James M. Gardner, MD, PhD

Dr. James M. Gardner is a surgeon who performs kidney, liver and pancreas transplants for both children and adults. He cares for patients after transplant in the hospital and the clinic.

Gardner's research lab focuses on how the immune system learns to distinguish the body's own tissues from anything foreign, and how that process breaks down in autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes. His hope is that a better understanding of these fundamental bodily mechanisms will lead to dramatic improvements in care for everything from autoimmune disease to organ transplantation to cancer.

Gardner earned his medical degree and completed a doctorate in genetics at UCSF. He also completed a residency in general surgery, serving as chief resident, and a fellowship in abdominal transplant surgery at UCSF.

In addition to being a member of the Transplantation Society, Gardner is one of the founders of its young members committee and serves on its scientific advisory board. He is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and UCSF Naffziger Surgical Society. In 2019, he was appointed to the prestigious UCSF Physician-Scientist Scholar Program; he is the first surgeon to receive this award, an honor given to just one individual each year among all departments in the UCSF School of Medicine.