David P. Al-Adra, MD, PhD, FACS
Assistant Professor
- Division of TransplantationÂ
aladra@surgery.wisc.edu
(608) 263-0388
Clinical Science Center
600 Highland Avenue
Madison WI 53792
Education
- MD, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada
- PhD, Clinical Investigator Program in the Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada
- Residency, General Surgery, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada
- Abdominal Organ Transplant Fellowship, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Clinical Specialties
Dr. Al-Adra is certified by the American Board of Surgery (ABS), the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, and the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA). He specializes in liver, kidney, pancreas and pediatric transplantation, live donor liver transplantation (LDLT), and hepatobiliary surgery.
Dr. Al-Adra and Dr. Aufhauser performed a living liver transplant between two sisters to cure one of them of her rare disorder. Read more here.
Dr. Al-Adra provides a wide range of services including Kidney Transplant, Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy, Liver Resection, Liver Transplant, Pancreas Transplant, Pediatric Liver Transplant, Wedge Resection of the Liver.
Research Interests
Dr. Al-Adra is investigating the mechanisms of immunological rejection after solid organ transplantation. The goal of his research is to decrease the immune response against the organ, which would then decrease the need for anti-rejection drugs. Specifically, the transplanted organs can be modified using normothermic machine organ preservation technologies to decrease rejection after transplantation.
Dr. Al-Adra was recently awarded a one-year, $65,000 grant from UW’s 2023 Fall Research Competition, which is administered by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. Read more here.
Dr. Al-Adra received a new one-year, $50,000 Pilot Research Award from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Foundation. Read more here.
Dr. Al-Adra was recently awarded a two-year, $100,000 Collaborative Scientist Grant from the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. Read more here.
Dr. Al-Adra’s lab >>
Recent Publications
Improved Tolerability of De Novo Letermovir Over Valganciclovir for Cytomegalovirus Prophylaxis in Seropositive Liver Transplant Recipients.
Kleiboeker HL, Descourouez JL, Saddler CM, Al-Adra D, Rice JP, Jorgenson MR
Clin Transplant 2026 Jun; 40(6): e70597
[PubMed ID: 42295027]Portal-Venous Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion for Liver Transplant: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Reich DJ, Mao S, Satish S, Nassar A, Rizzari M, Al-Adra DP, DiNorcia J, Woloszyn J, Doyle MBM, Bohorquez H, Mihaylov P, Saharia A, Merani S, Wehrle CJ, Miller C, Axelrod D, Langnas A, Melcher ML, Akoad M, Ghobrial M, Kubal C, Roll G, Cohen A, Chapman WC, Pinna A, de Vera M, Florman S, Foley DP, Abouljoud M, Quintini C, Hashimoto K, Croome K, Taner CB, Schlegel A
JAMA Surg 2026 May 27;
[PubMed ID: 42201712]Reprogramming Hepatic Resilience: BMK1 as a Cytoprotective Axis in Liver Ischemia-reperfusion Injury.
Maluf DG, Al-Adra D, Mas VR
Transplantation 2026 Jun 01; 110(6): e1174-e1176
[PubMed ID: 42024323]Dual Kidney Transplantation Offers Prolonged Graft Survival.
Fedorova E, Firmino SN, Foley D, Garonzik-Wang J, Kaufman D, Odorico J, Aufhauser D, Neidlinger NA, Thiessen C, Philip J, Collins KM, Mezrich J, Al-Adra D, Mandelbrot D, Astor BC, Parajuli S
Clin Transplant 2026 Feb; 40(2): e70481
[PubMed ID: 41674145]Importing pancreata for transplantation: a single-center experience across evolving allocation eras.
Tamburrini R, Hidalgo S, Leverson G, Kaufman DB, Neidlinger NA, Al-Adra DP, Aufhauser DD, Thiessen C, Mandelbrot D, Parajuli S, Odorico JS
Front Transplant 2025; 4: 1698617
[PubMed ID: 41488372]