Joohyun Kim, MD, PhD, FACS

My research focuses on improving liver transplantation by addressing two of the most pressing challenges in the field: preserving donor organs and supporting patients with severe liver failure when transplantation is not immediately possible.

Early in my career, I became interested in how the liver responds to stress, particularly during the critical period of ischemia and reperfusion—the interruption and restoration of blood supply that occurs during transplantation. This work led to discoveries about how liver cells regulate bile transport and energy use under stress, and how these changes affect graft function. By studying these mechanisms, I helped identify new ways to predict whether a donor liver will recover after transplantation.

Building on this foundation, I have worked extensively with machine perfusion, a technology that keeps donor livers functioning outside the body. My group has developed experimental models and measurement tools that allow us to evaluate liver function in real time, improving the ability to determine whether a donor organ is suitable for transplantation. We have also explored strategies to protect donor livers, enhance recovery, and increase the number of organs available for patients in need.

Most recently, my research has turned toward developing new extracorporeal liver support systems—platforms that use perfused livers to provide temporary support for patients with acute or acute-on-chronic liver failure. This approach has the potential to bridge critically ill patients to recovery or transplantation and represents a next-generation step forward in transplant medicine.

My work is highly collaborative, bringing together surgeons, engineers, immunologists, and computational scientists. This multidisciplinary approach has produced more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, patents in organ preservation, and national recognition for innovation in transplantation science.

At Yale, I am committed not only to advancing these research efforts but also to mentoring the next generation of surgeons and scientists. By uniting surgical practice with discovery science and engineering innovation, I aim to expand access to transplantation, improve outcomes for patients with liver failure, and shape the future of organ support therapies.