NIKITIN, M.D, DMITRIY A., a multi-organ abdominal transplant surgeon at Florida Hospital Transplant Center, died tragically on May 26. He was 41. Born in Russia on October 15, 1969, he received his Medical Degree from the Omsk Medical Institute, Omsk, Russia in 1993. He completed a residency in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine there in 1994 and was a staff anesthesiologist at Omsk Regional Hospital until he immigrated to the United States in 1996. From 1996 until May 2001, he served as the Senior Manufacturing Scientist at Hemagen Diagnostics Inc. in Waltham, MA. He then completed a General Surgery Residency at the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA in June of 2006. Subsequently he completed a Transplant Surgery Fellowship at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX in June of 2008. He then joined the Florida Hospital Transplant Center in Orlando, FL, where he performed 168 transplant surgeries. Dr. Nikitin was Board Certified in General Surgery with expertise in multi-organ abdominal transplantation, hepatobiliary surgery and minimally invasive surgical techniques. He was a member of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the International Liver Transplant Society and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Nikitin devoted his career to saving the lives of countless transplant patients, and it is with deep sadness that his family, friends, colleagues and patients mourn this tragic loss. Robert A. Metzger, MD, Chair of the Department of Transplantation at Florida Hospital, says that he and Dr. Nikitin's colleagues will not only miss this gifted surgeon, but will miss the caring man who worked tirelessly by their sides. "He was a very passionate and meticulous surgeon who had an inquisitive mind and a zealous pursuit of excellence. Our transplant team is stunned and grieving," Dr. Metzger said. As a researcher, Dr. Nikitin conducted clinical trials and authored numerous articles and book chapters. In 2007 he was awarded the Young Investigator Award by the International Liver Transplant Society. "Dmitriy was such a pleasure to work with," says Leigh Ann Burgess, director of the Florida Hospital Transplant Center. "He was a true professional and treated his patients and coworkers as equals. We will keep with us the memory of him walking down the hallway carrying an apple in his hand and an ever-present smile on his face." Dr. Nikitin was a very proud husband and father and spoke often of his children to the transplant staff during his long hours in the operating room. He is survived by his wife, Lyubov, a daughter, Mariya (17), and three sons, Dmitriy (13), Andrey (6) and Maxim (3). Their extended family lives outside of the United States, and Florida Hospital has created a fund to help Dr. Nikitin's wife and children.
