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Ramesh Batra, MBBS, MA, FACS, FRCS

Associate Professor of Surgery (Transplant)
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Additional Titles

Surgical Director, Liver Transplantation

Medical Director, Transplant and Liver Unit

About

Titles

Associate Professor of Surgery (Transplant)

Surgical Director, Liver Transplantation; Medical Director, Transplant and Liver Unit

Biography

Ramesh Batra, MD, is the surgical director of liver transplant program at Yale Transplant Center. He is also the primary living donor liver surgeon for the transplant center besides being a multi-organ (liver, kidney, pancreas) transplant surgeon for adult and pediatric patients. Alongside his transplant roles, he also performs complex hepatobiliary operations for liver tumors and biliary tract disorders in high risk patients.

Dr. Batra's expertise is in living organ donation and also in transplanting extended spectrum aka “marginal” organs, both liver and kidneys for early transplant and reducing the time on organ transplant waiting list. With this ability, he continually seeks to find “opportunity” in organs declined by other transplant centers for his patients. Aside from maximizing utility and reducing organ discard, he is passionate about alleviating the ethical barriers in organ donation and transplantation. As a qualified and trained ethicist, he is nationally acclaimed in the field and constantly seeks to push the boundaries in organ transplant

As a surgeon-scientist, Dr. Batra has made notable strides in the field of living donor liver transplantation, simultaneously championing the delicate ethical equilibrium of double equipoise in his capacity as an Ethicist. Winner of the 2020 Academic Development Award for his research titled 'Striking a balance for ethical and shared decision-making in living liver donation, a step towards the double equipoise”, attests to the aforementioned role. Additionally, his receipt of the 2022 Yale Innovation Grant highlights his utilization of cutting-edge deep machine learning models to enhance organ donation practices specially in the arena of DCD organ donation, is perfectly timed with innovative machine perfusion and NRP practices. Deep machine learning to improve outcomes for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, upholding Utility and the Final Rule further testifies his complimentary research theme of Artificial Intelligence and Ethics, a rare but much needed combination. His accolades extend to multiple academic awards, including the 2024 Rising Star in Transplantation and the 2015 Jr. Investigator Award of the ASTS, alongside leadership roles in the committees of UNOS, ASTS, and AASLD.

Dr. Batra unequivocally embodies the tripartite mission; balancing roles as a surgeon-scientist-educator, he finds time for his passion of teaching and directs the 'Ethics of Healthcare' undergraduate course at the Dolan School of Business, Fairfield University. Harnessing the power of these Three Pillars, he aims to transcend the boundaries of academia and reshape the ethical landscape of emerging technologies while making healthcare more efficient, technological advanced and ethically sound..

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

FACS
American College of Surgeons (2020)
MA
Loyola University Chicago, Bioethics and Health Policy (2019)
FRCS
Royal College of Surgeons (2018)
ASTS Transplant Fellowship
Mayo Clinic (2015)
Transplant Fellowship
Royal Free Hospital & Guys Hospital, London (2013)
MRCS
Royal College of Surgeons (2012)
Residency
NHS hospitals, United Kingdom (2010)
MBBS
Sarojini. Naidu Medical College, Surgery (2003)

Research

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Ramesh Batra's published research.

Publications

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Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)

    Professional OrganizationsBoard Member
  • activity

    American Association for Study on Liver Diseases (AASLD)

    Professional OrganizationsCommittee Member
  • honor

    Rising Star in Transplantation

    National AwardAmerican Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)
  • activity

    American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)

    Professional OrganizationsCommittee Member
  • honor

    YNHHS Innovation Award

    Hospital System AwardCenter for Health Care Innovation
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Clinical Care

Overview

Ramesh Batra, MD, is an adult and pediatric abdominal transplant surgeon who performs kidney, liver and pancreas transplants. He also performs complex hepatobiliary procedures for people with liver tumors and biliary tract disorders, as well as general surgery procedures for those with liver cirrhosis and kidney failure.

Dr. Batra chose this field, in part, because he had an early interest in engineering and thought transplant surgery to be just as complex and challenging. “We put the patient at the center of our care, and the entire transplant team, which includes transplant surgeons, nephrologists, hepatologists, dietitians, pharmacists, social workers and coordinators, working together for the betterment of that patient.”

Transplantation surgeries have undergone significant refinements in the last six decades or so, says Dr. Batra. “Both liver transplant and kidney transplant surgeries can now be done in a third of the time it used to take in the initial years,” he says. Anti-rejection medications that are less toxic and more tolerable have also contributed to longer lasting transplants, including much more sophisticated post-transplant care

However, the shortage of organs to transplant is still a critical problem, with almost 20 patients dying on the waiting list every day, says Dr. Batra, who is an assistant professor of surgery (transplant and immunology) at Yale School of Medicine. “There is much more need than there is availability, and we’ve got to bridge this gap,” he says. He is interested in promoting living organ donation, and he focuses his research on the careful use of extended spectrum organs—finding ways to maximize organs that may seem less than perfect to get the best benefit for a suitable recipient.

Many patients remain in Dr. Batra’s thoughts. One was a sick infant who needed a liver transplant. “An altruistic living donor came forward—somebody who wanted to donate a piece of her liver out of the goodness of her heart, and we were able to successfully complete the donation and transplantation operation. It's powerful moments like these where you feel you're doing the right thing in supporting the mission of saving the most lives,” Dr. Batra says.

Clinical Specialties

Transplant Surgery; Kidney Transplant Surgery; Liver Transplant Surgery; Pancreas Transplant Surgery

Fact Sheets

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Board Certifications

  • Surgery General

    Certification Organization
    Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
    Original Certification Date
    2012

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