A VISIONARY IN TRANSPLANT SURGERY
BY J.M. LEE
Sanjay Mehra, Clinical Director & Consultant Transplant Surgeon at the Department of Transplant Surgery, Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, UK, was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India and was raised in an education-focused family that encouraged him to pursue a professional career. Parental guidance and motivation from his elder brother, Dr. Rajan Mehra helped him choose a medical path.
“After passing the competitive entrance exam, I was admitted to the Government Medical College, Amritsar, for a five-year MBBS course, which laid a strong foundation for my career,” he says.
The college had a tremendous reputation and had produced stalwarts in medicine. In Sanjay’s final year of MBBS, his passion for surgery became clear. This motivated him to take the all-India competitive entrance exam to secure admission to a three-year postgraduate course in surgery (Master of Surgery, General Surgery) at SMS Medical College, Jaipur, Rajasthan. This extensive course and surgical training built a solid foundation for him as a general surgeon.
“After completing my surgical training, I still had a strong desire to learn more to provide high-quality, focused care in a specialized area,” Sanjay reminisces. “The struggles of kidney failure patients and their reduced quality of life touched me so profoundly, since kidney transplantation can significantly improve the quality and length of their lives. This inspired me to join three-year training program in Kidney Transplantation at PGIMER (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research), the most prestigious institute in northern India.”
Thirteen years of study and rigorous training helped Sanjay develop into an accomplished kidney transplant surgeon ready to serve society. Unfortunately, there was no formal cadaver transplant program (organ transplants from dead people, brain-dead donors) in India at that time to assist patients who lacked family donors so there was an opportunity to learn and develop.
“After serving for a few years, in 2002, I pursued a fellowship in Kidney and Pancreas transplantation in the UK. This was an excellent opportunity to learn about the cadaver transplant program and pancreatic transplantation for patients with diabetes and kidney failure. Although the opportunity was promising, there were also concerns about cultural and lifestyle changes, working patterns, and leaving friends and family behind. At that time, I was not alone; I had a wonderful wife, Rubina, who is a dentist, and two sons—Aseem and Anuj, aged 3 and 5. There were also considerations regarding Rubina’s career.”
Being a college friend, I know Sanjay for last 40 yrs, even more than his wife. World knows him as a Transplant surgeon par excellence but man behind the mask is known to a few and I am one of those luckiest ones. He is one guy you can always count upon, come what may: a true essence of friendship.
Dr. Rajesh Watts
M Ch Plastic surgery
Sr consultant Plastic & Reconstructive surgeon
Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, India
After thorough discussions and weighing the pros and cons, Sanjay decided to make a move. He arrived in Liverpool, UK, in March 2002 and joined the Sir Peter Medawar Transplant Unit, which provided kidney and pancreas transplant services in the Merseyside region.
“Rubina and boys joined me two months later. It was exciting to work in a new country, but it brought numerous challenges: navigating new hospital systems, understanding differences in patient care, managing patient expectations, and more. One of the biggest hurdles was understanding the Scouse accent in Liverpool. Family-related struggles also arose, including settling the family and finding schools for the children. Social isolation affected the family, necessitating a targeted approach. We spent a year adapting socially and spent five years gradually understanding life in the UK.”
After a month of settling in, Sanjay began to enjoy his work on the professional front. “My previous experience helped me contribute to the unit early, which in turn provided me with learning opportunities. I still remember the first evening when I went to retrieve organs from a cadaver donor. It was undoubtedly an extraordinary surgical experience to participate in the retrieval of all major organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, and kidneys. It was mesmerizing to see the well-coordinated system. Different surgical teams for various organs came from different locations. Different surgical teams worked together to retrieve the organs, which were preserved and dispatched to different units, where different teams transplanted them. Everything was remarkably well-coordinated through a central hub system.”
A new era of transplantation had started for Sanjay.
His desire to learn more never faded, and hard work was the key to gaining the skills he aimed to develop. “Things were settling on the family front. As the boys became integrated into British culture, my wife’s tireless support remained steady— even postponing her career goals for the time being.”
In 2004, Sanjay transferred to the Manchester Transplant Unit, a larger facility that offered more opportunities to learn. This unit helped him refine his surgical skills in Kidney and Pancreas transplantation, research abilities, and many other skills necessary to become a dedicated and compassionate surgeon.
In 2009, he became a consultant in Transplantation surgery in Liverpool. By then, the boys were in high school, and his wife had also passed the exams to become an accredited dentist in the UK. Life seemed to be on track.
“The consultant role presents new challenges, as the primary responsibility for patient care falls on you,” Sanjay reveals. “Surgical techniques were evolving from open surgery to laparoscopic (keyhole methods). This created a new challenge in learning and transitioning from open to laparoscopic procedures in kidney transplantation. Unfortunately, learning opportunities in the UK were limited for those procedures due to low case volumes. Assistance was sought from a high-volume center, the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre in Ahmedabad, India, which performed 350-400 transplants annually.”
A dependable trainee with me from 2004-2009, Sanjay later mentored me in 2014-2015 to help establishing a keyhole procedure to remove Adrenal Glands (Adrenalectomy) in Manchester. I deliver this service in Manchester due to his initiative. I have always been impressed by his tenacity, professionalism, dedication to his patients and his vision for Liverpool transplant unit. Outside profession, he is a family man with quiet sense of humour and deep sense of spirituality.
Prof Titus Augustine
Consultant Transplant and Endocrine Surgeon
Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre UK
Prof. Pranjal Modi, a dynamic, generous surgeon, assisted Sanjay in training and establishing these techniques in Liverpool and the UK.
Upon reflection, it was quite interesting to note that UK helped in 2002 while there were less opportunities in India but Vice versa in 2012.
“As a consultant, I helped improve the department, introduced new techniques, and trained colleagues in laparoscopic skills.”
Sanjay proudly states, “Charity has always been at the center of my heart.” He faced life’s challenges at a higher level when he agreed to perform charity transplants in the war-torn Gaza Strip, Palestine, in 2012. “I helped for three years, making multiple trips each year, until the program was established there. The experience helped me understand suffering up close and was also rewarding because I could give back to humanity in desperation. My wife deserves credit as well, despite her fears, for allowing me to go into that war zone with all its uncertainties.”
While Sanjay was steadily advancing in his career, Rubina, his wife, also needed to focus on her dental career. “I collaborated with her to buy and set up a dental practice. That marked a significant change in our lives, bringing with it the challenges of running a business—which we had no prior experience with—alongside her profession,” Sanjay muses.
In 2019, Sanjay became the unit’s clinical director, a significant management role alongside his clinical duties. “This role helped me develop and refine my leadership skills and made me a wiser, humbler person. As part of these responsibilities, I have contributed to improving the department with the help of my team members.”
Throughout this journey, Sanjay received several other accolades, including serving as the clinical lead for organ utilization, chairing the Northwest Transplant Collaborative, and serving on the kidney advisory group in the UK to help improving organ donation and transplantation.
Caring, very approachable, amenable to ideas; “A boss who doesn’t boss around”
Lesley Roddy
Personal Secretary
Though he enters the final decade of his career, he still is motivated to contribute more. Surgical techniques are evolving again, bringing new challenges. Robotic surgery is a norm in most of the branches and he is working to incorporate robot-assisted transplantation into the unit (done with the help of a robot). As there is huge gap in organ failure patients and cadaver organ donors worldwide, he is focussed on improving the cadaver organ donation and appropriate utilisation of the donated organs.
Dr. Mehra is a compassionate surgeon with surgical excellence. He sees an opportunity in every transplant to improve quality and longevity of life.
Dr. Hemant Sharma
MD MS FACS FEBS
Transplant and Vascular Access Surgeon
Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust UK
“While reviewing my journey as a doctor and specifically as a Transplant surgeon in the UK, I have come a long way by receiving help from others and helping people. All achievements come at a cost, but the overall experience has been rewarding.
My journey in transplant surgery has been profoundly shaped by the guidance, mentorship and inspiration, I received from Dr. Sanjay Mehra during my training in the UK.
Dr. Avinash Odugdar
Consultant Transplant Surgeon and Urologist
HK Patil Hospital, Hulkoti, Bangalore India
“I firmly believe it is the right time to give back to the country that laid the foundation for my journey,” Sanjay spoke with gratitude and nostalgia. “Starting a charity transplant program in India is a dream I am now pursuing. Recently, I helped operate a charity transplant at a village hospital in Bangalore, funded by both the state and central government. The enthusiasm of local transplant surgeon Dr. Avinash Odugdar, who was my trainee earlier, and the interest of the local law minister, Mr. HK Patil, helped make it possible. I hope it will help further boost the program in that region.”
Dr. Sanjay Mehra leaves a profound, humane message for humanity: “Please don’t take with you your internal organs to heaven; they are desperately needed here; donate them. Organ donation is a selfless act that can save lives and improve the quality of life for those in need. By donating your organs, you can give someone a second chance at life, and your generosity will be remembered forever.”
Though he works in the UK, Dr. Sanjay Mehra urges you to follow the link below to register as an organ donor in Canada.
To register: https://www.transplant.bc.ca/organ-donation/register-as- an-organ-donor
