Washington and Wisconsin Doctors First

Widely published medical professional John (J.A.) Macoviak, MD, MBA, has written over four dozen peer-reviewed medical publications and led many essential research projects across the country. Having taught at several esteemed universities in California, Washington DC, Boston and at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, John Macoviak, MD, MBA, is a retired heart transplant surgeon who performed the country’s first heart transplant operations in Washington, DC. He was also involved in the first pancreas-heart transplant procedure.

His mentor Norman E. Shumway MD PhD the acknowledged "father of heart transplantation at Stanford", said "This was a medically necessary pioneering first combined heart transplant for isolated coronary disease and no other vital organ arteriopathy by Dr. Macoviak combined with a pancreas transplant by Hans Sollinger MD from the University of Wisconsin, is a stalwart harbinger of a more promising future for diabetics especially as transplant and diabetes medications are improving every day."

In 1989, the Washington, DC, area saw its first-ever pancreas-heart transplant. Performed at the Washington Hospital Center, the procedure was done on Barry Katz, a 45-year-old man from Silver Spring. Katz was a longtime diabetic who was dealing with progressive heart failure in the weeks leading up to the experimental procedure. He worked at the Strategic Defense Initiative program and was a senior scientist at the government entity.

Katz’ condition damaged his heart to the point that he was admitted to the hospital with a few days left to live. A heart transplant was the only option for saving his life, and it was performed by Dr. John A. Macoviak and Dr. Paul Corso. The entire process took 6 hours and was quickly followed by a pancreas transplant later that day. Dr. Sollinger and Dr. Light at the Washington Hospital Center performed the pancreas transplant.

The Washington Hospital Center did not receive permission for the transplants from the State Health Planning and Development Agency. However, the emergency situation that Katz was in when admitted to the hospital did not give them enough time to transfer the patient to Georgetown University Medical Center or wait for official permission. They opted to go ahead with the procedure since Mr. Katz would have died without the operation.