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Houston’s medical community is reeling from the fallout of a shocking report by The New York Times, which implicates a prominent surgeon in alleged manipulation of Memorial Hermann’s liver transplant program.
Dr. J. Steve Bynon Jr. has been identified by The Times as the surgeon under investigation following the disclosure of irregularities in the hospital system’s donor acceptance criteria. Memorial Hermann confirmed the irregularities on Friday but did not provide insight into the possible motives behind the alleged misconduct.
In response to the investigation, Memorial Hermann announced that Bynon would no longer oversee the liver and kidney transplant program due to concerns of inappropriate activity.
Although irregularities were found in the liver program, Memorial Hermann voluntarily inactivated both the liver and kidney transplant programs, citing shared leadership ties.
Meanwhile, UTHealth, Bynon’s employer, acknowledged his contributions to abdominal organ transplantation and highlighted his successful surgical outcomes. UTHealth also mentioned that Bynon and other staff members are cooperating with the investigation into Memorial Hermann’s liver transplant program.
The Organ Procurement Transplantation Network revealed that 38 liver-transplant patients were on the waiting list when the program was suspended, along with 346 kidney-transplant patients.
Despite the allegations, one organ recipient, Cindy Bradley, expressed support for Dr. Bynon, praising him for performing her life-saving transplant surgery. Bradley traveled from Louisiana to Houston for the procedure and credits Bynon with saving her life.
Dr. Bynon’s career trajectory, as outlined on the Memorial Hermann website, includes leadership roles in liver and pediatric transplant programs at the University of Alabama-Birmingham before joining UTHealth in Houston in 2011 as the director of the Division of Immunology and Solid Organ Transplantation.