Alfonso W Avolio is an Assistant Professor at the Catholic University of Rome and a general surgeon at the Department of Surgery – Transplantation Service at A Gemelli Hospital, where he is fully involved in the liver transplant programme. His research focuses on organ preservation, immunosuppressive therapy, donor–recipient matching and the development of models aimed at predicting the post-transplant outcome. Dr Avolio has authored over 150 papers and presented at internationnal transplantation meetings and symposia.