About Dr. Alderete
Isaac Alderete is a general surgery resident at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2019, where he competed on the Division I men’s golf team, and earned his medical degree and Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Research from Duke University. During his time at Duke, he was selected as a CTSA TL1 Pre-doctoral Scholar and conducted research in the Duke Ex-Vivo Organ Laboratory under the mentorship of Dr. Matthew Hartwig, focusing on lung transplantation, graft preservation, and gene therapy. His research has been supported by student grants from the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In addition to his research, he worked as a USMLE tutor. He plans to pursue a career in cardiothoracic surgery with a focus on translational immunology and organ allocation policy.
Education
2020 - 2025
MD - Duke University
2022 - 2024
MHS - Duke University (Clinical Research)
2014 - 2019
BS - University of New Mexico
Societies
- American Society of Transplant Surgeons
- Association for Academic Surgery
- American College of Surgeons
- Latino Surgical Society
Awards
2025
AAMC RISE Leadership Scholarship for 4th Year Medical Students
2025
Student Surgery Leadership Weekend Scholarship, University of Michigan
2024
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Student Traineeship Award
2024
Finalist for the Early Career Scientist Award, International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation
2023 - 2025
Medical Student Diversity Scholarship, American Association of Thoracic Surgery
2023
Presidential Student-Mentor Grant, American Society of Transplant Surgeons
2023
Basic Science Poster of Distinction, Duke Surgery Research Day
2022 - 2024
CTSA TL1 Pre-Doctoral Scholarship, Duke University
2019
Summa Cum Laude, University of New Mexico
2018
Fellow, University of New Mexico Athletics Leadership Academy
2016 - 2018
Mountain West Conference Scholar-Athlete Award
2014 - 2019
NCAA Athletic Scholarship, University of New Mexico
Research
Dr. Alderete’s research centers on organ transplantation, with a focus on graft preservation, gene therapy, and lung allocation policy. He has led translational and national cohort studies, with support from the CTSA TL1 Program, ASTS, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Publications
- Gao Q, Kesseli SJ, Gonzalez T, Zhang M, Kahan R, Krischak M, Halpern SE, Song M, Xu H, Abraham N, Anwar IJ, Alderete I, Asokan A, Hartwig MG, Barbas AS. AAV9-Mediated Gene Delivery to Liver Grafts during Static Cold Storage in a Rat Liver Transplant Model. Front Transplant. 2023. May 2023; 2:1171272. PMID: 38993865.
- Gao Q, Kahan R, Gonzalez T, Zhang M, Alderete I, DeLaura I, Kesseli SJ, Song M, Asokan A, Barbas AS, Hartwig MG. Gene Delivery During Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion Using an Adeno-Associated Viral Vector in a Rodent Lung Transplant Model. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. September 2023; 167(5):e131-e139. PMID: 37678606.
- Alderete IS, Nakata K, Hartwig MG. Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: One Size Might Not Fit All. Ann Thorac Surg. September 2023; 116(3):578-579. PMID: 37030433.
- Harris CS, Lee HJ, Alderete IS, Halpern SE, Gordee A, Jamieson I, Scales C, Hartwig MG. The Cost of Lung Transplantation in the United States: How high is too high? JTCVS Open. January 2024; 21(18):407-431; PMID: 38690426.
- Gao Q, Pontula A, Alderete IS, Delaura I, Kahan R, Nakata K, Haney JC, Klapper JA, Hartwig MG. Impact of Simultaneous Heart Procurement on Outcomes of Donation After Circulatory Death Lung Transplantation. Am J Transplant. January 2024; 24(1):79-88. PMID: 37673176.
- Alderete IS, Hartwig MG. Commentary: Who Should Be Using Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion? J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. January 2024; 167(1):382-383. PMID: 37160218
- Alderete IS, Gao Q, Benkert A, Kahan R, Samy KP, Villani V, Turek JW, Vikraman D, Milano CA, Barbas AS. Successful Heart-Liver Transplant Utilizing Dual-Organ Normothermic Perfusion in a Patient with Fontan Failure. Transplant Direct. January 2024; 10(2):e1573. PMID: 38274477
- Medina CK, Prabhu N, Alderete IS, Parker L, Lim HK, Mendez MM, Kang L, Campbell MJ, Overbey DM, Turek J, Andersen N. Days Alive and Out of Hospital for Children Born with Single Ventricle Heart Disease at a Single Institution. Cardiol Young. February 2024. PMID: 38410043
- Gao Q, Alderete I, DeLaura I, Kahan R, Nauser CL, Samy KP, Ravindra K, Rege A, Vikraman D, Sudan DL, Barbas AS. Normothermic Machine Perfusion Prior to Back Table Ex Situ Split Procedure in Transplant Direct. April 2024; 10(4): e1602. PMID: 38464430.
- Abraham N, Gao Q, Kahan R, Alderete IS, Wang B, Howell DN, Anwar IJ, Ladowski J, Nakata K, Aardema C, Gerber DA, Roy-Chaudhury P, Hughes B, Hartwig MG, Barbas AS. 24-hour Subnormothermic Oxygenated Machine Perfusion in DCD Kidney Transplantation. Transplant Direct. May 2024. 10(6):e1633. PMID: 38807861.
- Gao Q, Alderete IS, Hughes B, Hartwig MG. Reply: Future Considerations for Adeno-Associated Viral Gene Therapy in Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. May 2024; 167(5):e143-e144; PMID: 38430103.
- Ladowski J, Martinino A, Peeler S, Alderete IS, Medina CK, Bartholomew A, Anwar I, Parker I, Barter S, Zani S, Williams K, Jackson KL. Animal Models Within Surgical Simulation: A Novel Approach to the 3 R’s. J Surg Res. June 2024. PMID: 39388992
- Kahan RH, Abraham N, Zhang M, Novokhatny V, Alderete I, Cray P, Chen F, Gao Q, Nakata K, Hassan A, Rush C, Penaflor J, Hartwig MG, Barbas AS. Optimizing DCD Liver Grafts Using Stabilized Plasmin in a Static Cold Storage Orthotopic Rat Liver Transplant Model. Transplant Direct. August 2024; 10(8):e1665. PMID: 38988689.
- Alderete IS, Nakata K, Hartwig MG. Overcoming Hesitancy: Embracing Extended Sleeve Lobectomy for Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Ann Thorac Surg. August 2024; 118(2):383-384. PMID: 38369178.
- Alderete IS, Medina CK, Halpern SE, Pontula A, Hartwig MG. Implications of the Composite Allocation Score System for Lung Transplantation in the United States: A Review of the New System. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, In Press September 2024 PMID: 39322124
- Alderete IS*, Medina CK*, Pontula A, Halpern SE, Soto AL, Patel KJ, Klapper JA, Hartwig MG. Donor and Recipient Factors Associated with Primary Graft Dysfunction Following Lung Transplantation: A DMG Registry Analysis, J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, October 2024. PMID: 39489331 *Shared First Authorship.
- Alderete IS, Pontula A, Medina CK, Halpern SE, Klapper JA, Neely ML, Snyder L, Hartwig MG. Predictors of Donation After Circulatory Death Lung Utilization and Allograft Survival, J Heart Lung Transplant, November 2024 PMID: 39571639
- Gao Q*, Alderete IS*, Aykun N*, Samy KP, Nauser CL, Raigani S, DeLaura IF, Kahan R, Anwar IJ, Abraham N, Dunkman J, Miller T, King L, Berg C, Vikraman D, Ravindra K, Rege A, Collins BH, McElroy LM, Jamieson I, Knechtle SJ, Sudan DL, Barbas AS. Transforming the Logistics of Liver Transplantation with Normothermic Machine Perfusion: Clinical Impact Versus Cost. Liver Transplantation November 2024. PMID: 39723976 *Shared First Authorship.
- Nakata K, Alderete I, Arnold CJ, Hartwig MG. Overview of Novel Donor Lung Preservation System Mediating Stable Organ Temperature and Airway Pressure. Expert Rev Med Devices, November 2024 PMID: 39611540
- Hartwig MG, Alderete IS. Financial Toxicity in Thoracic Oncology: Money Isn’t Everything, But It Sure Does Matter. In Press, Ann Thorac Surg. December 2024. PMID: 39710287
- Alderete IS*, Pontula A*, Halpern SE, Patel KJ, Klapper JA, Hartwig MG. Thoracoabdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion and Donation After Circulatory Death Lung Use. JAMA Network Open, February 2025. PMID: 39960670 *Shared First Authorship.
- Alderete IS, Hartwig MG. From Flawed to Fairer: Reducing Blood Type Bias in Lung Transplant Allocation. In Press, Am J Transplant; February 2025. PMID: 39954812
- Nakata K, Alderete IS, Hughes B, Hartwig MG. Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion: Recent Advancements and Future Directions. In Press, Front Immunology. February 2025. PMID: 40066445
- Alderete IS, Hartwig MG. Too Much Acid, Not Enough Evidence? Challenging GERD Testing in Asymptomatic Lung Transplant Candidates. Foregut. March 2025.
- Alderete IS, Soto AL, Halpern SE, Pontula A, Muylle E, Nakata K, Patel KJ, Klapper J, Hartwig MG. The Short End of the Stick: Access to Lung Transplantation for Short-Statured Patients in the Composite Allocation Score Era. Am J Transplant, May 2025. PMID: 40368060
- Kahan R*, Alderete IS*, Gao Q, Hughes B, Zhang M, Gonzalez T, Rosales A, Carney J, Aykun N, Abraham N, Hassan A, Nie X, Song M, Nakata K, Asokan A, Barbas AS, Hartwig MG. Adeno-Associated Virus Mediated Transduction of PD-L1 in a Rodent Lung Transplant Model. Am J Transplant, May 2025. *Shared First Authorship. PMID: 40449603
- Alderete IS, Gao Q, Aykun N, Barbas AS. Normothermic Machine Perfusion - The Juice is Definitely Worth the Squeeze. Liver Transplantation. June 2025
- Halpern SE, Singh R, Jawitz OK, Gurses A, Alderete IS, Klapper JA, Nam L, Hartwig MG, Osho AA, Patel KJ. Allocation Out of Sequence in Lung Transplantation: A Contemporary Analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing National Registry. Accepted for publication JAMA Surgery, June 2025.
- Nakata K, Gao Q, Kahan R, Kesseli SJ, Hughes B, Alderete I, DeLaura IF, Anwar IJ, Aardema C, Jarrett E, Barbas AS, Hartwig MG. Dual Ex-Vivo Lung Perfusion Via Pulmonary and Bronchial Arteries in a Porcine Model. Accepted for publication JTCVS Techniques. June 2025.