Dr. Diego R. Solís is the founder and director of the "Centro de Cirugias de Higado y Pancreas" (Liver and Pancreas Surgery Center). He made Puerto Rican medical history when he performed the first simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant in Puerto Rico.

Medical educational background

Solís earned his General Surgeon's degree from the University of Puerto Rico

University of Puerto Rico

The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...

. He continued his trainng in advanced surgery at the University of Florida

University of Florida

The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

 in the Shands Hospital. There he became familiar and gained experience in hepatobiliary surgery. He also participated in the transplants of the liver, pancreas and kidneys, thus becoming ASTS certified.

Transplant

On March 9, 2007, Dr. Solís performed the first simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant in Puerto Rico, at the "Hospital Auxilio Mutuo" (Mutual Aid Hospital), a procedure which lasted 8 hours.

Scientific investigations

Dr. Solís, who is also the director of the pancreas transplant program of said institution, has made numerous scientific investigations in the field of hepatobiliar surgery with a special interest in the causes and treatment of advanced tumors of the liver.

In 2007, Dr. Solís received a tribute from the Puerto Rico Chamber of Representatives in recognition of his accomplishment in performing the first simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant in Puerto Rico. He was awarded the 2010 "Doctors Choice Award.

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans
• Puerto Rican scientists and inventors