More than 3,800 people in the US are on the waiting list for a heart transplant. Many others facing advanced heart failure don’t know that a life-saving heart transplant is an option. No one should have to travel far for necessary medical treatment. That’s why we’re pioneering new techniques and developing one-of-a-kind programs – like heart transplant – to serve West Virginians and others across our region.

Care Designed for You

Heart transplant is one of many treatment options available to patients diagnosed with advanced heart failure. Depending on your condition, other treatments and therapies may be recommended. These treatments range from medications and lifestyle changes to implanted devices that help the heart pump.

Becoming a Patient

Before heart transplant is recommended, patients receive a comprehensive evaluation by our nationally recognized Advanced Heart Failure team at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute. If transplant is a potential option, patients are paired with a transplant coordinator to serve as a partner during the evaluation process. They will continue to partner with you throughout the transplant process if transplant is recommended.

During your half-day evaluation appointment, you and your loved ones will meet our transplant team, including a transplant cardiologist, transplant surgeon, transplant coordinator, pharmacist, dietitian, social worker, and financial coordinator. Together, we’ll evaluate your health and discuss other factors that can impact transplant surgery success. Your evaluation appointment will end with blood work and a list of testing that is necessary for the evaluation process. Our team is available to assist in coordinating the recommended tests.

Patient Support

Patients traveling to Morgantown for their pre-transplant evaluation, or those requiring longer stays pre- or post-transplant, may benefit from the Rosenbaum Family House. The Family House provides a place for adult patients and their families to stay while receiving medical care at WVU Medicine. Our transplant social worker will work with you to make necessary referrals for stays in the Family House.

Your Team

At WVU Medicine, you are part of our team. We are passionate about working with you and getting you back to living well. We’re the state’s only board-certified heart failure cardiologists working together with the most compassionate and highly trained surgeons, nurses, dietitians, transplant coordinators, advanced nurse practitioners, social workers, pharmacists, financial coordinators, and many others. You’ll never feel like you’re embarking on this journey alone.

Meet your team.

Referrals

We value the collaboration of physicians across the state and throughout the region. It’s what helps us bring the best care to West Virginians and others who seek hope. To learn about heart transplantation or to refer a potential heart transplant patient, contact the WVU Medicine Transplant Alliance at 304-974-3004.

Our heart transplant program is led by medical director George Sokos, DO, director of the Advanced Heart Failure Program at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute and associate professor of medicine at WVU School of Medicine, and Luigi Lagazzi Garros, MD surgical director of the Advanced Heart Failure Program at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute and assistant professor of medicine at WVU School of Medicine.

Our team guides patients through every step of the transplant process:

Vinay Badhwar, MD
Transplant Surgeon

J.W. Awori Hayanga, MD 
Transplant Surgeon

Luigi Lagazzi-Garos, MD
Transplant Surgeon

Christopher Mascio, MD
Transplant Surgeon

J. Hunter Mehaffey, MD
Transplant Surgeon

Christopher Bianco, DO 
Transplant Cardiologist

Marco Caccamo, DO 
Transplant Cardiologist

Kevin Felpel, DO
Transplant Cardiologist

Affan Haleem, MD
Transplant Cardiologist

George Sokos, DO 
Transplant Cardiologist

Daphne-Dominique Villanueva, MD
Transplant Infectious Disease

Md Shahrier Amin, MD, PhD
Transplant Pathologist