Rachel is a kidney and pancreas transplant surgeon and also a lead surgeon for the National Organ Retrieval Service retrieving abdominal organs and tissue from deceased donors across Scotland and Northern Ireland. Rachel is also one of the live donor kidney transplant implant surgeons. Rachel Thomas Consultant Transplant Surgeon Edinburgh Transplant Centre Appointments and Activities Rachel trained in Edinburgh and Glasgow transplant units and completed her fellowship in Oxford Transplant Centre, focusing on pancreas transplant. Rachel completed her MD in 2013 at University of Edinburgh. For this, Rachel was Chief Investigator for the HOT study (Heme Oxygenase 1 in renal Transplant) looking at ways to protect deceased donor renal transplants from inevitable ischaemic injury. This work led to funding for a multicentre trial and Rachel was awarded the Moynihan Prize from ASGBI. Her current QI interest is in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and a successful pilot was completed in 2021, which has now changed standard renal transplant practice. Rachel’s research interest is in the impact of different retrieval techniques on kidney grafts. Rachel also has an interest in teaching and mentoring and is part of the University of Edinburgh medical student support programme. She regularly teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students locally and nationally and is a tutor on ESSQ. This article was published on 2024-02-06
