A Perfect Match
It was 2014 when Jeff Bakiares received a successful kidney transplant at UW Health for which his wife, Lynn, was the living donor. Upon learning that the UW Health transplant program ranked higher than any other program they had contacted, the Bakiares made the easy decision to travel from Chicago to Madison for this vital treatment. From their first phone call to UW Health, they knew they’d found an ideal partnership.
“We were impressed with everyone from the reception desk on,” shares Lynn. “It was amazing.”
“The care from the doctors, interns, nurses, and staff was phenomenal,” adds Jeff.
Shortly after Jeff’s surgery, he was introduced to Dr. Didier Mandelbrot, professor of nephrology and faculty member with the Department of Medicine, for his follow-up care. The two had an immediate connection — Jeff’s passion for research, thirst for knowledge, and photographic memory matched well with Dr. Mandelbrot’s pragmatic personality, clinical interests, and research focus.
“He is a great teacher,” Jeff recalls, “and he said to me, ‘This is what being a doctor is all about: the interplay and exchange of ideas between patient and doctor.’ ’’
The remarkable relationship that Jeff and Lynn have built with Dr. Mandelbrot, paired with their overwhelmingly positive experiences with the UW Health kidney transplant program, inspired a strong desire to give back. They expressed their generosity by creating an endowed professorship in honor of a dear friend, the Virginia Lee Cook Professorship in Transplant Nephrology.
Dr. Mandelbrot currently holds this professorship, which is supporting his academic work in transplant medicine, including research on treatments for post-transplant viral infections, new methods for immunosuppression, and living donation for kidney transplantation. His research on ways to modify the dosages of antirejection medications, while still treating any existing viral infections, has significantly improved Jeff’s quality of life.
Eight years after Jeff’s surgery, the Bakiares continue to be impressed with Dr. Mandelbrot — his expertise, down-to-earth nature, and desire to improve patient outcomes. “He’s as genuine, compassionate, and caring a man as I’ve ever met,” shares Jeff. “I’ve been to a lot of doctors, and he’s at the top of the list. I don’t mind driving 140 miles to see him.”
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