Alex Cuenca, MD, PhD
Pediatric Surgeon, Department of Surgery
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
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Alex Cuenca, MD, PhD
Pediatric Surgeon, Department of Surgery
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Medical Services
Languages
English
Spanish
Education
Undergraduate School
New College
1997
Sarasota
FL
Medical School
University of Florida
2006
Gainesville
FL
Internship
Shands Teaching Hospital/ University of Florida
2007
Gainesville
FL
Graduate School
University of Florida
2012
Gainesville
FL
Residency
Shands Teaching Hospital/ University of Florida
2015
Gainesville
FL
Fellowship
Boston Children's Hospital
2017
Boston
MA
Fellowship
Massachusetts General Hospital
2019
Boston
MA
Certifications
American Board of Surgery (General)
American Board of Surgery (Pediatric Surgery)
Professional History
Dr. Cuenca completed his medical school, graduate school, and residency at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fl. During his research hiatus in residency, he obtained a PhD examining the role of innate immunity and toll-like receptor signaling in neonatal sepsis. He then went on to complete a fellowship in Pediatric Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. Due to his interest in pediatric hepatobiliary disease and transplant medicine, he went on to complete a fellowship in Transplant Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is clinically interested in pediatric hepatobiliary and pancreatic disease, solid organ transplantation, mid-aortic vascular disease, and other general surgical conditions of children. His research efforts are focused on examining the role of innate immunity in allograft tolerance, as well as novel efforts to expand the utility of normothermic machine perfusion for use in solid organ transplantation.
Publications
Early Graft Loss With Suspected Seventh-Day Syndrome Following Pediatric Liver Transplantation. View Abstract
Surgical management of liver tumors. View Abstract
Effect of citizenship status on access to pediatric liver and kidney transplantation. View Abstract
Metastatic pulmonary calcifications after pediatric liver transplantation. View Abstract
Immediate extubation after pediatric liver transplantation: Update on a single-center experience. View Abstract
Critical elements of pediatric liver cancer surgery. View Abstract
Host-derived oxidized phospholipids initiate effector-triggered immunity fostering lethality upon microbial encounter. View Abstract
Pediatric Organ Donation and Transplantation: Across the Care Continuum. View Abstract
Intragraft B cell differentiation during the development of tolerance to kidney allografts is associated with a regulatory B cell signature revealed by single cell transcriptomics. View Abstract
Adjuvant conditioning induces an immunosuppressive milieu that delays alloislet rejection through the expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. View Abstract
Innate immune cellular therapeutics in transplantation. View Abstract
Outcomes of internal biliary diversion using cholecystocolostomy for patients with severe Alagille syndrome. View Abstract
Organ allocation in pediatric abdominal transplant. View Abstract
Functional side-to-side splenorenal shunts to treat extrahepatic portal vein thrombosis in children. View Abstract
Triple gallbladder with heterotopic gastric mucosa: a case report. View Abstract
Prenatal diagnosis of rapidly enlarging choledochal cyst with gastric outlet obstruction. View Abstract
Midaortic syndrome and renovascular hypertension. View Abstract
Short Bowel Syndrome and Kidney Transplantation: Challenges, Outcomes, and the Use of Teduglutide. View Abstract
Resolution of a High Grade and Metastatic BK Polyomavirus-Associated Urothelial Cell Carcinoma Following Radical Allograft Nephroureterectomy and Immune Checkpoint Treatment: A Case Report. View Abstract
Immediate administration of antiviral therapy after transplantation of hepatitis C-infected livers into uninfected recipients: Implications for therapeutic planning. View Abstract
Pediatric liver transplant following near catastrophic head bleed: Lessons learned. View Abstract
Giant Gastroschisis with Complete Liver Herniation: A Case Report of Two Patients. View Abstract
Pediatric liver transplantation. View Abstract
Clostridium difficile Infections after Blunt Trauma: A Different Patient Population? View Abstract
Improved emergency myelopoiesis and survival in neonatal sepsis by caspase-1/11 ablation. View Abstract
Successful implementation of a packed red blood cell and fresh frozen plasma transfusion protocol in the surgical intensive care unit. View Abstract
TRIF-dependent innate immune activation is critical for survival to neonatal gram-negative sepsis. View Abstract
Delayed emergency myelopoiesis following polymicrobial sepsis in neonates. View Abstract
Omental flaps for coverage of sacral or gluteal defects: a useful and potentially underused tool. View Abstract
A better understanding of why murine models of trauma do not recapitulate the human syndrome. View Abstract
Novel role for tumor-induced expansion of myeloid-derived cells in cancer cachexia. View Abstract
Host responses to sepsis vary in different low-lethality murine models. View Abstract
Protective immunity and defects in the neonatal and elderly immune response to sepsis. View Abstract
Persistent inflammation, immunosuppression, and catabolism syndrome after severe blunt trauma. View Abstract
Aged mice are unable to mount an effective myeloid response to sepsis. View Abstract
Is there value in plasma cytokine measurements in patients with severe trauma and sepsis? View Abstract
Development of a genomic metric that can be rapidly used to predict clinical outcome in severely injured trauma patients. View Abstract
Acute kidney injury is associated with early cytokine changes after trauma. View Abstract
Identification and description of a novel murine model for polytrauma and shock. View Abstract
Genomic responses in mouse models poorly mimic human inflammatory diseases. View Abstract
Role of innate immunity in neonatal infection. View Abstract
A genomic analysis of Clostridium difficile infections in blunt trauma patients. View Abstract
Soybean oil: a potentially new intravascular perfusate. View Abstract
The acute immunological response to blood transfusion is influenced by polymicrobial sepsis. View Abstract
Pediatric pancreatic trauma: trending toward nonoperative management? View Abstract
Persistent inflammation and immunosuppression: a common syndrome and new horizon for surgical intensive care. View Abstract
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells in sepsis: friend or foe? View Abstract
Benchmarking outcomes in the critically injured trauma patient and the effect of implementing standard operating procedures. View Abstract
"Pulling the plug"--management of meconium plug syndrome in neonates. View Abstract
Obese patients show a depressed cytokine profile following severe blunt injury. View Abstract
A genomic storm in critically injured humans. View Abstract
Microfluidics-based capture of human neutrophils for expression analysis in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage. View Abstract
The Glue Grant experience: characterizing the post injury genomic response. View Abstract
B cells enhance early innate immune responses during bacterial sepsis. View Abstract
Neutrophil mobilization from the bone marrow during polymicrobial sepsis is dependent on CXCL12 signaling. View Abstract
Critical role for CXC ligand 10/CXC receptor 3 signaling in the murine neonatal response to sepsis. View Abstract
The usefulness of the upper gastrointestinal series in the pediatric patient before anti-reflux procedure or gastrostomy tube placement. View Abstract
Sepsis induces early alterations in innate immunity that impact mortality to secondary infection. View Abstract
A paradoxical role for myeloid-derived suppressor cells in sepsis and trauma. View Abstract
Cecal ligation and puncture. View Abstract
Do Tregs link sepsis to tumor growth? View Abstract
Cutting edge: bacterial infection induces hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell expansion in the absence of TLR signaling. View Abstract
Type I interferon signaling in hematopoietic cells is required for survival in mouse polymicrobial sepsis by regulating CXCL10. View Abstract
Diminishing role of contrast enema in simple meconium ileus. View Abstract
Equestrian injuries in children. View Abstract
Pulmonary surgery in cystic fibrosis. View Abstract
Emerging implications of nanotechnology on cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. View Abstract
In vivo disruption of tolerogenic cross-presentation mechanisms uncovers an effective T-cell activation by B-cell lymphomas leading to antitumor immunity. View Abstract
Imatinib mesylate (STI-571) enhances antigen-presenting cell function and overcomes tumor-induced CD4+ T-cell tolerance. View Abstract
Extra-lymphatic solid tumor growth is not immunologically ignored and results in early induction of antigen-specific T-cell anergy: dominant role of cross-tolerance to tumor antigens. View Abstract
A critical role for Stat3 signaling in immune tolerance. View Abstract
Cross-presentation of tumor antigens by bone marrow-derived antigen-presenting cells is the dominant mechanism in the induction of T-cell tolerance during B-cell lymphoma progression. View Abstract
Pancreas transplant graft evaluation using the MIBI scan--a useful tool. View Abstract
Pancreaticojejunostomy versus controlled pancreaticocutaneous fistula in pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary carcinoma. View Abstract
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