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Kyle Sheetz

MD, MSc
In 2025, I am answering the call to... develop tools to ensure every organ offer gets serious consideration.
Job Title: Assistant Professor of Surgery
Organization: University of Michigan
Age: 38
Years in Donation and Transplantation: 4
What makes your career in organ donation and transplantation special? My dual backgrounds in transplant surgery and health economics allow me to leverage my research for real and immediate changes in clinical practice. My research team is focused on big data and advanced computational methods to create better strategies to improve utilization of marginal organs. I also founded and run a multi-center data registry and quality improvement organization focused on normothermic machine perfusion in liver transplantation. All of our work is meant to get away from the binary thinking of "is this a good organ?" and move towards "which of my recipients would benefit most from this organ?"

Biography

Kyle Sheetz, MD, MSc, is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Michigan, where he serves as a transplant surgeon and health services researcher focused on advancing data-informed clinical decision-making in organ transplantation. With four years of experience in the field, Dr. Sheetz has emerged as a thoughtful and influential voice in designing tools that support transplant professionals and maximize organ utilization.

He was nominated for The Alliance 40 Under 40 by Dr. John Magee, Professor of Surgery at the University of Michigan. In his nomination, Dr. Magee wrote, “Dr. Sheetz is pioneering efforts to apply evidence and data science to improve clinical decision-making and reduce disparities in transplantation. His work is improving how programs evaluate organ offers and enabling more patients to receive the transplants they need.”

Dr. Sheetz’s research explores the intersection of clinical practice, system design, and policy. He is particularly focused on developing tools that empower transplant centers to better assess organ offers, with the goal of reducing variability and ensuring more equitable and efficient organ utilization. His unique dual training in surgery and data science allows him to approach these issues with both clinical intuition and analytical precision.

Through his scholarship and surgical practice, Dr. Sheetz is committed to improving access and outcomes for patients. He is widely respected for his ability to transform data into action and for his collaborative leadership style that brings together clinicians, administrators, and researchers to solve complex challenges.

Sheetz represents a new generation of transplant surgeons who are equally grounded in patient care and systemic change. His contributions are helping to build a smarter, fairer transplant system — one where every organ offer is evaluated thoughtfully and every patient has a better chance to receive the gift of life.