Francisca van der Schyff

Francisca van der Schyff, MBChB, MMed, FEBS, FCS(SA), serves as Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery. She is an internationally trained transplant surgeon with subspecialty expertise in pediatric and adult liver and kidney transplantation.

Education & Training:

• MBChB (with honors) – University of Cape Town, South Africa
• General Surgery Residency (5 years, cum laude) – University of Pretoria School of Medicine
• MMed – University of Pretoria School of Medicine
• Pediatric Surgery Fellowship (2 years)
• Transplant Surgery Fellowship (2 years) – certified by European Board of Surgery (FEBS-Transplant)
• Visiting Fellowship – Erasmus University, Netherlands (ex-vivo & in-vivo organ perfusion technologies)

Clinical & Research Interests:

Dr. van der Schyff’s work centers on expanding access to transplantation for children and adults with end-stage liver and kidney disease. Her clinical practice encompasses living and deceased donor procurement, complex hepatobiliary reconstruction in children, and peri-transplant critical care. Research emphases include:

• Pediatric liver and kidney transplant outcomes
• Living donor transplantation techniques and safety
• Biliary atresia surgical innovation
• Immunosuppression optimization and rejection management
• Critical care protocols for emergent transplantation

Leadership & Service:

• President, South African Transplant Society (2024)
• President-Elect, South African Transplant Society (2024)
• Member, Vanguard Committee, European Union Medical Society (EUMS) – designs curricula and conducts exit examinations for European transplant fellows

Scientific Awards & Recognition:

• Fellow of the European Board of Surgery – Transplantation (FEBS)
• Fellow of the College of Surgeons of South Africa (FCS(SA))

Current Focus: As faculty at the University of Utah, Dr. van der Schyff continues to advance transplant surgery through patient-centered care, innovative research, and international collaboration.