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Julie K. Heimbach, M.D.

  1. General Surgeon
  2. Transplant Surgeon
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Departments

Specialty Groups

Location

  1. Rochester, Minnesota

Languages

English

Existing patients

Julie K. Heimbach, M.D., is a transplant surgeon and the Director of the Transplant Center 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 active in the development of national organ allocation policy and has served in multiple leadership roles. She has previously served on the Board of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and as chair of the OPTN Liver-Intestine Committee, as well as serving two terms on the Membership and Professional Standards Committee of the OPTN. Additionally, she has been a member of the governing board of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD), and as a counselor on the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS). She is currently an associate editor of the Journal of Hepatology, and previously served as an AE for American Journal of Transplantation as well as for the journal Liver Transplantation.

  1. Liver cancer
  2. Liver problems
  3. Obesity
  1. Donor nephrectomy
  2. Liver transplant
  3. Living donor liver transplant
  4. Living-donor transplant
  • Adult liver transplantation
  • Living donor transplantation including donor outcomes
  • Issues of obesity and transplantation
  1. 2004
    Fellow - Transplantation SurgeryMayo Clinic in Rochester
  2. 2002
    Resident - General SurgeryUniversity of Colorado Health Sciences Center
  3. 1996
    MDUniversity of Minnesota Medical School
  4. 1992
    BA - BiologyCarleton College

Certifications

  1. 2003
    General SurgeryAmerican Board of Surgery

Awards and honors

  1. 2013
    ILTS Vanguard AwardILTS Vanguard Award - most outstanding clinical paper
  2. 2006
    Abstract of DistinctionAmerican Transplant Congress
  3. 2002
    Resident Teaching Award, selected by medical students as an outstanding clinical educatorAwarding Organization
  4. 2002
    Resident Teaching Award, selected by the medical students as an outstanding clinical educatorMayo Clinic
  5. 2000
    Ben Eiseman Resident Research Award: Clinical StudyAwarding Organization
  6. 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
  7. 1995
    Alpha Omega AlphaAlpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
  8. 1994
    Margaret Mitchell Cancer Research Scholarship, for support of cancer-related researchAmerican Cancer Society
  9. 1994
    Herbert J. Lambson Award, selected by classmates based on character and outstanding service to the medical schoolAwarding Organization

Professional memberships

  1. 2023 - present
    MemberAmerican Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Transplant Congress Planning Committee
  2. 2021 - present
    Education Committee MemberInternational Liver Cancer Association
  3. 2021 - 2022
    Vice ChairPersonnel Committee
  4. 2021 - 2022
    PresidentOfficers and Councilors of Staff
  5. 2020 - present
    Task Force MemberHepatobiliary Task Force (HB TF), Gastrointestinal Steering Committe (GISC), National Cancer Institute
  6. 2020 - 2021
    President-ElectOfficers and Councilors
  7. 2019 - present
    MemberAmerican Surgical Association
  8. 2018 - present
    CouncilAmerican Society of Transplant Surgeons
  9. 2017 - 2019
    ChairOPTN/UNOS Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplant Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
  10. 2017 - 2022
    MemberPersonnel Committee
  11. 2017 - 2020
    Advisory Panel MemberOffice of Staff Services, Department of Human Resources
  12. 2016
    Course ChairLiver Transplant SIG, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  13. 2016 - 2018
    ChairCommunications Committee, American Society of Transplant Surgeons
  14. 2016 - 2018
    Co-ChairHCC Guideline Writing Group, Practice Guidelines Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  15. 2015 - 2018
    Governing BoardAmerican Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  16. 2015 - 2017
    Vice ChairOPTN/UNOS Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplant Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
  17. 2015 - present
    MemberOPTN/UNOS Policy Oversight Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
  18. 2015 - 2017
    Councilor - Surgery and Surgical SpecialtiesOfficers and Councilors
  19. 2014 - 2016
    MemberOfficers and Councilors
  20. 2014 - 2016
    MemberPractice Guidelines Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  21. 2014 - 2017
    Board of DirectorsUnited Network for Organ Sharing
  22. 2014 - 2016
    Executive Committee MemberUnited Network for Organ Sharing
  23. 2014
    MemberNominating Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  24. 2012
    ChairAASLD/ILTS Transplant Course, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  25. 2012 - 2014
    Regional RepresentativeOPTN/UNOS Membership and Professional Standards Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
  26. 2012 - 2016
    MemberResearch Executive Committee, Department of Surgery
  27. 2012 - present
    MemberInternational Liver Transplantation Society
  28. 2011 - 2016
    MemberCommunications Committee, American Society of Transplant Surgeons
  29. 2010 - 2012
    MemberEducation Committee, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  30. 2008 - 2011
    MemberOPTN/UNOS Operations Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
  31. 2008 - present
    MemberQuality Committee, Executive Committee, William J von Liebig Transplant Center
  32. 2007 - 2012
    MemberOPTN/UNOS Liver and Intestinal Organ Transplant Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
  33. 2007 - 2011
    MemberClinical Experiences Curriculum Committee, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Department of Education Administration
  34. 2007 - 2010
    ChairOPTN/UNOS Region 7 Review Board, United Network for Organ Sharing
  35. 2007 - 2009
    MemberVanguard Committee, American Society of Transplant Surgeons
  36. 2006 - present
    FellowAmerican College of Surgeons
  37. 2005 - 2008
    Member at LargeOPTN/UNOS Membership and Professional Standards Committee, United Network for Organ Sharing
  38. 2005 - present
    MemberAmerican Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
  39. 2005 - present
    MemberAmerican Society of Transplant Surgeons
  40. 2005 - present
    MemberAmerican Society of Transplantation

Publications

Research activities

See a description of research activities.