Jay Fishman (US)

Chair Invited Speaker

Professor of Medicine · Transplant Infectious Disease · Mass General Hospital - Harvard Medical School · Boston

Jay  Fishman
Biography Click to expand

Jay A. Fishman, M.D. is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS), Director of the Transplant Infectious Diseases and Compromised Host Program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Associate Director of the MGH Transplant Center. Dr. Fishman received his MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, internal medicine training and Infectious Disease Fellowship at MGH, and postdoctoral Fellowships in Molecular Biology and Genetics at MGH and HMS. He completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.  His studies defined the use of ganciclovir for CMV infection in transplantation.  His clinical and basic research is focused on molecular studies of opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised hosts in animal models and humans.  His lab cloned and sequenced the porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) from swine and performed the first studies of porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV) in pigs and baboon transplant recipients.  His mechanistic studies demonstrated the role of human CMV infection in incapacitating monocyte phagocytosis of fungal pathogens while inciting allograft rejection and graft-versus-host disease; these innate immune mechanisms explain the “indirect effects” of CMV in transplantation.  Dr. Fishman has a special interest in education and mentorship having established the first worldwide Transplant and Immunocompromised Host Program at MGH. He is Fellow of the American College of Physicians, American Society of Transplantation, and Infectious Disease Society of America. He is Past-President of the American Society of Transplantation, President of the International Xenotransplantation Association and Councilor of the Transplantation Society. He has received career achievement awards from AST and TTS.

Xenotransplantation and the Future of Diabetes Treatment Click to watch
Jay Fishman (Interviewer / IXA President), Wayne J. Hawthorne (Guest Invitee)
Can xenotransplantation offer a scalable cure for diabetes? In this interview, Professor Wayne Hawthorne (Westmead Hospital, Sydney), a global leader in xenotransplantation and Immediate Past President of the International Xenotransplantation Association (IXA), discusses how the field is rapidly advancing toward safe, effective, and scalable therapies — particularly through islet cell xenotransplantation. Interviewed by Dr. Jay Fishman (Harvard Medical School), Professor Hawthorne shares insights into how xenotransplantation could transform the treatment of diabetes, moving beyond limited donor availability toward more accessible cell-based therapies. The conversation also highlights the importance of international collaboration, including the work of IXA, The Transplantation Society (TTS), and the World Health Organization (WHO) in developing global guidance frameworks to support the safe and ethical advancement of xenotransplantation. Professor Hawthorne also reflects on the significance of the upcoming TTS 2026 International Congress in Sydney, and what attendees can expect — both scientifically and from the host city, including the world-class International Convention Centre (ICC) in Darling Harbour. This interview is part of our featured speaker series leading up to TTS 2026.

Programme roles

Monday, September 21, 2026

The Gallery
Invited Speaker Experts/Mentors
Lunch and Learn Roundtable
Lecture Infectious disease surveillance and management in clinical xenotransplantation