Dr. Paulo Chapchap

Dr. Paulo Chapchap is one of Brazil's most accomplished transplant surgeons and a pioneer in pediatric liver transplantation in Latin America. Based at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo — consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in Latin America and one of the few outside the United States to be accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI) — he has spent over 30 years building one of the continent's most active and successful liver transplant programmes. Dr. Chapchap performed some of Brazil's first pediatric liver transplants and has been instrumental in developing living-donor liver transplantation in the country. His patient philosophy is one of precision and compassion: treating each transplant recipient as a unique clinical and human challenge that requires multidisciplinary coordination and long-term commitment.

Dr. Chapchap completed his medical degree (MD) and postgraduate surgical training in Brazil, followed by a doctorate (PhD) focused on hepatobiliary surgery and transplantation. He undertook fellowship training in liver transplantation at internationally recognised centres in North America and Europe, where he was exposed to the leading techniques in split-liver transplantation and living-donor partial hepatectomy. He holds certification from the Brazilian College of Surgeons and the Brazilian Society of Organ Transplantation, and is an active member of major international transplant societies.

Dr. Chapchap's surgical expertise encompasses the full spectrum of liver transplantation — deceased-donor, living-donor, split-liver, and domino transplants — for both paediatric and adult patients. His particular strength is paediatric liver transplantation, where he has managed complex cases of biliary atresia, metabolic liver disease, acute liver failure, and primary liver tumours in children. He also performs hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (within and beyond Milan criteria with downstaging protocols), complex biliary reconstructions, and retransplantation for graft failure. His multidisciplinary team includes hepatologists, paediatric intensivists, transplant coordinators, and specialist nurses experienced in post-transplant immunosuppression management.

Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein has a dedicated international patient centre and is accredited by Joint Commission International, providing care standards aligned with the world's leading hospitals. Dr. Chapchap's team has experience treating liver transplant patients from South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and beyond. Portuguese, English, and Spanish are spoken in consultation. The hospital provides comprehensive support for international patients including medical visa assistance, coordination of pre-transplant evaluation, accommodation guidance, and post-transplant follow-up planning including telemedicine for patients returning to their home countries after transplant.

Dr. Chapchap has received recognition from the Brazilian Society of Organ Transplantation for his contributions to advancing transplantation in Brazil, including pioneering achievements in paediatric living-donor liver transplantation. He has published extensively in international transplant journals including Liver Transplantation, Transplantation, and Pediatric Transplantation. He has been invited to present at the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS) Annual Meeting and the International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) Congress. He has served as President of the Brazilian Society of Organ Transplantation (ABTO) and as an examiner for transplant surgeon certification. He holds the title of Scientific Director at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein.