Advisory Board
The CORE Advisory Board is composed of 22 to 25 members and must include professionals from transplant centers, intensive care or emergency departments, tissue banks, voluntary health organizations, hisocompatibility members, neuroscience physicians, transplant surgeons, chief medical directors, medical directors of an eye bank, organ donor families, and public members. The board meets biannually.
Russell Mitesh Cerejo, MD
Co-Director, Endovascular Services
Allegheny Health Network/Cerebrovascular Center
Robert C. Dolence
Transplant Recipient Representative
Jonathan Elmer, MD, MS, FNCS
Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, and Neurology
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Armando Ganoza, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute
A.J. Harper
Voluntary Health Associate Representative
President/Emeritus, Healthcare Council of Western Pennsylvania
Lindsey Herlinger
Transplant Administrator
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
Chak-Sum (Sam) Ho, PhD, D(ABHI)
Laboratory Director
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network
Ajai Khanna, MD
Professor of Surgery
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Candice Lee, MD
Cardiac Surgeon
Allegheny Health Network
Glen Martin
Associate Administrator
Charleston Area Medical Center/General Hospital
Deb Maurer
Transplant Administrator
UPMC Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute
Valliammai Muthappan, MD
Corneal Surgeon; Cataract and Eye Consultants
Sightline Ophthalmic Associates
Reshma Paranjpe, MD
Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery
Allegheny Ophthalmic and Orbital Associates
Richard Plowey, MD, MPH
Keystone Pain Consultants
Duke Rupert
Public Member
Kathleen K. Ryan
Executive Director and Legal Counsel
Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association
Rajeev Sharma, MD
Transplant Surgeon
WVU Medicine
Kalathil Sureshkumar, MD
Nephrologist
Allegheny Health Network
Henkie P. Tan, MD, PhD, FACS, FAST
Transplant Surgeon
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
Gina Velar
Donor Family Representative
William R. Wagner, PhD
Director
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Debra Weismiller
Transplant Administrator
UPMC Hamot
Martin Wijkstrom, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation
Director Islet Transplantation
Director Abdominal Transplant Fellowship
UPMC Montefiore
Dawn Wilkerson
Transplant Administrator
UPMC Children’s Hospital
Rachelle (Shelley) Zomak, RN, MS, CCTC
Director, Transplant Operations and Compliance
WVU Medicine – WVU Hospitals
Ex Officio Members
Susan Stuart, RN, MPM
President/CEO
Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE)
Roheena Kamyar, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Elizabeth Lendermon, MD
Chief Medical Director
Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE)
