Sixto Giusti, MD

Professional Titles

• Transplant Nephrologist

Recognitions

• Tinsley Harrison Award, Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (2023)
  Recipient of the 2023 Tinsley Harrison Award, given by the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation for the best original research manuscript published in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences during 2021-2022. This was awarded for the publication of “The Effect of Proton Pump Inhibitor Use on the Course of Kidney Function in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Stages G3a to G4.” https://www.ssciweb.org/tinsley-harrison-award.php
• NKF Colorado Kidney Champion Public Service Award,, National Kidney Foundation of Colorado and New Mexico (2023)
  2023 NKF Colorado Kidney Champion Public Service Award, to UCHealth Hispanic Transplant Clinic. March 9, 2023. https://nkfhonors.rallybound.org/2023-great-chefs-of-the-west/Static/event-info
• Top Doctor in Nephrology, Castle Connolly (2021)
  Top Doctor in Nephrology, Castle Connolly 2021, Louisiana.

Publications

• Abreu P, Kadri H, Maffei R, Hansen K, Yoeli D, Di Napoli M, Yoshida C, Rodriguez I, Lyons S, Giusti S, Montague T, Cooper J, Choudhury R, Conzen K, Adams M, Kennealey P, Bak T, Nydam T, Pshak T. The road to 100: single center experience with the first 100 consecutive robotic kidney transplants. J Robot Surg. 2026 Feb 14;20(1):252. PubMed PMID: 41689721
• Kadri H, Maffei R, Hansen K, Yoeli D, Di Napoli M, Yoshida C, Lyons S, Giusti S, Montague T, Cooper J, Choudhury R, Conzen K, Adams M, Kennealey P, Bak T, Schold JD, Nydam T, Pshak T, Abreu P. Safety in Robotic Kidney Transplant for All-Comers: Does Body Mass Index Need to be Considered?. Kidney360. 2026 Jul 1. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 42384450
• Maffei R, Kadri H, Khomiak A, Hansen K, Yoeli D, LaRiviere WB, Lyons S, Giusti S, Montague T, Cooper J, Choudhury R, Conzen K, Adams M, Mekeel K, Kennealey P, Bak T, Schold JD, Nydam T, Pshak T, Furian L, Abreu P. Robotic kidney transplantation with deceased donor grafts: a comparative analysis of outcomes following donation after brain death and donation after circulatory death. J Robot Surg. 2026 Jul 20;20(1). PubMed PMID: 42474592
• Maffei R, Kadri H, Khomiak A, Hansen K, Yoeli D, LaRiviere WB, Lyons S, Giusti S, Montague T, Cooper J, Choudhury R, Conzen K, Adams M, Mekeel K, Kennealey P, Bak T, Schold JD, Nydam T, Pshak T, Furian L, Abreu P. Robotic Kidney Transplantation With Grafts With Multiple Arteries: A Single-center Experience and Outcome Analysis. Transplant Direct. 2026 Sep;12(9):e1994. PubMed PMID: 42625689
• Kadri H, Maffei R, Dang R, Hansen K, Yoeli D, Di Napoli M, Yoshida C, Rodriguez I, Gonçalves C, Lyons S, Giusti S, Montague T, Cooper J, Choudhury R, Conzen K, Adams M, Mekeel K, Kennealey P, Bak T, Schold JD, Nydam T, Pshak T, Abreu P. Outcomes after robotic and open kidney transplant: A propensity score-matched analysis. Am J Surg. 2026 Sep 19;262:117245. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 42785134
• Nonterah CW, Spivey C, Hayde N, Chisholm-Burns M, Giusti S, Kelly B, Lee TH. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in organ transplantation. Am J Transplant. 2025 Aug;25(8):1614-1620. PubMed PMID: 40345497
• Giusti S, Arrigain S, Lopez R, Pomfret E, Cervantes L, Schold JD. Evaluating Long-Term Outcomes Among Hispanic Kidney Transplant Recipients. Am J Kidney Dis. 2025 Jul;86(1):52-62.e1. PubMed PMID: 40054591
• Bentley-Edwards K, Glover L, Johnson AE, Mohottige D, Obayemi JE, Olague S, Thompson M, Tummalapalli SL, Urbanski M, Barnhart H, Wyatt CM. Testing Interventions that Address Kidney Health Disparities. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2025 May 1;36(5):970-972. PubMed PMID: 39851186
• Giusti S., Stites, E., Cooper, J. Chapter 15: The Patient with a Kidney Transplant. Pages 248 – 266. In: Lerma E.V, Ferguson, S. Manual of Nephrology, 9th edition. Wolters Kluer. ISBN/ISSN: 9781975218935
• Rizzolo K, Rockey N, Camacho C, Gardner C, Giusti S, Cervantes L. The Transplant Experience for Undocumented Immigrant Patients Formerly Receiving Emergency Dialysis and Caregivers. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Feb 5;7(2):e2354602. PubMed PMID: 38421652
• Rizzolo K, Rockey N, Camacho C, Gardner C, Giusti S, Cervantes L. The Transplant Experience for Undocumented Immigrant Patients Formerly Receiving Emergency Dialysis and Caregivers. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(2):e2354602. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.54602
• Defelice G, Giusti S, Jeon H, Killackey M, Paramesh A, Vijay A. Short and Long-Term Outcomes of Kidney Transplant Recipients Diagnosed With COVID-19 Infection: A Single-Center Observational Study. Cureus. 2022 Nov;14(11):e31375. PubMed PMID: 36523681
• Friedman JK, Atari M, Atiemo K, Vijay A, Jeon H, Killackey MT, Giusti S, Paramesh AS. Resolution of Disseminated Angiosarcoma in a Kidney Transplant Recipient After Treatment With Sirolimus: A Case Report. Transplant Proc. 2022 Dec;54(10):2735-2738. PubMed PMID: 36443108
• Giusti S., Batuman V. (2022) Kidney Transplantation and Kidney Pancreas Transplantation. In: Lerma E.V., Batuman V. (eds) Diabetes and Kidney Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86020-2_19
• Giusti S, Chazin S, Vaitla P, Atiemo K, Atari M, Paramesh A, Jeon H, Torres-Ortiz A, Thimmisetty R, Garces J. Observational Study of the Clinical Characteristics and Short-Term Outcomes of Kidney Transplant Recipients Diagnosed With COVID-19 Infection (SARS-CoV-2) Requiring Hospitalization in New Orleans. Ochsner J. 2021 Winter;21(4):329-334. PubMed PMID: 34984045
• Giusti S, Lin Y, Sogbetun F, Nakhoul N, Liu S, Shi L, Batuman V. The Effect of Proton Pump Inhibitor Use on the Course of Kidney Function in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Stages G3a to G4. Am J Med Sci. 2021 Nov;362(5):453-461. PubMed PMID: 34033809
• Chazin S, Saqqa O, Paramesh A, Giusti S. Skin lesions and acute kidney injury in a kidney transplant recipient. Am J Transplant. 2021;21(6):2298-2300. doi:10.1111/ajt.16519
• Atiemo K, Giusti S, Guo K, Amankonah T, Vijay, A, Paramesh A, Killackey M, Jeon H, Zhao L, Ladner DP. Black Patients Do Not Have Worse Short-Term Outcomes After Receiving High KDPI (>85%) Kidneys. ASTS Winter Symposium 2021.
• Atari M, Alper A, Giusti S. “Cyclosporin-induced thrombocytopenia in a kidney transplant recipient; case report” Accepted for the National Kidney Foundation 2021 Spring Clinical Meeting.
• S. Giusti, S. Chazin, P. Vaitla, K. Atiemo, M. Atari, A. Paramesh, H. Jeon, A. Vijay, A. Torres, M. Killackey, R. Thimmisetty, J. Garces, Observational Study of the Clinical Characteristics and Short-term Outcomes of Kidney Transplant Recipients Diagnosed with Coronavirus-19 Infection (sars-cov2) Requiring Hospitalization in New Orleans. American Transplant Congress (ATC) 2021 Virtual Connect on June 4 – June 9, 2021.
• Garces JC, Giusti S, Staffeld-Coit C, Bohorquez H, Cohen AJ, Loss GE. Antibody-Mediated Rejection: A Review. Ochsner J. 2017 Spring;17(1):46-55. PubMed PMID: 28331448

Professional Memberships

• American Society of Nephrology, Fellow
• American Society of Transplantation, Fellow

Practice Locations

Specialty Information

• Nephrology, Board Certification (2014)
• Internal Medicine, Board Certification (2014)
• Transplant Nephrology, Certificate (2017)