Christian Bermudez, MD

Dr. Christian Bermudez is the Director of Thoracic Transplantation at the University of Pennsylvania and Professor of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.  He is also the Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation and ECMO at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.  Dr. Bermudez is formerly the Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Surgical Director of the ECMO Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and formerly an Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Bermudez earned both his undergraduate and his medical degree from the University of Concepcion School of Medicine. He then completed consecutive residencies at the University of Chile, first in General Surgery and then in Cardiovascular Surgery. He completed an advanced fellowship in Cardiac Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, followed by a fellowship in Cardiothoracic Transplantation Ventricular Circulatory Support at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. As a member of several prestigious organizations including the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, the American Heart Association, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Dr. Bermudez specializes in heart failure, cardiac transplantation, and cardiothoracic transplantation as well as mechanical circulatory support. His research has focused on methods to improve organ preservation for cardiothoracic transplantation and the study of short- and midterm cardiopulmonary support systems to be used as a bridge to cardiopulmonary transplantation. He has several research investigations underway, including: 1.) Combination of Extracorporeal Life Support and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of ARDS in Combat Casualties and Evacuation of Service Members with ARDS; 2.) Human Perfused Ex Vivo Lung: A Preclinical Model for Drug Development; 3.) Development of Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion System and Solution; 4.) Paracorporeal Ambulatory Assist Lung (PAAL); 5.) Use of Arterio-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator (ECMO) in Animal Model of Pulmonary Hypertension; 6.) Portable Artificial Lung Development/McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine; 7.) Percutaneous Respiratory Assist Catheter (PRAC) – Testing of Respiratory Assist Devices in the Bovine and Ovine Model; 8.) Use of GMP-Produced Human B-MSC in Combinations of ECMO to Reduce Endotoxin-Induced Lung Injury in Sheep. View a list of Dr. Bermudez’s publications here.