Linda C. Cendales, MD, a professor of surgery and orthopedics at Duke University School of Medicine and leading figure in hand transplant and microsurgery, will be inducted into the National Academy of Medicine in her native Colombia on Oct. 3.
Recognized for her groundbreaking contributions to tissue reconstruction and hand transplantation, Cendales has been at the forefront of several medical advancements. Her work includes participating in the first hand transplants in the United States while at Christine M. Kleinert Institute in Louisville, Ky., and establishing the first hand transplant program in North Carolina at Duke Health.
With a distinguished career that began in Bogotá and extended across the globe, Cendales has been instrumental in the development of a novel field in surgery that is shaping the future of hand and transplant surgery.
Her research aims to develop clear, data-based methods to address specific challenges in vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA). VCA involves transplanting multiple tissues like skin, muscle, nerve, and bone as a single unit, such as a hand. Advances in organ transplantation and microsurgery now make it possible to use VCA for restoring function in patients who have lost a hand or have large tissue defects.
Cendales credits Duke University’s collaborative and forward-thinking environment as a driving force behind her continued success.