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WellPoint- Medicare Advantage (Special Needs Plan HMO D-SNP)
Zelis - Third Party Administrator
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About
“Healing happens when patients feel heard.”
I am a liver transplant surgeon at University Health Transplant Institute. I care for patients with advanced liver disease and those who need complex transplant procedures.
I went into medicine because I wanted to make a deep and positive impact in people’s lives. Transplant surgery allows me to do that in a meaningful way. Every day, I have the privilege of helping patients regain their health, hope and the chance for a new beginning.
Areas of Focus
Liver cancer surgery
Liver transplant surgery
Living donor liver transplantation
Split liver transplantation
Philosophy of Care
I believe exceptional care starts with communication, honesty and a true partnership with each patient.
My goal is to help people feel supported, informed and confident as they face some of the hardest moments of their lives. When patients feel heard, healing becomes possible.
Favorite Parts of Medicine
Using advanced surgical techniques and evidence-based care to help patients have the best possible outcomes
Building relationships with patients and their families
Being part of the science and innovation that help move transplant surgery forward
Hobbies
Outside of medicine, I enjoy reading, cooking, hunting and fishing.
Articles & Publications
Journal Articles
Misumi I, Shiota I, Shiota T, Zhao J, Cullen JM, Lemon SM, Whitmire JK. Sex differences in hepatitis A virus infection in mice. PLoS Pathog. 2026 Oct 6;22(10):e1014660. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1014660. PMID: 42837374; PMCID: PMC13641395.
Chuang WH, Cavasin JP, Fosgate GT, Tinoco-Nájera A, Dröes FC, Phillips RK, Cullen JM, Steiner JM, Lidbury JA, Aicher KM. Exchangeable copper concentration and 3-kilodalton ultrafiltered urinary copper measurements are successfully adapted and partially validated in dogs. Am J Vet Res. 2026 Sep 1:1-8. doi: 10.2460/ajvr.26.07.0287. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42685790.
Juul Madsen SH, Bauer F, Hansen T, Nilsson LJ, Carney Almroth B, Cullen JM, Dreyer E, Milios L, Mortensen LF, Nielsen TD, Olsen T, Syberg K, Tukker A, van den Beuken E, Villarrubia-Gómez P. Knowledge gaps impeding plastic governance in the European Union. iScience. 2026 Aug 13;29(9):117065. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.117065. PMID: 42633144; PMCID: PMC13499091.
Meng F, Xiong Y, Gauch H, Ow W, Sun X, Feng Y, Zhang S, Cullen JM. Resource and Climate Implications of China's Passenger Vehicle Fleet Transition to 2050. Environ Sci Technol. 2026 Aug 18;60(32):22335-22344. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.6c01011. PMID: 42611482; PMCID: PMC13492275.
Patnaik R, Woodworth J, Choi BY, Fernandez R, Cullen JM, Tsai E, Cigarroa F, Klair T. Addressing Racial Disparities in a Hispanic Population Through Living Donor Liver Transplantation-A Comparison of 2 Eras. Clin Transplant. 2026 May;40(5):e70554. doi: 10.1111/ctr.70554. PMID: 42104581.
Williams CV, Schopler RL, Asfaw YG, Cullen JM, Proia AD, Everitt JI. ACUTE MYOCARDIAL DEGENERATION AND DEATH IN AYE-AYES (DAUBENTONIA MADAGASCARIENSIS) FOLLOWING INGESTION OF AVOCADO (PERSEA AMERICANA). J Zoo Wildl Med. 2026 Mar;57(1):140-147. doi: 10.1638/2025-0069. PMID: 41926265.
Assawarachan SN, Wachirodom V, Hakhen B, Chuchalermporn P, Yodsheewan R, Maneesaay P, Cullen JM, Lidbury JA, Sattasathuchana P. Concurrent Congenital Umbilicobiliary Fistula and Vesicourachal Diverticula in a Dog. Animals (Basel). 2025 Dec 17;15(24):3626. doi: 10.3390/ani15243626. PMID: 41463913; PMCID: PMC12729453.
Thompson CM, Heintz MM, Cullen JM, Haws LC. Evaluation of chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity of HFPO-DA in mice. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2026 Feb;165:106014. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2025.106014. Epub 2025 Dec 13. PMID: 41391658.
Cavasin JP, Chen MC, Ajoyan H, Dobromylskyj MJ, Huang WH, Jager M, Van Brussel K, Rockett R, Nekouei O, Watson P, Bestwick J, Choi YR, Lidbury JA, Cullen JM, Holmes E, Steiner JM, Tu T, Beatty JA. Recurrent integration of domestic cat hepatitis B virus DNA near feline CCNE1 supports an oncogenic role in hepatocellular carcinoma in cats. Tumour Virus Res. 2025 Dec;20:200324. doi: 10.1016/j.tvr.2025.200324. Epub 2025 Jul 16. PMID: 40681110; PMCID: PMC12332951.
Patnaik R, Woodworth J, Kempenich J, Van Sickle K, Daigle H, Petrasek J, Tsai E, Cullen JM, Klair T, Peterson R. Early experience of simultaneous sleeve gastrectomy in living donor liver transplant recipients with obesity - a pilot study. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2026 Mar;22(3):350-358. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2025.11.013. Epub 2025 Nov 21. PMID: 41353012.
Call 210-567-5777 to request an appointment with this doctor.