Hines VA Hospital surgeon appointed Chairman of VA’s Transplant Surgery Surgical Advisory Board
PRESS RELEASE
August 10, 2022
Hines , IL — Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital’s Dr. Reynold Lopez-Soler has been appointed Chairman of the Department of Veterans Affairs Transplant Surgery Surgical Advisory Board (SAB).
The Transplant Surgery SAB advises VA’s National Surgery Office (NSO) and VA leadership. During the three-year appointment, Lopez-Soler will help develop transplant policies and procedures across VA’s integrated medical system and 15 transplant centers.
“It’s quite an honor to have this ability to look at national policy and direct transplantation for Veterans across multiple transplant centers and multiple regions,” said Lopez-Soler.
Lopez-Soler, of Warrenville, Illinois, is Director of Hines VA’s Renal Transplant Program and Associate Professor of Surgery at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. In 2020, he helped establish Hines VA’s transplant program, becoming the eighth VA facility to provide kidney transplant services.
Hines VA’s Renal Transplant program initially planned for ten kidney transplants in its first calendar year. Thanks to the dedication of Lopez-Soler and fellow staff, the new program completed 36, the most by any VA that year. To date, the program has completed 66 successful transplants, including its first living donor transplant in June 2022.
Born in Puerto Rico, Lopez-Soler is the grandson of Army Brig. Gen. Reynold Lopez-Pritchard. According to Lopez-Soler, his grandfather inspired him to help Veterans at Hines VA.
“I grew up very close to my grandfather,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to figure out a way to serve, and this seemed like a great way to serve. I can do the job I love for Veterans that need it.”
“Dr. Reynold Lopez-Soler is a shining example of Veteran care,” said James Doelling, Hines VA Hospital Director. “His appointment is proof of his exceptional skill and compassion. I look forward to seeing the progress he will bring as Chair of the Transplant Surgery Surgical Advisory Board.”
The three-year appointment is from August 1, 2022, to July 31, 2025.
About Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital
Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, located 12 miles west of downtown Chicago on a 147-acre campus, offers primary, extended and specialty care to veteran patients in the Chicago area. We are the largest VA in the state of Illinois, where more than a million veterans reside. The hospital treats more than 44,000 veterans from World War II through the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.