University Hospital of Brooklyn Appoints Dr. Caroline Rochon as New Surgical Director of Kidney Transplantation
By Office of Communications & Marketing | Jul 22, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Dawn S.Walker | dawn.walker@downstate.edu | (917) 439-9666
Dr. Rochon will lead the only Kidney Transplantation Program in Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY (July 22, 2021) – SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University announced Dr. Caroline Rochon, MDCM, FRCSC, as the new Chief of Transplantation Surgery at the University Hospital Brooklyn (UHB),
the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn.
Dr. Rochon returns to SUNY Downstate after most recently serving as the Kidney Transplantation
Surgical Director at Connecticut's Hartford Hospital. In her new role, Dr. Rochon
will lead a re-invigorated Kidney Transplantation Department to improve access to
kidney transplantation, increase awareness for living and deceased kidney donation,
and enhance successful transplantation rates for patients with chronic kidney disease
and end stage renal disease.
"Dr. Rochon has returned to UHB at a crucial time for the leadership of the Kidney
Transplantation Department," said UHB chief executive officer David H. Berger, M.D., MHCM "We are excited by her passion, vision, and commitment to improving the care for
patients with kidney disease and look forward to more successes under her leadership."
"Dr. Rochon's familiarity with SUNY Downstate and our unique patient population is
an added benefit to this critical role," said SUNY Downstate president Wayne J. Riley, M.D. "She has an understanding of the challenges kidney care patients, kidney donations,
and the need for education about the importance of this life-saving act."
More than a decade ago at UHB, Dr. Rochon was a Kidney Transplant and Hepatobiliary
Surgeon and Assistant Professor of Surgery. She continues to be a champion of clinical
initiatives that include establishing program-specific guidelines and processes for
safely utilizing, accepting, and transplanting organs from all possible available
donors, laying the groundwork for the creation of a Transplant Center of Excellence
for the elderly, establishing a Living Donor Champion Program to empower our patients
to share their story and find a living donor while also facilitating Waitlist Growth
and Breaking Barriers to Transplantation for our Referred Population.
"It is fulfilling to return to University Hospital Brooklyn in this role and to be
trusted with such an important mission for our patients," said Dr. Rochon. "I look forward to expanding our expertise, management, training, and team-building
skills to lead successfully and motivate our phenomenal team to drive lasting, national
change, increasing kidney donation and transplantation rates while delivering the
best quality of kidney healthcare for our patients."
Before starting her career, Dr. Rochon attended McGill University in Montreal, where
she earned her undergraduate and medical degrees and completed her surgical residency.
She then completed the Solid Organ Transplantation Fellowship at New York Medical
College in Valhalla, New York, and has maintained practice for the last two decades
in Canada, Connecticut, and New York.
Dr. Rochon has twice received the National Kidney Registry Teamwork Award and the
National Kidney Foundation, Hartford Hospital Kidney Transplant, Excellence in Care
Award, and the Hartford Hospital Medical Executive Committee Education Award. She
was also recognized with the Connecticut Women of Influence 2020 Award by the Boy
Scouts of America.
Dr. Rochon currently serves on several boards and committees, including the American
Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Association of Physician Leadership,
the International Pediatric Transplant Association, and the American College of Surgeons
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is the borough’s only academic medical center for health education, research, and patient care, and is a 342-bed facility serving the healthcare needs of New York City, and Brooklyn’s 2.6 million residents. University Hospital of Brooklyn (UHB) is Downstate’s teaching hospital, backed by the expertise of an outstanding medical school and the research facilities of a world-class academic center. More than 800 physicians, representing 53 specialties and subspecialties—many of them ranked as tops in their fields—comprise Downstate's staff.
A regional center for cardiac care, neonatal and high-risk infant services, pediatric dialysis, and transplantation, Downstate also houses a major learning center for children with physical ailments or neurological disorders. In addition to UHB, Downstate comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, a School of Public Health, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative, including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively. For more information, visit www.downstate.edu or follow us on Twitter at @sunydownstate.