Ami J Patel, MD

Julian Abrams, MD is a Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and Director of Clinical Research for the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases. He is a specialist in the care of patients with Barrett's esophagus, early esophageal cancer, and other esophageal disorders. His research focus is on risk factors for Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer, with a particular focus on the role of the oral and esophageal microbiome as disease biomarkers, promoters of neoplasia, and targets for chemoprevention. He also has conducted extensive outcomes research related to endoscopic therapy for Barrett’s esophagus and associated neoplasia.

Roshan P. Shah, MD, JD, specializes in hip and knee reconstruction using minimally invasive techniques for less pain and faster recovery times. He believes there are many valuable pain-relieving treatments that do not involve surgery. When an operation is needed, he embraces careful surgical techniques with attention to the biological, anatomical, and mechanical restoration that is critical for a pain-free return of function. Dr. Shah has a particular interest in complex primary and revision hip and knee replacements, as well as associated fractures and infections. As Director of Complex Adult Hip and Knee Reconstruction at Columbia University, he has reconstructed failed total hips and knees using sophisticated techniques and technologies. He has successfully treated patients from across the United States and neighboring countries, finding solutions to problems that stump others. Dr. Shah has made several contributions to research, having published 40 peer-reviewed articles, textbook chapters, and editorials, in addition to giving more than 30 scientific presentations. He served as editor of the University of Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Journal and the Yale Journal of Health Law, Policy, and Ethics. He was also an associate editor for the Stanford Law and Policy Review. Dr. Shah has been honored with multiple research awards, including 1st place at the Orthopaedic Research and Education Fund/Orthopaedic Research Society symposium, 2nd place at the Philadelphia Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Research Symposium, the AO Kathryn Cramer Award, and the University of Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Journal Resident Recognition Award. He holds one provisional patent application for a patient safety device innovation. As a former Washington health policy fellow for both the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, Dr. Shah continues to advocate for policies that serve patients, improve access to care, and support research and innovation. He was invited to speak on FDA regulatory issues and innovation within the field of orthopedic surgery at a meeting in Washington, D.C. A native of Camden, New York, he earned his B.A. in Chemistry from Dartmouth College, with additional concentrations in philosophy and public policy. He received his doctor of medicine degree from Yale University and his juris doctor degree from Stanford University. He was a resident in orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received the DeForest Willard Award for outstanding performance as an orthopedic senior resident and the Marvin E. Steinberg, MD Award in Adult Reconstruction for outstanding work in the field of adult reconstruction surgery. He also completed a post-doctoral research fellowship (in the field of tissue engineering for orthopaedic surgery applications) at the McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory. Before joining ColumbiaDoctors, he completed a fellowship in Adult Hip and Knee Reconstruction at Rush University. Additionally, he has travelled to Wrightington, England to study advanced principles of the hip at the Charnley Centre for Hip Surgery.

Dr. Ratner is Professor of Surgery and Director of Renal and Pancreatic Transplantation at Columbia University. Prior to joining the faculty at Columbia, Dr. Ratner was on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and served as the Chief of Solid Organ Transplantation at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Dr. Ratner was responsible for dramatic growth of the kidney transplant program at CUIMC. He also established the pancreas transplant program, and the Kidney Autotransplant Program. He introduced robotic surgery to our kidney transplant program. Access to organ transplantation has been Dr. Ratner's major academic interest. Dr. Ratner has been a leading innovator in transplantation for over two decades. In 1993, he performed the world's first dual renal transplant. In 1995 (with Dr. Louis Kavoussi) he performed the first laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, and set the stage for its widespread adoption, which resulted in a profound increase in living donor kidney transplantation. Dr. Ratner has made significant contributions in overcoming immunologic incompatibilities that prohibited transplantation. He devised the plasmapheresis/IVIg protocol for alloantibody desensitization in 1998. In 2001, Dr. Ratner orchestrated the second paired-kidney exchange in the U.S. Subsequently, he arranged the first paired kidney exchanges in both Pennsylvania and New York. More recently Dr. Ratner has been a leading proponent of including compatible donor/recipient pairs in kidney exchanges. And, his more contemporary work has looked at the organizational and regulatory barriers to access to care. All of these strategies have increased organ availability and access to transplantation. Additionally, he has made important contributions to improve living donor safety. For his work, Dr. Ratner has received numerous awards and honors. And, he has been invited to speak and operate at various venues around the world. Dr. Ratner has authored or co-authored over 240 peer-reviewed publications, and has been a federally funded investigator. His publications have been cited over 20,000 times. He served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the LiveOnNY (formerly the New York Organ Donor Network), and has served on numerous national committees including the Board of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). He recently completed a term as the President of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, and previously served as that Society's Treasurer.Dr. Ratner originally hails from Brooklyn, NY. He received his undergraduate education at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He received his M.D. from Hahnemann University. His general surgery training was obtained at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. He completed a Fellowship in Transplantation Surgery and Immunology at Washington University. In 2011 Dr. Ratner completed a Master of Public Health with a focus on health care policy, administration and management.