Brigham and Women’s Hospital: Pioneers in Face and Organ Transplantation
In April 2011, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) performed the nation’s second full face transplant on Mitch Hunter, a 30-year-old from Indiana, under the leadership of Dr. Bohdan Pomahac. The 14-hour procedure involved over 30 medical professionals and replaced Hunter’s entire face, including nerves, muscles, eyelids, and nose. Hunter had been severely injured in a 2001 car accident involving a high-voltage electrical line.
BWH’s face transplant milestones include the first partial face transplant in New England in 2009, the first full-face transplant in the U.S. in March 2011, and now this second full-face transplant. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and continues to seek suitable candidates. For inquiries about DoD funding, contact Col. Janet Harris at janet.harris@usarmy.mil.
The Hunter family expressed deep gratitude to the donor’s family and all medical teams involved in Mitch’s care. More about Mitch can be found at facebook.com/mitch.hunter3.
BWH Transplant Legacy
BWH is a global leader in transplant surgery. In 1954, Dr. Joseph Murray performed the first successful human organ transplant (kidney), earning a Nobel Prize in 1990. Other major milestones include:
- First heart transplant in New England (1984)
- First heart-lung transplant in Massachusetts (1992)
- First U.S. triple organ transplant (1995)
- First quintuple lung transplant in the U.S. (2004)
- 100+ kidney transplants in one year (2006)
- Over 30 lung transplants in 2008
- 600th heart transplant completed in 2025
BWH continues to lead the field through innovation and excellence.
