Zheng J Zhang

Zheng J Zhang, MD, MSc is a Research Professor in the Department of Surgery (Organ Transplantation) at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. As founding director of the Microsurgery Core at the Comprehensive Transplant Center since 2009, he has enabled over 6,000 microvascular procedures including 4,000 kidney transplants, 2,000 mouse heart transplants, and 1,000 ischemia-reperfusion injury models for researchers at Northwestern and other institutions.

His educational background includes:

• MD from Tongji Medical University, China (1983)
• MSc from Tongji Medical University (1985)

Dr. Zhang's research centers on developing small animal transplant models to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms of transplant rejection, immune regulation, and transplant infectious diseases like CMV reactivation. His work pioneers innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for transplant rejection through immune modulation and surgical innovation, with core expertise in Immune Regulation, Inflammation, and Microsurgery.

His 2024-2025 publications reveal a strong translational trajectory across organ systems: kidney and heart transplant models dominate his surgical methodology work, while recent studies expand into fibrosis treatment and neuroinflammatory peptide therapeutics. This demonstrates evolving expertise from foundational transplant immunology toward multi-organ therapeutic applications.

Key recognition includes:

• SUN LEE OUTSTANDING EXPERIMENTAL MICROSURGERY CAREER AWARD (International Society for Experimental Microsurgery, 2021)

As Microsurgery Core director, Dr. Zhang maintains critical infrastructure for transplant research while leading professional service as President-elect (2023-present) and Treasurer (2016-present) of the International Society for Experimental Microsurgery, driving global standards in experimental transplant surgery.