David Shaffer, MD, FACS

Professor of Surgery
Surgical Director
Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program
Division of Kidney & Pancreas Transplantation
Department of Surgery

Dr. Shaffer received his undergraduate degree at Yale University and his medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his surgical internship at Yale-New Haven Medical Center and then his Residency in General Surgery followed by a Clinical and Research Fellowship in Transplantation at the New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Following completion of his transplant fellowship in 1988, Dr. Shaffer remained at the New England Deaconess Hospital (now Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) as Surgical Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation and Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School until 2001, when he assumed his position at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. From 2001-2020, Dr. Shaffer served as Chief of the Division of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation. 

Dr. Shaffer is certified by the American Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. His clinical practice encompasses all areas of kidney and pancreas transplantation and dialysis access. His clinical research interests include novel immunosuppression strategies to minimize risk and improve outcomes post-transplant.

Board Certifications

  • General Surgery - American Board of Surgery, 1989

Patient Care Emphasis

  • Transplant Surgery
  • Dialysis Access
  • Kidney and Pancreas Transplant
  • Vascular Access
  • Organ Transplantation, Dialysis
  • Laparoscopic Kidney Donor Surgery

Postgraduate Training

  • Fellowship - New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, MA, 1989
  • Residency - New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, MA, 1988
  • Research Fellowship (Organ Transplantation) - New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, MA, 1986
  • Residency - New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, MA, 1985
  • Internship - Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, 1983

Education

  • M.D. Degree - Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, 1982

Publications
Review some of Dr. Shaffer's abstracts on PubMed.

Dr. Shaffer's CV is available in PDF format.

Referrals

For referral to Dr. Shaffer, have your physician contact us:

Tanya Hambrick, Administrative Assistant
Division of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation
912 Oxford House
1313 21st Avenue South
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee 37232-4750
Phone: (615) 936-0404
Fax: (615) 936-0409

Appointments with Dr. Shaffer

  • Transplant Referrals: (615) 936-0695
  • Vascular Access Appointments: (615) 322-2063