Transplant Update 2011: Higher Risk Donors; Paired Donation Chains
  6. You Wanna Piece of Me? Live Donor Transplant at UCSF

In the News

  • UCSF Part of Longest Kidney Transplant Chain - Guinness World Record Organization Distinguishes the National Kidney Registry for World’s Longest Kidney Transplant Chain

    UCSF Department of Surgery - December 03, 2020
     (Greenwich, CT – December 3, 2020) Guinness World Records officially recognized the National Kidney Registry (NKR) for the longest kidney transplant chain in the world. This massive chain was supported by the combined efforts of 25 transplant centers, it included 70 surgeries, facilitated 35 transplants and was featured on ABC News's Nightline. "Kathy Hart, a Good Samaritan donor, started Chain 357, the longest chain in the world, on January 6th, 2015. Her generous gift to a stranger beganat [...]

  • Improving the Outlook for Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplants

    UCSF Transplant Surgery - February 01, 2005
    "The body's rejection of transplanted organs and tissues is an unfortunate risk of transplant surgery. Historically, rejection rates in a simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplant have been as high as 80% and, in 2001, averaged nearly 20%. ........Diabetes Center surgeons Peter Stock, (left) and Chris Freise (right) have been pioneering new methods of immunosuppression for SPK transplants that do not rely upon steroids, with great success...... " Read Full Diabetes Center [...]

Patient Stories

 

 
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