Liver Transplant Division

Katherine T. Forkin, MD, Liver Transplant Division Chief

Dr. Forkin is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Virginia. She specializes in the care of patients undergoing liver transplantation.

Dr. Forkin serves on the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Committees for Patient Blood Management, Transplant Anesthesia, and Women Anesthesiologists.

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Lliam Brannigan, MBBCH

Lliam Brannigan, MD, is an anesthesiologist who cares for patients before and during surgery, managing their pain, comfort, and consciousness.

Dr. Brannigan was born in South Africa and grew up in Johannesburg, where he decided to become a doctor at age 6. He comes from a large family of Irish descent. He received his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

He completed his internship at Paarl Hospital in Cape Town and worked as a community service doctor at a mission hospital in northern South Africa. Dr. Brannigan served as a trauma and helicopter rescue medical officer and was part of the South African Search and Rescue team that worked at the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.

He then completed a specialist degree in anesthesiology at WITS University and a fellowship in critical care at WITS Donald Gordon Medical Center (WDGMC). He was previously director of the ICU at the Life the Glynnwood Hospital in Benoni and director of critical care at WDGMC.

He also holds a master’s degree in perioperative medicine from University College London. Dr. Brannigan’s wife is a physician, and they have two children.

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Stephen R Collins, MD

Dr. Collins is a Virginia native and a graduate of The College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Department of Public Health Sciences in a dual degree (M.D./M.S. in Clinical Research) program.  After completing an internship at Yale New-Haven Hospital, he returned to University of Virginia for his anesthesiology residency with specialty training in liver transplantation.

Dr. Collins is a board-certified anesthesiologist whose clinical practice focuses on caring for patients requiring general surgery and liver transplantation.  His research interests include medical education.  He serves as Residency Program Director and has a passion for teaching and education.  While on faculty, he has been awarded the annual resident Faculty Teaching Award three times, the GME Master Educator Award, and is a member of the Center for Excellence in Education.  He served on the University of Virginia School of Medicine Admissions Committee for many years.  He serves as a Senior Examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Dr. Collins lives with his wife – a practicing endocrinologist – and their two daughters in Charlottesville.  He spends his time outside of work reading and enjoying the city, nature, and time with family.

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Hamy Kassahun, MD

Dr. Kassahun is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Virginia. Dr. Kassahun graduated from the Alabama School of Medicine in 2019. She completed a four year categorical anesthesiology residency program at the University of Virginia. In medical school, Dr. Kassahun was awarded a NIH Summer research grant and honored as ‘Scribe of the Year.’

Dr. Kassahun was an outstanding resident in Anesthesiology at the University of  Virginia. During residency, she presented at the IARS, on “Pseudocholinesterase Deficiency in a Patient with Prolonged Recovery of Neuromuscular Function after Initial Electroconvulsive Therapy and Subsequent Use of Low Dose Rocuronium with Sugammadex Reversal” in 2020. She completed a Q1 project in 2021 on microagression in the perioperative environment. She is also writing a book chapter titled, “Evidence-based Guide on Difficult Airway Management.” In her time away from the hospital, she enjoys running, hiking, cooking, traveling and spending time with her husband and two young boys.

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Amanda M. Kleiman, MD

Dr. Kleiman is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Virginia. Her clinical interest/focus centers on caring for patients undergoing cardiothoracic and major vascular surgery as well as liver transplantation. Her research interests include improvement of the care of cardiothoracic surgical patients, echocardiography, and education research focusing on maximizing the quality of resident and medical student education.

Dr. Kleiman serves as an Assistant Program Director for our core Residency and is the Director of curriculum development, exam preparation. and assessment.  She has grant funded research examining sleep disturbance following cardiac surgery and its relationship to delirium and dementia. Her particular education research interests include biases in education, the effect of stress, sleep, and wellness on resident training, and novel education/learning techniques. Outside of work, she enjoys being outside with her friends and golden retriever puppy.

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Eryn Thiele, MD

Eryn Thiele completed medical school at the University of Colorado and came to the University of Virginia to complete residency and serve as a chief in her final year. She completed a liver transplantation fellowship at UVA in 2021 and stayed on as faculty.

Dr. Thiele is passionate about resident and medical student education. She was awarded the annual Resident Faculty Teaching Award twice and serves as an Assistant Program Director for the core Residency and as well as the Director of our FAM (Foundations of Anesthesia) program and orientation training for our CA0/1s.

Outside of work, Dr. Thiele enjoys spending time with her husband and their two boys.

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