Dr. David Amrose, nephrologist with TGH Advanced Kidney Care, and Dr. Kiran Dhanireddy, vice president and chief of the TGH Transplant Institute
As Florida’s leading academic health system for more than 50 years, Tampa General Hospital and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine combine education, research, and clinical care that leverages cutting-edge technologies. As a result, the hospital deploys next-generation therapies and treatment that drive advances in complex care. The academic health system has also established strategic partnerships with the state’s best physicians and practices, expanding local communities’ access to academic medicine. Together, these elements converge to make Tampa General the provider of choice for patients needing complex care throughout Florida.
Physicians in the Palm Beaches and on the Treasure Coast join Tampa General and USF Health as a reflection of their commitment to advance research, innovation, and technology to transform health care for their patients. Currently, the Tampa General network has more than 75 providers and 300 staff members in 13 medical specialties, practicing in 20 locations on Florida’s East Coast.
If patients in the Palm Beaches need to transfer to Tampa General for complex care, their trusted local physician can make the transition seamless, providing presurgical and postsurgical care. The most common treatments for which East Coast patients typically transfer to Tampa General are oncology, hematology, oncologic surgeries, complex neurosurgeries, and organ transplants.
Tampa General recently ranked No. 1 in the nation for transplants by volume, according to data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. With 889 transplants completed in 2024, the academic health system also set a new national record for transplant procedures in one year.
Organ Perfusion Technology Enhances Quality Transplant Outcomes
One of the reasons Tampa General ranks high for transplants is its utilization of organ perfusion technology. This game-changing approach allows donor organs to function outside the body in a machine while continuously supplied with oxygen and nutrients. Organ perfusion offers several advantages, including the ability to:
• Preserve organs for longer periods
• Retrieve organs from a wider geographical area
• Expand access to lifesaving transplants
• Take on more complex cases
• Enhance quality transplant outcomes
Historically, Tampa General has some of the most efficient transplant timelines in the country and in Florida, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. On any given day, there are 150 to 180 transplant patients in the hospital.
In the Palm Beaches, practices such as TGH Advanced Kidney Care and TGH Digestive Health Center often refer patients to Tampa General for transplants. In addition, TGH Digestive Health Center’s Dr. Sonja K. Olsen is Palm Beach and Martin counties’ only transplant hepatologist.
Robotic-Assisted Technology Addresses Microsurgeries
Beyond transplants, another major advance at the hospital occurred in late 2024, when Tampa General became the first hospital in the southeast to acquire the Symani Surgical System. This robotic-assisted technology addresses the scale and complexity of microsurgeries.
The system features incredibly small robotic components coupled with enhanced controls, allowing surgeons to make ultraprecise sutures on tiny blood and lymphatic vessels, as well as nerves — even those as small as 2 millimeters. In addition, the Symani Surgical System features tremor-reducing and motion-scaling technology for the ultimate in precision and control. The system is currently being used at TGH in delicate surgery to correct lymphedema, a troubling side effect of cancer treatment in many women. This groundbreaking technology increases quality of life for those battling or recovering from cancer.
Strategic Collaborations Define the Future of Medicine
Through collaboration with USF Health and, most recently, its alliance with Mass General Brigham, Tampa General is defining the future of medicine.
The hospital draws upon and utilizes the expertise of USF Health’s faculty, graduates, residents, interns, and current students. These individuals challenge boundaries and strive for innovative solutions to medically complex issues. This potent mix produces high-caliber research and development that gives rise to cutting-edge drugs, surgical techniques, and treatment paradigms that enhance patient care.
Tampa General’s partnership with Mass General Brigham further augments the academic health system’s expertise. The two hospitals’ first joint venture in Palm Beach County is to create a 20,000-square-foot radiation oncology center at Legacy Place in Palm Beach Gardens. Together, TGH and Mass General Brigham will create a robust, integrated team of experts. All team members will cross-collaborate, share, and support one other to deliver high-quality, responsive, and customized care for each patient.
For more information about the complex care backed by academic medicine that Tampa General provides to the Palm Beaches and on the Treasure Coast, visit TGH.org/ThePalmBeaches.
