Advisory Board
The CORE Advisory Board is composed of 22 members and must include professionals from transplant centers, intensive care or emergency departments, tissue banks, voluntary health organizations, histocompatibility members, neuroscience physicians, transplant surgeons, chief medical directors, medical directors of an eye bank, organ donor families, and public members. The board meets biannually.
Joseph Africa, MD, FACS
Transplant Surgeon
Charleston Area Medical Center
Jeff Bechtel
Retired; Healthcare Executive
Russell Mitesh Cerejo, MD
Co-Director, Endovascular Services
Allegheny Health Network/Cerebrovascular Center
Jonathan Elmer, MD, MS, FNCS
Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, and Neurology
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Armando Ganoza, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute
Vikraman Gunabushanam, MD
Transplant Surgeon
UPMC
A.J. Harper
Voluntary Health Associate Representative
President/Emeritus, Healthcare Council of Western Pennsylvania
Chak-Sum (Sam) Ho, PhD, D(ABHI)
Laboratory Director
Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network
Ajai Khanna, MD
Professor of Surgery
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Candice Lee, MD
Cardiac Surgeon
Allegheny Health Network
Glen Martin
Associate Administrator
Charleston Area Medical Center/General Hospital
Valliammai Muthappan, MD
Corneal Surgeon; Cataract and Eye Consultants
Sightline Ophthalmic Associates
Reshma Paranjpe, MD
Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery
Allegheny Ophthalmic and Orbital Associates
Michael Peduzzi
Transplant Administrator
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
Richard Plowey, MD, MPH
Keystone Pain Consultants
Duke Rupert
Public Member
Rajeev Sharma, MD
Transplant Surgeon
WVU Medicine
Vivek Sharma, MD, MS, FRCS
Transplant Surgeon
VA Pittsburgh Health Care
Kalathil Sureshkumar, MD
Nephrologist
Allegheny Health Network
Gina Velar
Donor Family Representative
William R. Wagner, PhD
Distinguished Professor of Bioengineering, Surgery & Chemical Engineering
University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
Debra Weismiller
Transplant Administrator
UPMC Hamot
Ex Officio Members
Deborah Maurer, RN, MBA
President/CEO
Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE)
Roheena Kamyar, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Elizabeth Lendermon, MD
Chief Medical Director
Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE)
