Shannon Zielsdorf, MD, FACS

Dr. Zielsdorf is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery and an abdominal organ transplant surgeon at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Keck Hospital of USC. Her clinical practice at CHLA includes pediatric kidney and liver transplantation, living donor liver transplantation, living donor kidney transplantation, and complex hepatobiliary surgery such as choledochal cyst excisions and surgical shunts for refractory portal hypertension. She serves as the Surgical Director of Kidney Transplantation at CHLA. Her research interests include portal hypertension in children as well as transplant oncology and hepatic adenomatosis.

Why did you choose transplant surgery? Among all the surgical subspecialties, transplant surgery offers the most profound and transformative impact on patients' lives. It takes individuals suffering from end-stage organ failure—often at their most vulnerable—and gives them not just a chance at survival, but a completely renewed life. Within weeks of transplantation, many patients return home to their families with restored health, dramatically improved quality of life, and a future they may have thought was out of reach.

As a mother, witnessing this transformation in our pediatric transplant recipients is especially meaningful to me. Seeing a child regain their health and thrive—not just for themselves, but for their family—is incredibly rewarding. Being part of that journey, alongside the patient, their parents, and the dedicated members of our interdisciplinary transplant team, is what makes transplant surgery at CHLA so fulfilling for me.

What are some of your personal interests? Outside of work, I love spending time with my family and friends. My husband has a passion for travel, so we often seek out destinations with great outdoor activities and hiking opportunities to enjoy together. Exploring new places through the eyes of my 2-year-old daughter—and soon, her little brother—makes every adventure even more special.