Chitaru Kurihara

Chitaru Kurihara, MD is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. He specializes in general thoracic surgery, lung failure management, and lung transplantation, with clinical expertise in interstitial lung disease, COPD, cystic fibrosis, ARDS, and lung cancer.

His educational background includes:

• MD from University of Gunma School of Medicine (2009)
• Cardiothoracic Residency at University of Tokyo Hospital (2009-2014)
• Post-doctoral Research Fellowship as Assistant Scientist at University of Wisconsin, Vascular Surgery (2014-2016)
• Research Associate at Baylor College of Medicine, Cardiothoracic Transplantation (2016-2017)
• Advanced Lung Failure Fellowship at Northwestern University (2017-2019)

Dr. Kurihara's research focuses on advancing lung transplantation techniques for high-risk patients, immunological challenges in transplantation, and multiorgan failure management. His work bridges thoracic surgery, immunology, and oncology to improve outcomes in end-stage lung diseases.

His 2025 publications reveal critical trends in transplant surgery: optimizing outcomes for cancer patients undergoing transplantation, overcoming immunological barriers through desensitization protocols, and evaluating pharmacological impacts on recovery. These studies highlight his leadership in solving complex clinical scenarios involving multiorgan failure and high-risk transplant candidates.

His honors include:

• Performed first COVID-19 lung transplant in United States (2020)
• Winner of resident/fellow research competitions at Northwestern (2018)
• Top 10 Abstract at American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress (2017)
• Multiple excellence awards during Japanese surgical training (2013-2014)

Dr. Kurihara actively contributes to the International Heart and Lung Transplant Society, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, and Japanese surgical societies. His clinical work integrates with Northwestern's lung transplantation program and NUCATS research initiatives, focusing on translating laboratory insights into improved patient care for complex thoracic conditions.