Rate My Professor Christian Larsen

Christian P. Larsen, MD, DPhil, is Professor of Surgery in the Division of Transplantation at Emory University School of Medicine. He received his MD magna cum laude from Emory University School of Medicine in 1984 and his Doctor of Philosophy in transplantation immunology from the University of Oxford. Following general and transplantation surgery training at Stanford University and Emory University, where he served as Chief Resident in Surgery and transplantation surgery fellow, Larsen joined the faculty of the Emory University Department of Surgery in 1991. His clinical practice centers on kidney, pancreas, and islet transplantation, including performing the first islet transplant in Georgia in 2003.

Larsen has held pivotal leadership roles, including the inaugural Carlos and Marguerite Mason Professor of Surgery and founding director of the Emory Transplant Center in 2001, executive director of the Transplant Center in 2008, Joseph Brown Whitehead Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery in 2009, surgeon-in-chief of Emory University Hospital, and director of surgical services for Emory Healthcare. He served as Dean of the Emory University School of Medicine from 2013 to 2016 before returning to full-time clinical and research activities. His research focuses on immunologic mechanisms of transplant rejection and tolerance, driving discoveries from bench to bedside. Notable publications include 'Costimulation Blockade with Belatacept in Renal Transplantation' (New England Journal of Medicine, 2005), 'mTOR Regulates Memory CD8 T-Cell Differentiation' (Nature, 2009), 'A Phase III Study of Belatacept-Based Immunosuppression Regimens versus Cyclosporine in Renal Transplant Recipients (BENEFIT Study)' (American Journal of Transplantation, 2010), and 'Belatacept and Long-Term Outcomes in Kidney Transplantation' (New England Journal of Medicine, 2016). Larsen has received continuous NIH funding since 1996 and built a leading transplantation immunology program encompassing 200 members at the Emory Transplant Center. Awards include election to the National Academy of Medicine in 2014, Thomas E. Starzl Prize in Surgery and Immunology (2007), TTS-Roche Award for Excellence in Translational Research (2006), and the 2025 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Pioneer Award.