Shaping the Future of Pediatric Transplantation: UPMC Leaders Share Expertise Worldwide

Three leading transplant specialists from UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh will take center stage in a series of high-profile international meetings throughout 2025, helping shape the future of pediatric liver and intestine transplantation through research, innovation, and global collaboration.

Simon Horslen, MD

Dr. Horslen will chair a critical working group at CIRTA 2025, which is the 19th Congress of the International Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplant Association, and will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, September 10–13, 2025. The group will focus on “Long-term Management of the Intestine Transplant Recipient."

He will also present an invited talk at the International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) Congress in Berlin, Germany, September 18–21, 2025, titled “Chronic Rejection in Intestine Transplantation: Mechanisms, Diagnosis, and Management.” He will serve as invited faculty at the Donate Life Egypt Congress, November 12–15, 2025, further extending his impact on transplant education and global outreach.

James Squires, MD

Dr. Squires will be featured at the Society of Pediatric Liver Transplant (SPLIT) Meeting in Washington, DC, May 1–2, 2025, presenting both a poster and oral abstract. His poster, “Adenovirus Infection in Children with Acute Liver Failure of Undetermined Cause,” highlights findings from the Pediatric Acute Liver Failure Study Group. His oral presentation, “PARTNER AD3vance,” will share insights from a novel patient-centered research effort involving adolescent and young adult transplant recipients.

Later this year, at The Liver Meeting^® in Washington, DC, in November 2025, Dr. Squires will deliver an oral presentation titled “Patient Engagement in Pediatric Liver Disease: Experiences from A-LiNK, PFIC.org, and the Starzl Network.” His work underscores the importance of elevating patient and family voices in liver disease care and research.

George Mazariegos, MD

A pioneer in pediatric transplantation, Dr. Mazariegos continues to advance global understanding and innovation in the field. On April 11, 2025, he presented virtually at REAL Africa, a regional expansion of the International Liver Transplant Society (ILTS), on “The Role of Learning Health Networks in Advancing Care for Metabolic Disease.”

At the 57th Annual Meeting of ESPGHAN in Helsinki, Finland, he will deliver the keynote hepatology lecture on May 15, 2025: “Transforming Pediatric Liver Transplantation – How Do We Do It?” He will also present “Maple Syrup Urine Disease and Domino Transplantation” on May 17, 2025, offering insights into rare metabolic conditions and surgical innovation.

This fall, Dr. Mazariegos will join the ILTS Annual Congress to present on “Leadership and Innovation in Liver Transplantation” and return to CIRTA 2025 in Gothenburg to deliver the keynote address: “Innovation in Intestinal Failure and Transplantation – Finding Our True North.”

Advancing the Field, Globally and Locally

Through leadership in education, research, and international collaboration, Drs. Horslen, Squires, and Mazariegos continue to elevate UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh as a global leader in pediatric transplantation. Their contributions in 2025 will help shape best practices and inspire innovation across continents.