Physician, Professor
Transplant
Department: Surgery
I am a transplant surgeon-scientist who specializes in pancreas and kidney surgeries at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. I am deeply passionate about offering exceptional care to every patient and I am committed to doing all I can to ensure the best outcomes possible.
My approach involves a thorough examination of each patient’s medical and surgical history, and their current health condition. I focus on understanding their priorities and values to customize a treatment plan that works best for them. My patients can rely on me to work with them through every step of the process, including their post-transplant care.
My training and professional network at research-intense institutions inspired me to pursue a surgeon-scientist career path and pursue transplant research that will improve patient outcomes. My clinical research is focused on transplant immunology, and I was part of a team that discovered a novel CD8+ cell subset that could be used to help ensure the body accepts its new organ.
The support and mentoring I received during my own training was important for building my own career, and now I am paying it forward by helping to educate and train the next generation of physicians and surgeon-scientists. That includes using multiple training grants from the National Institutes of Health to support trainees at various levels.
My role at The Ohio State University College of Medicine includes serving as associate dean for Physician Scientist Education and Training and as co-director of the Medical Scientist Training Program. I am also the director of the Department of Surgery Research Training Program, a robust program that I was proud to help establish, and a tenured professor in the Division of Transplantation Surgery. I was also elected by my peers to serve as the president of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.
Please note: Not all physicians schedule patients at each listed location.
I am the Associate Dean for Physician Scientist Education and Training at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. I also serve as Director of the Ohio State Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) and Director of the Department of Surgery’s Research Training Program. I am a tenured Professor and transplant surgeon-scientist in the Department of Surgery, Division of Transplant Surgery, and Comprehensive Transplant Center at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. I recently completed my term as President of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.
I earned my undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in French from the College of William and Mary, my M.D. degree from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. during my General Surgery residency at the University of Minnesota. I completed my Transplant Surgery fellowship training at the University of California San Francisco. With over 30 years of experience in the practice and science of transplantation, I perform abdominal transplant surgery and provide pre-transplant, peri-transplant, and post-transplant care, including immunosuppression management.
In addition to patient care, teaching, and education administration, I direct an NIH-funded Transplant Immunology Laboratory. I am passionate about physician and surgeon-scientist education and training. As the inaugural Associate Dean for Physician Scientist Education and Training, I oversee physician scientist training and career development across the spectrum of early-stage trainees to early-career faculty.
I serve as Principal Investigator and Program Director for five NIH T32/T35 training grants, including the Ohio State MSTP T32 (MPI), a postdoctoral T32 entitled Advanced Research Training in Immunology for Surgical Trainees (ARTIST), the OSU Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) T32 pre-doctoral training grant, OSU R38 Stimulating Research and Residency (STARR), and the OSU T35 Short-term Research in Immunology and Virology Experience (STRIVE) training grant for medical students.
I currently serve as immediate past President of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) and as a member of the American College of Surgeons National Surgeon Scientist Program Committee. I was elected to the Ohio State Mazzaferri-Ellison Society of Master Clinicians in 2020 and received The Ohio State College of Medicine Distinguished Educator Award in 2021.
My laboratory-based investigations are focused on the discovery of novel mechanisms that regulate de novo alloantibody production after transplant to uncover new targets for development of immunotherapeutics. These studies address the clinical problem of antibody-mediated allograft damage by investigating mechanisms that 1) drive or downregulate alloAb production or 2) cause tissue damage mediated by alloAb effector pathways.
In addition, we test the relative efficacy of conventional and novel immunotherapeutics to suppress alloAb production to see if it interferes with alloAb-mediated graft damage and prolongs allograft survival. Well-developed experimental models are used to study allograft rejection mediated by alloAb alone (e.g., in Rag1 KO recipients), in vivo and in vitro cytotoxicity of alloprimed B cells, in vivo CD8-mediated suppression of alloprimed B cell antibody production, in vitro co-cultures to investigate CD8-mediated suppression of CD4+ T follicular helper cells and methods to enrich for CD8+ T Ab suppressor cells. Using these and other models, my research team was the first to discover a role for iNKT cells in critically enhancing the magnitude of alloAb production post-transplant and also the first to discover a novel CD8-dependent pathway which downregulates alloAb production post-transplant. Studies to date indicate that alloAb-mediated parenchymal cell injury is complement-independent, NK-independent and relies on macrophage dependent cytotoxic effector mechanism. My lab collaborates with experts in transplant immunology, tumor immunology and B cell biology.
The Bumgardner Transplant Immunology Laboratory research goals are to investigate adaptive and innate immune responses to both cellular and solid organ transplants to spearhead development of novel immunotherapies, which will prolong transplant allograft survival.
Well-developed experimental models are used to study allograft rejection mediated by alloAb alone, in vivo and in vitro cytotoxicity of alloprimed B cells, in vivo CD8-mediated suppression of alloprimed B cell antibody production, in vitro co-cultures to investigate CD8-mediated suppression of CD4+ T follicular helper cells and methods to enrich for CD8+ T Ab suppressor cells.
A transgenic functional hepatocyte transplant model and vascularized kidney transplant model are used to study immunogenicity of allogeneic parenchymal cells.
Some research techniques that are commonly used in the laboratory include small animal surgery, liver cell isolation, injection of monoclonal antibodies, splenocyte isolation, phlebotomy, adoptive transfer of cell populations, in vitro cell culture, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, cell viability assays, ELISA, ELISPOT and confocal microscopy.
At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, we support a faculty member’s research and consulting in collaboration with medical device, research and/or drug companies because a faculty member’s expertise can guide important advancements in the practice of medicine and improve patient care. In order to provide effective management of these relationships, the University requires annual disclosures from all faculty members with external interests related to their University responsibilities.
As of 11/3/2025 Dr. Bumgardner has reported relationships with the companies or entities listed below. If you have questions about the relationships listed below, please ask the faculty member. If you have questions about how these relationships are monitored by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, please contact our Compliance Office.
