Daniel Kreisel, MD, PhD, the G. Alexander Patterson, MD/Mid-America Transplant Distinguished Endowed Chair in Lung Transplantation, has been appointed Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
“It is my great pleasure to announce that Dr. Kreisel will be the next Vice Chair for Research,” says John A. Olson Jr., MD, PhD, the William K. Bixby Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at WashU Medicine. “Dr. Kreisel is renowned for his work in transplant immunology. Under his leadership, research programs in our department will continue to grow and thrive. I can think of no one better suited to lead this arm of our mission than Dr. Kreisel.”
Kreisel, a noted surgeon-scientist and the surgical director of lung transplantation at WashU Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, is known for his research on mechanisms contributing to inflammatory responses and rejection after lung and heart transplantation. He is leading research aimed at developing immunosuppressive drug therapies to expand the lifespans of lung transplant recipients. Kreisel has been the recipient of numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Veterans Administration, including grants to study how immune cells contribute to ischemia reperfusion injury and rejection after lung and heart transplantation and a multicenter clinical trial evaluating whether a novel immunosuppressant can reduce the risk of organ rejection after lung transplantation. His research has resulted in numerous publications in the field’s leading journals, including The Journal of Clinical Investigation, PNAS, and The American Journal of Transplantation, among others. He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American Surgical Association and the Association of American Physicians, and the recipient of the American Society of Transplantation Basic Established Investigator Award in 2024. Kreisel is also a highly accomplished surgeon recognized for his expertise in lung transplantation and his compassion in treating patients and caring for their families. The lung transplant program, co-led by Kreisel, is among the nation’s best, completing its 2000th lung transplant in 2023.
“I am excited and honored to help lead the research programs in our storied Department of Surgery that has a long history of advancing science and fostering the careers of surgeon-scientists,” Kreisel says. “I have greatly benefitted from the rich collaborative environment at Washington University and look forward to contributing to our department’s continuing prominence in research.”
As Vice Chair for Research, Kreisel will oversee basic science, clinical, translational and public health sciences research programs across the Department of Surgery. A national leader in research, the department ranked as the second highest academic surgical department in NIH funding in 2023, with more than $34.1 million in grants. Among the many NIH grants led by Department of Surgery researchers is a prestigious $10.9 million Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant to support research and clinical trials aimed at improving therapies for pancreatic cancer. The department is home to over 900 clinical research studies, focused on improving treatment options across surgical specialties. In 2024, the department received over $8.8 million in funding for public health sciences research. The newly established Division of Surgical Sciences, within the Department of Surgery, aims to advance team science and foster the next generation of innovative surgeon-scientists, while developing novel therapeutic and diagnostic modalities to improve patient care.
“I am looking forward to working with Dr. Kreisel in his new leadership role,” says Emily Hixson Shepherd, business director in the Department of Surgery. “I have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Kriesel with his own grants, as well as in leading internal funding programs. His knowledge and commitment to rigorous research will advance our programs during his tenure as vice chair.”
Kreisel succeeds Wiliam Gillanders, MD, the Mary Culver Professor of Surgery, as Vice Chair of Research. Since starting in this role in 2012, Gillanders aided the department in expanding its research programs to their current state, achieving record-high NIH funding. He was also instrumental in developing a cadre of early-career investigators by establishing an investigator seminar series, which, Olson notes, has enabled young investigators to present data and grant plans for critical feedback.
Kreisel earned his medical degree in 1995 from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He then moved to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a doctoral degree in immunology in 2002 and completed his residency in general surgery in 2003. Kreisel then completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at WashU Medicine in 2005.