Liver Transplantation

• Clinical Course, Immunogenicity, and Efficacy of BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination Against SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Liver Transplant Recipients

Lung Transplantation

• Detection of Bacterial Colonization in Lung Transplant Recipients Using an Electronic Nose

Heart Transplantation

• Recurrent Mild Acute Rejections and Donor-specific Antibodies as Risk Factors for Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy in a National Pediatric Heart Transplant Cohort

Hand and Composite Tissue Allotransplantation

• Long-term Course of Kidney Function in Uterus Transplant Recipients Under Treatment With Tacrolimus and After Transplantectomy: Results of the First Clinical Cohort

Uterus Transplantation

• Reproducibility of Rejection Grading in Uterus Transplantation: A Multicenter Study

Infectious Disease

• Vaccination in Kidney Transplant Candidates
• Cell-mediated and Neutralizing Antibody Responses to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/BA.5–adapted Bivalent Vaccine Booster in Kidney and Liver Transplant Recipients

As a clinician, Dr. Yersiz was well known for his technical skill, expertise, and advancements in organ donation and procurement. He performed thousands of organ procurements at UCLA in which he refined the operation into a safe and seamless procedure. He was quite facile identifying marginal liver grafts from brain dead cadaveric donors that could be safely and successfully transplanted. He was instrumental in developing the surgical techniques and approach to the cardiac death donors used today not only at UCLA but at many centers across the world. In the mid-1990’s, Dr. Yersiz was at the forefront of transplantation with his surgical technique for the in situ splitting of a donor liver graft into two functional units; this revolutionary technique allowed select donors to provide liver graft segments for two recipients increasing the number of available donor livers. Lastly, Dr. Yersiz developed many of the techniques used for multiorgan procurements including intestine, liver/intestine and multivisceral transplants. All of these surgical techniques have saved many lives through the safe and successful transplantation of countless patients.

With his decades of experience, Dr. Yersiz advanced the field of liver organ procurement and trained most of the surgical fellows and residents at UCLA. Many of these trainees are now practicing transplant surgeons who use his techniques to this day. He developed an academic career around his surgical expertise with the publication of nearly 90 peer reviewed manuscripts, 20 non-peer reviewed manuscripts, 7 book chapters, and 1 guidebook in liver transplantation. His research resulted in over 150 abstracts presented at major scientific symposia and medical congresses. A member of most major transplant societies, he was an invited speaker at international meetings. He advanced to Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 2007.

Hasan was kind, generous and collegial; he spent many days, nights, and weekends traveling to hospitals across the US for organ procurements. At work, he was known for his refined taste in modes of transportation; he disliked helicopters but loved limousine service, as well as sampling local foods when he traveled. He was famous for his ability to nap anywhere – hospital lounge, car, plane, or office.

Outside of work, his family describes him as an easygoing and eccentric man who loved to laugh, spend time with his family, and watch Turkish soccer. He was married for 45 years to his wife, Sehnaz who he met while in medical school. Together, they have one daughter , Melike, who they are very proud of. She is a chemical engineer and musician and lives in Berkley, CA. He enjoyed traveling to other countries, particularly his native country of Turkey. One of his last international trips was for a family reunion in Turkey where he was able to see many of his siblings and extended family. Hasan is survived by his wife Sehnaz, daughter Melike, four siblings Seval, Nalan, Meral, and Ekrem, and their children, his brother-in- law Sait (Shanna), and his mother-in-law Gulsevim. Hasan played a significant role in our transplant programs here at UCLA. His unexpected passing has truly impacted our discipline and our department. He will be missed by all who knew and worked with him. While our “donor runs” will not be the same without him, his legacy will remain a part of our lives and programs at UCLA.