Description of Research Expertise

Peter Reese, MD, MSCE is a transplant nephrologist and epidemiologist. He cares for patients at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

His research focuses on: a) developing effective strategies to increase access to kidney transplantation, b) improving the process of selecting and caring for live kidney donors, c) determining outcomes of health policies on vulnerable populations with renal disease, including the elderly, and d) testing strategies to improve important health behaviors such as medication adherence. He directs Penn’s Center for Quality, Analytics and Research in Transplantation (PQART). He also chairs the Ethics Committee for the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which oversees organ allocation and transplant regulation in the United States. In recognition of his contributions to transplant research, he received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in July 2012. The PECASE "recognizes and supports scientists and engineers who show exceptional promise for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge."

In the transplant field, Dr. Reese has written specifically about the ethical implications of accepting live kidney donors with risk factors for kidney disease, live donor outcomes, the effects of organ allocation policy on vulnerable subgroups including children and the elderly, and better strategies to promote the careful use of higher-risk organs (e.g., “medically complex donors”).

Dr. Reese’s mission encompasses energetic support of talented and motivated young researchers at all stages of training. This Lab’s success reflects their creativity and efforts.

Dr. Reese's research support has included funds generously provided by:

· The National Institutes of Health

· A T. Franklin Williams Award in geriatric research (co-sponsored by the Association of Specialty Professors and the American Society of Nephrology) to examine the effects of emerging organ allocation proposals on older kidney transplant candidates

· The American Society of Transplantation to study outcomes among older live kidney donors

· A Greenwall Faculty Scholars Grant to examine the ethical implications of novel methods to increase organ donor registration

· CVS-Caremark, Merck, and Humana to test innovative strategies for improving medication adherence

Additional information about Dr. Reese’s current research can be found here: http://www.med.upenn.edu/reeselab/


Description of Content-based Expertise

Renal Epidemiology, Organ Transplantation, Ethics”