New Faculty Focus: David Aufhauser
Assistant Professor of Surgery David Aufhauser studies xenotransplantation, which is the transplantation of organs between species. We asked him to share his background and describe why he is excited to be part of the UW–Madison community.
David Aufhauser: assistant professor in the School of Medicine & Public Health’s Division of Transplantation
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Educational/professional background: I majored in history and biological sciences at Stanford University. I then moved to Philadelphia for medical school and general surgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019 I moved to Madison to complete my fellowship in Abdominal Transplant Surgery here at UW.
What is your field of research, and how did you get into it? I study xenotransplantation, which is the transplantation of organs between species. Transplant surgery captured my imagination back in medical school. It’s an incredible therapy that can restore unbelievably sick patients to good health and result in enormous improvements in both longevity and quality of life. Unfortunately, there are more patients needing transplants than there are organs available. Xenotransplantation has the potential extend a transformative therapy to more people in need by solving this shortage, and I hope to be a part of the effort to make it a reality.
What attracted you to UW–Madison? The people. When I interviewed here, I met a group of talented surgeons who share my passion for transplant surgery and who want to try to transplant everyone in need. The division has a strong history of delivering great clinical care and performing innovative research, and I wanted to help carry that tradition into the future
What was your first visit to campus like? I had a perfect spring day here—it’s impossible to beat this town when its 70 and sunny!
Favorite place on campus? The Terrace—no other university can match it!
This is a unique point in time, as we’re returning after more than a year of pandemic. What do you most look forward to? Catching up with friends and family.
Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea? Absolutely! Clinical transplant surgery and xenotransplantion are both very much about taking the taking the cutting edge of medical and biologic knowledge and applying it to improve people’s lives.
What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter at parties, now that we can attend them again? Some people who need liver transplants for metabolic diseases can donate their original liver to another person in something called a “domino liver transplant!”
Hobbies/other interests: Golf, running, biking, and spending time with my wife Hilary (who is also UW faculty in Pulmonology and Critical Care) and daughters Alice (age 3) and Sophie (age 1).