Biographical summary
Julie K. Heimbach, M.D., is a transplant surgeon and the surgical director of Liver Transplantation at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, with a primary focus in adult and pediatric liver transplantation and living-donor surgery.
Areas of clinical expertise include:
- Improving outcomes for liver transplant recipients with obesity-related liver disease
- Advancing techniques for living-donor hepatectomy and striving to ensure long-term donor safety following donor surgery
- Improving outcomes for liver transplant recipients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by liver transplantation
- Coordination of our multidisciplinary approach to care of the patient with end-stage liver disease before and after their transplant
- Leading practice convergence effort across the three Mayo Clinic liver transplant programs in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota to ensure we are all providing the optimal care for our patients
In addition to her clinical activities, Dr. Heimbach is active in research including analysis of outcomes for complex patients such as those with hilar cholangiocarcinoma and other malignancies, or obesity. She has been involved in research examining the long-term outcomes of living liver donors and living kidney donors and her work has been published in high-impact scientific journals. She has also been active in education, having previously served as the surgery clerkship director for Mayo Medical School (now Mayo Clinic School of Medicine). In addition to her work with medical students, Dr. Heimbach has mentored many transplant surgery fellows and research fellows.
Dr. Heimbach is also very active in the development of national organ allocation policy. She is currently on the Board of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and is also serving as the vice-chair of the OPTN Liver-Intestine Committee. She has previously served on the Membership and Professional Standards Committee of the OPTN.
Conditions treated
Procedures performed
Interests
- Adult liver transplantation
- Living donor transplantation including donor outcomes
- Issues of obesity and transplantation
Mayo Clinic locations
Education
- 2004
Fellow - Transplantation SurgeryMayo Clinic in Rochester
- 2002
Resident - General SurgeryUniversity of Colorado Health Sciences Center
- 1996
MDUniversity of Minnesota Medical School
- 1992
BA - BiologyCarleton College
Activities and honors
Certifications
- 2003
General SurgeryAmerican Board of Surgery
Awards and honors
- 2013
ILTS Vanguard AwardILTS Vanguard Award - most outstanding clinical paper
- 2006
Abstract of DistinctionAmerican Transplant Congress
- 2002
Resident Teaching Award, selected by medical students as an outstanding clinical educatorAwarding Organization
- 2002
Resident Teaching Award, selected by the medical students as an outstanding clinical educatorMayo Clinic
- 2000
Ben Eiseman Resident Research Award: Clinical StudyAwarding Organization
- 1999
J. Cuthbert Owens Award, selected by the Department of Surgery faculty as the resident who most represents excellence in teaching and patient careAwarding Organization
- 1995
Alpha Omega AlphaAlpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
- 1994
Margaret Mitchell Cancer Research Scholarship, for support of cancer-related researchAmerican Cancer Society
- 1994
Herbert J. Lambson Award, selected by classmates based on character and outstanding service to the medical schoolAwarding Organization
Professional memberships
- 2017 - present
Personnel CommitteeOfficers & Counselors
- 2016
Course ChairLiver Transplant SIG, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- 2016 - present
ChairCommunications Committee, American Society of Transplant Surgeons
- 2016 - present
Co-ChairHCC Guideline Writing Group, Practice Guidelines Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- 2015 - present
Governing BoardAmerican Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- 2015 - present
Vice ChairOPTN/UNOS Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplant Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
- 2015 - present
MemberOPTN/UNOS Policy Oversight Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
- 2014 - 2016
MemberOfficers & Counselors
- 2014 - 2016
MemberPractice Guidelines Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- 2014 - 2016
Executive Committee MemberUnited Network for Organ Sharing
- 2014 - present
Board of DirectorsUnited Network for Organ Sharing
- 2014
MemberNominating Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- 2012
ChairAASLD/ILTS Transplant Course, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- 2012 - 2014
Regional RepresentativeOPTN/UNOS Membership and Professional Standards Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
- 2012 - present
MemberResearch Executive Committee, Department of Surgery
- 2012 - present
MemberInternational Liver Transplantation Society
- 2011 - present
MemberCommunications Committee, American Society of Transplant Surgeons
- 2010 - 2012
MemberEducation Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- 2008 - 2011
MemberOPTN/UNOS Operations Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
- 2008 - present
MemberQuality Committee, Executive Committee, William J von Liebig Transplant Center
- 2007 - 2012
MemberOPTN/UNOS Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplant Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
- 2007 - 2011
MemberClinical Experiences Curriculum Committee, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Department of Education Administration
- 2007 - 2010
ChairOPTN/UNOS Region 7 Review Board, United Network for Organ Sharing
- 2007 - 2009
MemberVanguard Committee, American Society of Transplant Surgeons
- 2006 - present
FellowAmerican College of Surgeons
- 2005 - 2008
Member at LargeOPTN/UNOS Membership and Professional Standards Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
- 2005 - present
MemberAmerican Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- 2005 - present
MemberAmerican Society of Transplant Surgeons
- 2005 - present
MemberAmerican Society of Transplantation
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