INTERLINK Health Services - Facility Spotlight

Please view the "Facility Spotlights" below to learn more about INTERLINK Transplant Network Providers. If you have general questions about these facilities, please contact the hospital directly. If you would like to discuss specific transplant cases with INTERLINK's Vice President of Quality Programs, please contact Cindy Mathews, RN at (612) 867-7007.

UCLA is a national leader in organ transplantation, with an unparalleled record of clinical excellence and long-term success. Each year, UCLA surgeons perform hundreds of single and multiple-organ transplants in one of the nation’s largest and most advanced multi-organ transplant centers. Often the most complex cases from throughout the country are referred to UCLA.

UCLA is a pioneer in human-organ transplantation; some of the earliest transplant procedures in the United States were performed here. The first accredited kidney-transplant program was started at UCLA in 1965, followed by pediatric and adult bone marrow transplantation in 1973. Within months of the introduction in 1984 of the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine, UCLA initiated its now world-renowned liver and heart transplantation programs. Heart-lung transplantation followed in 1988; lung transplantation began in 1990; small bowel transplantation started in 1991, and pancreas transplantation began in 1993.

UCLA is among the small number of national centers that offer a full spectrum of transplantation services:

Understanding and Commitment
The exceptional clinical success of UCLA’s organ transplantation programs can be attributed to:

Experience
The surgical, medical, and support staff of UCLA transplant programs are committed to understanding and managing the unique challenges of organ transplantation. Physicians in many subspecialties consult with our transplantation surgeons, and the breadth of their experience contributes to the clinical success of all transplantation programs at UCLA.

Research
UCLA supports research in clinical transplantation and immunology that is recognized worldwide. This active research environment has led to the development of new and effective surgical techniques, immunosuppressive regimens, and protocols for the treatment of rejection and other medical complications of transplantation.

Facilities and Staff
Dedicated inpatient units and operating suites at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center’s state-of-the-art facilities support the evaluation and treatment of organ transplantation patients. Outpatient services and clinical follow-up are provided at the nearby UCLA Medical Plaza. An experienced staff dedicated to transplantation offers expert patient service from pre-admission counseling to post-transplant outpatient care.

Heart Transplant
For patients with end-stage heart failure, transplantation can be a life-saving option. At the UCLA Heart Transplant Program, more than 1,800 patients have received this highly successful therapy.

Surgeons and physicians working together in the Heart Transplant Program and the Ahmanson Cardiomyopathy Center apply their expertise to provide a comprehensive treatment strategy that offers the latest advances in medical and surgical therapies for each patient’s unique healthcare needs. Transplantation candidates may be eligible for other forms of surgical therapy such as a left ventricular assist device. In addition, the Heart Transplant Program offers non-traditional heart transplant candidates the option of participating in its alternate heart program, which matches older recipients with donor hearts that may not be suitable for younger candidates.

Liver Transplant
The Dumont-UCLA Transplant Center is one of the largest and most innovative liver transplant centers in the United States. As the most experienced liver transplant center in the western United States, UCLA’s program serves patients throughout the West and Southwest as a referral center for other transplant programs faced with particularly challenging cases.

In response to the nationwide shortage of donor livers, surgeons at UCLA have refined new techniques to help save more lives through transplantation. Split-liver transplants enable two recipients – usually an adult and a child – to receive portions of one liver that has been surgically divided. In living-related donation, surgeons remove a portion of a healthy person’s liver and use it to transplant into a child. Extended criteria donors enable non-traditional transplant candidates to receive a donated liver.

Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant
More than 450 patients have undergone lung transplantation at UCLA since the first operation was performed here in 1988. Advances in preservation methods, development of effective immunosuppressive drugs and refinement of surgical techniques have steadily enhanced the long-term success rate of lung transplantation.

The lung and heart/lung transplant team at UCLA is made up of transplant surgeons, pulmonologists, transplant coordinators, cardiologists, infectious disease specialists, psychiatrists, dieticians, social workers, pulmonary rehabilitation specialists, and other specialists as needed. The team members work together to provide comprehensive care, to formulate an individualized strategy and to optimize the pre- and post-transplant care of lung and heart/lung transplant patients to improve patient survival and quality of life. The UCLA Lung Transplant Program has championed the philosophy of extended lung transplantation to higher risk candidates.

Kidney and Kidney/Pancreas Transplant
The UCLA Kidney Transplant Program is among the pioneers in transplantation, having performed some of the earliest kidney transplants in the United States. UCLA’s program performs living-related and cadaveric renal transplants in more than 300 adult and pediatric patients a year. Extended criteria donors allow non-traditional transplant candidates the option of receiving a donated kidney. The program has earned a national reputation for its clinical and academic excellence, and is recognized as a national leader in clinical research.
The Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Program at UCLA was started in 1993. The dual organ transplant is used specifically for adult patients who have end-stage renal disease and Type I diabetes (insulin deficient). Investigators in the program are actively involved in islet cell transplant research.

Pancreas Transplant
Since 1993, more than 250 diabetic kidney transplant patients have also received a pancreas transplant at UCLA. The team now performs a pancreas transplant once every two to three weeks on average, providing more than 95 percent of patients with freedom from insulin therapy.
Pancreas transplantation is the only current treatment for type 1 diabetes that provides patients freedom from insulin therapy. However, after this surgery, patients must always take medications to prevent transplant rejection and these medications may have side effects. For these reasons, UCLA physicians usually recommend this treatment only to patients that are also in need of a kidney transplant or have already received a kidney transplant. The UCLA physicians will recommend pancreas transplantation alone to carefully selected patients that have severe problems treating their diabetes with insulin injections, but are not in need of a kidney transplant.

Islet Transplant
Patient with chronic inflammation of the pancreas may want to consider having a pancreatectomy and auto islet transplant; that is, isolation of the cells of that produce insulin (termed ‘islets’) and have them delivered back to their body. During this type of surgery, the pancreas (partial or total) is removed and the patient's own islets are isolated. The islets are then allowed to return to the patient through a catheter placed in a large vessel leading to the liver where they produce insulin.
Because these islets are from the patient, immune suppressant medications are not necessary. It is also expected that one would require little or no insulin if a good recovery of islets is obtained from the portion of the pancreas that is removed. Greater success rates can be obtained from patients who have had no surgical procedures on the pancreas before. In a unique relationship, patients who come to UCLA for this procedure with be treated by a multidisciplinary team of physicians and nurse specialists at UCLA and the islets will be isolated by an expert team at the University of California, San Francisco.

Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant
The UCLA Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Program is a combined program caring for patients with hematologic malignancies receiving chemotherapy and those patients for whom stem cell transplantation is the therapy of choice. The treatment of blood and marrow cancers includes currently available therapies, investigational drugs and treatments, as well as stem cell transplantation. Our physicians meet weekly to discuss individual treatment approaches as part of developing a coordinated treatment recommendation. The UCLA Bone Marrow Transplant Program offers both autologous and autogenic transplantation for adults and children, and has been at the forefront of the development of unrelated-donor bone marrow transplantation.
For decades, this comprehensive program has provided a full range of services as a local, regional, national, and international referral center for transplantations for selected malignancies:

Intestinal Transplant
As one of the world’s leaders in solid organ transplantation, UCLA was one of the first centers to establish a program of intestinal transplantation. This program grew from the already established, successful, and busy liver transplant program in an effort to meet the needs of a unique set of patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) or short gut syndrome (SGS), dependence on total parenteral nutrition (TPN), and advanced liver disease. The Dumont-UCLA Intestinal Transplant Program is one of the largest of its kind in the world, offering transplantation of the intestine alone, liver and intestine, and multivisceral combinations to appropriate adult and pediatric candidate needs.

Transplant Coordinators
Nurse coordinators staff each UCLA transplant program to answer questions and coordinate care for transplant patients during the evaluation period, throughout their hospitalization, and after transplantation. The transplant coordinators ensure communication between the transplant team and referring physicians and any others involved in a patient’s long-term management.

Nursing
UCLA attracts the most highly qualified individuals trained in expert management of transplant recipients. Transplant patients are cared for in dedicated intensive care units and wards by nursing staff solely devoted to the care of transplant recipients.

Patient Services
UCLA offers a knowledgeable staff who are trained to assist transplant patients from the time of their referral through their post-transplant aftercare.

Psychosocial and Family Support
Psychiatrists and social workers are available to provide support to all transplant patients and their families throughout the course of treatment and recovery, and they continue as a permanent resource for each patient. In addition, UCLA has a staff of financial counselors specially trained to meet the unique needs of these patients.

Total Quality Management
In this era of cost containment, UCLA has developed highly organized and aggressive programs in quality improvement, quality assurance, and case management. By using a systematic and collaborative approach to assess and improve performance, UCLA can both manage costs and improve patient outcomes. The cost-effective and high-quality care provided by our transplant programs has led many national insurers to designate UCLA as a “Center of Excellence” in transplantation.

Communication
The highest-quality patient care depends upon close cooperation between all involved in patient management and support. Each member of the UCLA transplant team recognizes the value of consistent communication with referring physicians, case managers, medical directors, and other appropriate representatives who share responsibility for patient care.

UCLA’s guest hotel, Tiverton House, offers overnight accommodations to patients and families. Conveniently located near Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Tiverton House offers individual rooms as well as studios and suites with cooking facilities. A courtesy shuttle bus to UCLA medical facilities is available.

The HLA tissue typing procedure, used to match transplant patients with an appropriate donor, was developed at UCLA by Paul Terasaki, Ph.D. The UCLA Tissue Typing Laboratory not only performs this vital function for UCLA transplant patients, but also maintains an international reputation for research in immunology and other fields related to transplantation.

INTERLINK Accredited Programs
Liver (Adult & Pediatric)
Kidney (Adult & Pediatric)
Kidney/Pancreas (Adult)
Pancreas (Adult)
Heart (Adult & Pediatric)
Lung (Adult)
Heart/Lung (Adult)
Small Bowel (Adult & Pediatric)
Bood/Marrow (Adult & Pediatric)
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Seattle Children’s Transplant Center delivers world-class expertise and compassionate care to patients with end-stage diseases of the kidneys, heart, liver and intestine.

Ranked as one of the best children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Seattle Children’s serves as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. We work in partnership with referring physicians so that patients are able to make seamless transitions back to their own communities.

Our medical and surgical specialists come together and evaluate patients in the context of their unique situations. This team-based approach to case management allows us to make the very best recommendations the first time around – a practice that adds great value for our fragile patients and decreases overall costs.

Seattle Children’s has a six-state area from which to draw donor organs – the largest United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) region of any pediatric transplant program in the United States.

Families and regional providers are very important members of our team. By maintaining open, ongoing communication throughout the transplant process, families are better equipped to return to normal, active lives after their child’s transplant.

As a resource for regional providers, we are available 24/7 for consultation and support. Upon request, our transplant team can present topics of interest to PCPs or community specialists for grand rounds or other educational forums.

We contract with most major insurance plans. Our financial specialists advocate on behalf of families to obtain insurance authorizations.

Our Transplant Team is constantly improving surgical transplantation techniques, viral surveillance strategies and medication therapies to provide patients with the most current treatments – and the best chance for successful transplant.

Kidney
We have been treating kidney failure in children since 1984. For more than two decades, Seattle Children’s consistently ranks among the top five national pediatric kidney transplant centers, both in overall number of transplants performed, and in patient- and graft-survival rates. Our pediatric nephrology fellowship program is one of only six in the country funded by the National Institutes of Health. Currently, our top research priority is minimizing patients’ long-term need for immunosuppression.

Heart
Seattle Children’s heart transplant program – in operation since 1994 – is gaining a national reputation for its clinical advances. The average age of our heart transplant patients is 1 year, proof that our clinicians have the expertise to handle the most challenging cases for the very youngest and sickest children. We are also the only hospital in the Pacific Northwest with the ability to successfully bridge high-risk patients to transplant using advanced mechanical assist devices, including VAD, ECMO and EXCOR pediatric Berlin Heart.

Liver
Since 1990, Seattle Children’s has been treating children with liver failure. We are the only pediatric liver transplant service in UNOS Region 6. Our program boasts some of the nation’s best outcomes because of the combined surgical and medical experience of Drs. Patrick Healey, Simon Horslen and Jorge Reyes. To date, Dr. Reyes has successfully performed more than 1,000 liver transplantation surgeries and is at the forefront of improving surgical techniques for splitliver and living-donor liver transplantations.

Intestine
Our intestinal transplant program – the only one of its kind in UNOS Region 6 and one of only a few in the nation – was established in 2005. The program brings together the unmatched expertise of Dr. Simon Horslen and Dr. Jorge Reyes, two of the world’s most experienced physicians in the treatment of children with complex digestive problems. Dr. Reyes is recognized for his leadership in pioneering intestinal transplant surgery.

Our transplant team works with each child and family to address medical, surgical, emotional, developmental and social issues. Each member of our team – from nurse coordinators, social workers and child life specialists to dietitians and pharmacists – delivers specialized transplant care to maximize our patients’ quality of life.

Our neonatal, cardiac and pediatric intensive care units provide a safety net of leading-edge technology and expertise dedicated solely to children with complex needs.

Our Guest Services team helps families make arrangements to come to Seattle Children’s by finding housing and reserving free shuttles from the airport, train and bus stations or ferry terminal.

Once at the hospital, we offer “away-from-home” services for families, including the Family Resource Center, Pastoral and Spiritual Care Program, Playroom, Teen Zone and Therapy Pool.

University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview
University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview

The Transplant Center represents nearly 50 years of research, discovery, experience and passion for patients. The efforts of our teams in the surgery suite, at the bedside and in the laboratory have changed lives throughout the world.

We are international leaders with a focus on innovation. Few transplant centers offer the range of transplant services, the years of experience and success, and the expertise of physicians and staff that have forged the reputation of The Transplant Center at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview and University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview.

We are recognized for our successes, particularly with patients at greater risk due to complex health conditions, their extreme youth or advanced age. Many of our patients have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials not offered any where else.

We focus on patients as individuals. We know that undergoing organ transplantation is equally a time of great challenge and strong hope. We respect each patient and work to understand how we can best reach the shared goal of improved health.

Kidney
Each year, more than 225 patients receive kidney transplants at University of Minnesota Medical Center. Since the first kidney transplant here in 1963, our kidney transplant program has grown to become the North American leader in infant transplants, and is one of the three largest programs in the world.

Living Donor Program
Living donor transplants are the best option for some recipients -- such a gift from one person to another is awe-inspiring in its generosity. At University of Minnesota Medical Center, we have performed more living donor transplants than any institution in the world. Organs provided by living donors (rather than deceased donors) are used increasingly for kidney and liver transplant patients. Our program performed our first living-donor kidney transplant in 1963, and the patient lived an active lifestyle for more than 40 years. More than 3,500 living donors have donated whole or partial organs to transplant patients in our program.

Heart
Our program is one of the most experienced and largest heart transplant programs in the world. We are pioneering new technologies that offer effective bridges to transplant – such as ventricular assist devices (VADs). VADs and other technologies are life-giving if a patient’s heart fails while waiting for a transplant. We are applying these new technologies for use as a permanent solution instead of transplant.

Pancreas and Islet
Since we performed the world’s first human pancreas transplant in 1966, we have performed nearly 2,000 pancreas transplants. For some patients, our surgeons can restore the pancreas’ insulin-producing function with a less invasive procedure that transplants the islets of Langerhans (cells) from a deceased donor pancreas into the patient. This procedure is currently in clinical trials but is expected to be more generally available in the future.

Liver
Our liver transplant program is among the world’s first. In 1980, we were the first in Minnesota to perform a combination liver-kidney transplant. We also have excellent success rates in the innovative surgical technique of dividing a single liver (from a deceased donor), then transplanting it into two recipients, potentially doubling the number of possible transplants. For patients who have a living donor, our outcomes are among the highest in the country.

Lung
We have pioneered many surgical and medical innovations in lung and heart-lung transplantation. We were the first in our region to perform a lung and heart-lung transplant procedure. We performed our first living donor lung transplant, one of the world’s first, in 1991. Lung transplant survival rates for our patients are significantly higher than national averages. We are also leaders in applying new therapies for patients with advanced pulmonary disease to help them until they are ready for transplantation or even to eliminate the need for transplantation.

Intestinal
We performed the world’s first intestinal implant in 1966. For a majority of our patients, intestinal transplants have eliminated the need for total parenteral nutrition (a “feeding tube”), allowing them to live more normal lives. We are one of only a few centers using living donors for this unique transplant.

At University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview and University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview we provide exceptional patient-family centered care for patients as well as care for donors . Our Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) program has over 40 years of experience in research, discovery, and passion for patient care. The efforts of our team have changed lives and improved outcomes for patients throughout the U.S. and around the world.

Since we performed the first marrow transplant in a child with immunodeficiency in 1968, University of Minnesota Physicians have performed over 5,000 BMTs using leading-edge technology, much of it developed at University of Minnesota.

Today we continue to develop innovative solutions involving new treatments, techniques and donor sources. Our goal remains unchanged -- to improve the outcomes for the many children and adults who are diagnosed each year in the United States with life-threatening diseases that could be treated with a blood or marrow transplant.

Many of our patients have received transplants for cancers such as leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas. We are also experts in transplants for other diseases including Fanconi Anemia,sickle cell anemia , thalassemia, immuno-deficiencies and inherited metabolic disorders (such as Hurler’s syndrome, leukodystrophy and osteopetrosis).

As we keep improving medical treatments for patients - from infants to adults - we are committed to ensuring that our patients and their families receive the finest care available. Our priorities include decreasing length of hospitalization by using innovative, safer treatments, expanding and improving outpatient treatments, and enhancing patients’ and families’ experience while in the hospital. We provide comfort measures and ready access to technology that keeps them connected with family and friends.

Our research focuses on umbilical cord blood, immune-based cellular therapies and pre- and post-transplant supportive care to improve patient outcomes. Studies are underway to improve the safety of transplantation, to prevent relapse and to extend the suitability of BMT to other diseases and patient populations.

If you have questions regarding our Organ Transplant Programs, call 612-625-5115
or visit our website at – www.uofmtransplant.org

If you have questions regarding our Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, call 612-273-2800
or visit our website at – www.uofmbmt.org

INTERLINK Accredited Programs
Blood and Marrow Transplantation (Pediatric & Adult)
Kidney (Pediatric & Adult)
Kidney / Pancreas (Adult)
Heart (Adult)
Liver (Adult)
Lung (Adult)
Pancreas (Adult)

As Michigan's only independent cancer hospital, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute focuses on treating all types of cancers and is committed to a future free of the disease. It has been a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center – devoted to research, patient care and education - since 1978 and is affiliated with Wayne State University.

Research Activities
A recognized leader in the fight against cancer, the Karmanos Cancer Institute is at the forefront of cancer research. Lives are being saved today through more than 700 cancer-specific investigation programs and clinical trials conducted at Karmanos. As a leader in the field, Karmanos' Phase I Clinical Trials Program is one of only 14 in the nation funded by the National Cancer Institute. Karmanos has been involved in Phase I trials for seven of the latest FDA-approved cancer drugs.

Patient Care Specialties
More than 6,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients come to Karmanos annually from throughout Michigan, across the nation and around the world. Karmanos cares for its patients through 13 multidisciplinary teams of experts in all areas of treatment - surgery, medical oncology, and radiation oncology - as well as supportive services including pathology, radiology, nursing and social work.

Minimally invasive surgery techniques used by Karmanos physicians mean smaller incisions for patients, resulting in less pain, smaller scars, a shorter hospital stay and often a better surgical outcome. For example, Karmanos experts use the da Vinci® Surgical System for minimally invasive gynecologic oncology robotic surgeries, and also perform cryotherapy, a procedure that uses extremely cold temperatures to destroy diseased tissue and has a faster recovery time.

Cord Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant
Karmanos’ Bone Marrow Transplant program uses a comprehensive, multidisciplinary team approach to evaluating and treating patients for bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplants.

The team conducts transplants featuring the most technologically-advanced medical methods using all sources of stem cells: autologous (patient’s own stem cells); allogeneic from a related donor; allogeneic from an unrelated donor; and cord blood stem cell transplantation.

Karmanos’ bone marrow transplant team includes specialists in medical hematology and oncology who bring years of previous experience in the field of transplantation. They are actively involved in clinical research in bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplants and are integral members within our National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Members of the Karmanos’ Multidisciplinary Bone Marrow Transplant Team have vast experience in clinical research focusing on graft-versus-host disease, novel preparative regimen and immunotherapy. Many patients have the opportunity to participate in investigator-initiated and cooperative group sponsored clinical research trials at Karmanos.

Investigations focus on reduced intensity regimens and the prevention and treatment of graft-versus-host disease. Stem cell transplant outcomes at Karmanos are consistently among the highest in the United States.

Unrelated donor transplantation at Karmanos, using an alternative source of stem cells for patients who do not have a sibling donor, is one of the country’s most active. It uses a novel conditioning regimen to prepare patients for transplantation that reduces morbidity and enhances outcomes.

Karmanos maintains the J.P. McCarthy Cord Stem Cell Bank, a public, non-profit stem cell bank with over 1,200 umbilical cord blood units in its inventory. The bank is one of only 21 internationally recognized cord stem cell banks affiliated with the National Marrow Donor Program and is the only bank of its kind in Michigan. Karmanos collects, processes and stores donated umbilical cord blood that becomes a readily available source for transplant in children and adults.

Children's Hospital Boston is a 397-bed comprehensive center for pediatric health care. It is the primary pediatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, where most of the physicians hold faculty appointments. As the largest pediatric medical center in the United States, Children's offers a complete range of health care services for children from 15 weeks gestation through 21 years of age.

The Pediatric Transplant Center at Children's Hospital Boston has a long tradition in solid organ and bone marrow transplantation. Beginning with the pioneering work in kidney transplantation led by Joseph Murray, MD at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, his team began kidney transplantation at Children's Hospital Boston in 1971. Since that time, 589 kidney transplants have been performed. Over 150 liver transplants since 1984, 181 heart transplants since 1986, and 57 lung transplants since 1990 have been accomplished. In partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the program has performed more than 1,200 stem cell transplants since the program was founded in the 1970s. These transplant programs represent multidisciplinary efforts that bring together medical and surgical experts in each field complimented by support from nursing, psychiatry, social work, and financial counseling professionals.

Heung Bae Kim, MD, (Pediatric Surgeon) along with William Harmon, MD, (Pediatric Nephrologist) lead the Kidney Transplantation Program, which serves all children with renal failure who require either dialysis or a transplant. Transplantation of related living or cadaveric organs compliment the program in end-stage renal disease. Our pediatric kidney transplants have a high rate of success.

Heung Bae Kim, MD, (Transplant Surgeon) and Dr. Maureen Jonas (Pediatric Gastroenterologist) lead the Liver Transplantation Program. Most liver transplants are performed using cadaveric whole or reduced-size organs, but related living transplantation and split-liver transplantation are also offered. In some cases, liver transplantation is occasionally done in combination with transplantation of other organs, such as intestines or kidneys.

Craig Lillehei, MD, (Pediatric Surgeon) and Gary Visner, DO, MD, (Pediatric Pulmonologist) lead the Lung Transplantation Program. End-stage pulmonary disease in the pediatric patient may take several forms, but the patient who most often receives a transplant is a child with end stage pulmonary disease secondary to cystic fibrosis. Single-lung, partial-lung, double-lung, and heart-lung transplantation is offered, and although the majority of patients receive cadaveric organs, selected patients are considered for related living lung transplantation.

Elizabeth D. Blume, MD, (Pediatric Cardiologist) and John E. Mayer, MD, (Pediatric Surgeon) lead the Heart Transplantation Program. The team evaluates potential candidates for heart transplantation, manages pediatric patients with end-stage heart disease awaiting transplant and cares for transplant recipients. Since its inception in 1986, the service has performed more than 110 heart transplants, making it one of the largest pediatric heart transplant programs in the country.

Directed by Leslie E. Lehmann, MD, (Pediatric Oncologist) the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation Program provides state-of-the-art care in this highly technological and rapidly evolving field for patients with cancer, non-malignant blood disorders and primary immunodeficiencies. Specialized physicians are constantly reviewing new and evolving approaches to care for vulnerable patients, and changes in patient management strategies are frequently evaluated and implemented. The clinical program is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) and the National Marrow Donor Program.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital has a premier reputation in patient care, medical education, research, and community service. The hospital receives more than 270,000 admissions, outpatient, and emergency department visits each year from patients around the world. As an affiliated teaching hospital of Washington University’s School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital has a 1,500 plus member medical staff and is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital has been a leader in the field of organ and tissue transplantation since 1963 while consistently maintaining survival rates above the national average. The volume of transplants performed at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the groundbreaking work achieved within the field assure that its staff of accomplished physicians and support personnel are prepared to treat any complications resulting from transplantation. In addition, patients facing other medical problems, related or unrelated to transplantation, have access to the expertise of national recognized specialists working in Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s centers of clinical excellence.

The transplant program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is committed to a team approach of personalized and compassionate patient care. The multidisciplinary transplant teams are composed of surgeons, physicians, transplant coordinators, an HLA lab, a transplant pharmacist, dietitians, physical therapists, social workers, financial specialists, psychologists, chaplains, and others.

Combining the efforts of medicine, surgery, and outstanding support services, the kidney transplant team has significantly reduced the length of a hospital stay, decreased the number of complications, and achieved a dramatically low organ rejection rate. With one of the oldest, most successful kidney transplant programs in the country, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine remain at the forefront of kidney transplantation. More than 2,000 people have received a kidney transplant at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where rejection rates are among the lowest in the country.

The Baylor Regional Institute (BRTI) is the integration of transplantation services at Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas) and Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth. BRTI oversees and guides the quality, innovation, and skill that Baylor is known for in the field of transplantation. Baylor is one of only a few hospitals in the nation whose physicians and surgeons on the medical staff have performed more than 7,000 transplants.

A large number of treatment protocols used in transplantation started here. Many of the most widely used drugs for treating organ rejection were pioneered at Baylor. In collaboration with UCLA, Baylor has produced the prevailing textbook for liver transplant procedures. Baylor surgeons have performed more than 2,500 liver transplants ranking it among the largest and most experienced in the world. Most importantly, patient survival rates have consistently exceeded the national average as well as the expected survival for a center taking the most difficult of cases.

Baylor’s kidney transplant program is one of the largest in Texas and patient outcomes exceed the national average as reported by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Baylor actively participates in efforts to increase living donor awareness and almost 50% of our transplants utilize living donors.

Since 1996, Baylor has achieved a 90% or higher one-year survival rate for heart transplant recipients. These results attest to the quality care that is delivered by the team. Baylor has an active program utilizing left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) allowing patients to wait for a transplant at home thereby greatly improving their quality of life.

Baylor’s Congestive Heart Failure program focuses on educating the patient about nutrition, lifestyle and the importance of the patient’s role in therapy. A proven success, the program has achieved dramatic results in a short period of time. In a 13-month study of 41 patients, the hospital readmission rate dropped from 18.9% (national average is 20%) to 2.4%.

Physicians with Baylor’s stem cell program have performed more than 3,000 transplants, including autologous, allogeneic-related and allogeneic-unrelated donors ranking it among the largest centers in the nation. It was among the first six centers to receive FACT accreditation in 1998, and continued to renew this accreditation in 2001 and 2005. Collaborating with other top centers in the country, research is at the forefront of the program offering patients the latest treatment options. Baylor also participates as a study center as a part of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Network.

A deep dedication to research, and clinical application of that research, has been integral to Baylor’s transplant program from the beginning. This ongoing research along with quality patient care has built a solid foundation and successful track record in every organ specialty – liver, kidney, heart, lung, pancreas, and stem cell.

INTERLINK Accredited Programs

This is a special place - a place that has cared for the sickest, most seriously injured children for more than 100 years. From a modest beginning in a two-story house, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles has become one of the world's top pediatric facilities, acknowledged throughout the United States and around the world for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health.

The physicians, nurses and other caregivers at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles - and those who support them - are committed to helping children and adolescents lead healthier, happier lives today. They are dedicated to finding the best means to diagnose, treat, and cure pediatric disease and to promote child health tomorrow. They improve the lives of children every day - children who are "…living proof that what we're doing is making a world of difference".

Most know Childrens Hospital Los Angeles for its superb patient care. But, it also is one of America’s premier teaching hospitals, affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California for more than 72 years, and it is a national leader in pediatric research.

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles treats nearly 58,000 patients a year in its Emergency Department. It admits more than 10,800 children a year to the hospital, with almost 50-percent of those admissions children under four years of age. There are more than 287,000 visits a year to its 29 outpatient clinics; nearly 5,000 visits at community sites through its Division of Adolescent Medicine. Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is able to offer the optimum in multidisciplinary care, with 33 pediatric subspecialties and dozens of special services for children and families.

Training programs at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles include 250 medical students, 83 full-time residents and 71 fellows, who collectively reflect the diversity of the patient population and the city of Los Angeles.

Today, physician-scientists at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles address the most vexing pediatric medical problems and discover important new therapies for children everywhere, including advances in cancer care, gene transfer, stem cell and organ transplantation and diabetes. The Saban Research Institute is among the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States, with 89 investigators at work on 230 laboratory studies, clinical trials, and community-based research and health services. It is one of the few free-standing research centers in the nation to combine scientific laboratory inquiry with patient clinical care – dedicated exclusively to children - and its base of knowledge is widely considered to be among the best in pediatric medicine.

Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is devoted solely to the care of infants, children, and young adults. Known for excellence in pediatric care, education and research, Children’s Hospital consistently ranks as one of the top ten pediatric hospitals in the country by Child magazine and one of the best children’s hospitals in America by U.S. News and World Report.

Children’s was the first hospital in the United States to establish a pediatric transplant center under the stewardship of Thomas E. Starzl, MD, PhD. Children’s Hospital continues to be a world leader in transplantation and research and has performed more pediatric transplants than any other pediatric center. In 2006, Children’s is proud to celebrate 25 years of transforming the lives of pediatric transplant patients.

World’s Highest Survival Rates
Using the very latest diagnostic techniques, drug therapies, and surgical procedures, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh achieves patient survival rates that are among the highest in the world. Our transplantation program includes the following:

The staff at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh understands the physical and emotional toll of organ transplantation for patients and families. For this reason, Children’s Hospital offers a range of ancillary services that include social workers, psychologists, physical and occupational therapists and financial counselors. In addition, Children’s Hospital sponsors summer camps that give pediatric transplant patients a chance to spend a weekend outdoors with other transplant recipients.

For questions about the pediatric transplantation program at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, call 412-692-7337 and ask for the transplant coordinator.

Inova Health System began in 1956 in response to Northern Virginia's growing need for convenient, accessible health care. Known as the Fairfax Hospital Association, the not-for-profit health care system grew from one hospital to a network of hospitals and other health care services.

The Inova Transplant Center at Inova Fairfax Hospital is the most active transplant program in the Washington, DC, area. The Transplant Center is proud to offer a full spectrum of transplant services including kidney, pancreas, liver, lung, heart, and bone marrow. As the area’s most comprehensive transplant center, they offer the unique blend of cutting edge technology with traditional values of caring for and about people.

The Transplant Center staff uses a multidisciplinary support system to integrate every aspect of a patient's care before, during, and following the transplant procedure. The transplant team at the Inova Transplant Center consists of everyone from doctors to dietitians, that all work together to help provide the best possible care for our patients. All the needs of the patient and their families are met through the close collaboration of transplant center specialists. A strong emphasis is placed on family involvement, quality-of-life issues, and the cost-effective delivery of care throughout the transplant process.

The Inova Transplant Center performed Washington’s first heart transplant in 1986 and has accomplished many other firsts since then. People from throughout the region come to the Inova Transplant Center when transplant is their last and only life-saving option. Call (800) 358-8831 for patient referral or other information.

The University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center (UM/Jackson) ranks among the top U.S. medical centers for total solid organ transplantation. Our teams perform over 400 life-saving adult and pediatric transplants each year, including many international patients.

The UM/Jackson Transplant Center welcomes all patients needing transplants, regardless of the severity or complexity of an individual's condition. We offer excellent care from a multidisciplinary team, state-of-the-art treatments, the latest immunosuppressive therapies, and all the resources of South Florida's largest academic medical center. Support from our transplant team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The UM/Jackson Transplant Center is a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the central U.S. agency responsible for equitable allocation of organs. This affiliation offers our patients with the best opportunities to receive new organs and enjoy a longer and better quality of life.

The UM/Jackson Transplant Center currently has the following fully credentialed programs:

For additional information on any of these programs, please call UM/Jackson at (305) 355-5000.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH) is a world-class, non-profit hospital devoted entirely to the care of babies, children, adolescents and expectant mothers. Since LPCH is a teaching hospital, our programs train the next generation of physicians and pursue research to advance the science of transplantation and improve patient outcome. Because our program is a leader in teaching and research, our patients receive the most advanced care available.

LPCH transplant teams are recognized for their surgical innovations, high survival rates, success with very small or sick newborns and efforts to minimize post-transplant rejection and adverse effects of medication regimens. Our teams take a family-centered approach to care for its patients. We work to provide comprehensive treatment that respects a family’s unique needs, preferences and skills.

The LPCH health care team works with the patient and family before, during and after the transplant. A multidisciplinary group of clinicians, social workers, financial counselors and support staff all work together to describe the treatment plan and any changes that may be necessary, offer support, answer questions and provide referrals to outside agencies. The goal of our transplant teams is to ensure the patient and family’s physical, social and emotional needs are met to create the best possible outcome.

Kovler Organ Transplantation Center

The Kovler Organ Transplantation Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital has been a leader in transplantation services since 1964 and is recognized by many to be the regional leader in research, innovation and patient care. Transplant surgeons at Northwestern Memorial transplant more than 400 organs each year which ranks the program among the nation's leaders in both the number of transplants performed and patient outcomes. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing and US Transplant Scientific Registry, Northwestern Memorial ranks in the top 10^th percentile in the number of kidney, pancreas and liver transplants among the 230 organ transplant centers in the United States. Additionally, Northwestern Memorial is one of just a few centers pioneering in islet cell and intestinal transplants.

The Kovler Organ Transplantation Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital offers comprehensive, compassionate care throughout the transplant process.

If you have any questions regarding our transplant program, call (877) 666-8282.

Since its inception in 1984, the Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Center has performed more than 2,400 life-saving heart, lung, liver, kidney, and pancreas transplants, making it the Gulf South’s leading transplant center. For more than 50 years, the Ochsner name has been synonymous with high quality, multi-specialty care, and this tradition provides a strong foundation for the Multi-Organ Transplant Center. Innovation and dedication to excellence remain Ochsner’s hallmarks. By teaming an expert surgical staff with a comprehensive corps of multi-disciplinary transplant physicians and support specialists, the Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Center is poised to remain a leader in transplantation well into the new millennium.

Pre- and post-transplant care are provided at Ochsner Foundation Hospital, on a floor where nurses are trained to take care of transplant patients. The team strives to lessen the stresses of transplantation by delivering excellent medical care to transplant patients and addressing the emotional, financial, and practical support issues so often faced by transplant patients and their families.

The Ochsner Clinic Foundation has the only Medicare-approved heart and lung transplant programs in the Gulf South and has one of the top ten largest liver programs in the U.S.

An international leader in oncology since 1898, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), located in Buffalo, NY, is well-known for the strengths of its translational research, multidisciplinary oncology teams, and compassionate staff.

Throughout the 20th century, RPCI led the fight against cancer with the nation’s first chemotherapy program, breakthrough discoveries such as the prostate specific antigen (PSA), and the development of photodynamic therapy (PDT). Continuing in the 21st century is RPCI’s unconditional commitment to excellence in each of its mission areas: clinical care, research, prevention, and education. A nearly seamless interface of scientific inquiry and clinical application – and an aggressive clinical trials program – affords RPCI patients access to the newest cancer diagnostics, technology, and treatments.

Consistently rated in the top tier of quality specialty centers, RPCI brings innovative therapies to patients from across the region and around the world. Its multidisciplinary clinics unite oncologists, surgeons, radiation therapists, and other specialists in highly coordinated teams centered on specific malignant diseases. The effectiveness of this integrated care is paralleled by the efficiency of its leading edge therapies.

Approximately 60% of RPCI’s 25-acre campus has undergone major renovation or has been newly built since 1998. A new Center for Genetics and Pharmacology will open in Spring 2006.

RPCI ranks among the top 1% of cancer centers and teaching hospitals nationally for patient satisfaction with physician services and overall care.

RPCI is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York and is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Its Blood/Marrow Transplant Program, which emphasizes clinical trial development, is accredited by the National Marrow Donor Program as an Apheresis, Collection, and Transplant Center, and by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy. Approximately 85-100 blood and marrow transplants are performed at RPCI each year.

INTERLINK Accredited Programs

The Stem Cell Transplantation Program at St. Jude is one of the largest pediatric programs in the world, having performed a total of more than 1,000 transplants since 1982, including 150 transplants in the last year. Patients include newborns, infants, children, adolescents, and young adults, who have a malignant or nonmalignant life-threatening disorder that is treatable with a hematopoietic stem cell / bone marrow transplant with autologous cells or allogeneic cells.

Children with life-threatening illnesses who are undergoing hematopoietic stem cell / bone marrow transplant require highly specialized resources and experienced staff, such as are available at St. Jude, to meet their physical, psychological, social, and developmental needs. At St. Jude, a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals provides advanced treatment, and all patients are enrolled on clinical research protocols that are designed to give patients the best possible chances of survival with the fewest possible complications when they undergo the transplantation procedure.

The Transplant Unit at St. Jude is a closed, fourteen-bed unit specifically designed for the care of immunocompromised patients; full facilities for stem cell processing and storage are available in a Human Applications Laboratory on the same floor with offices for the transplant coordinator, clinical nurse specialist, social worker, and a play area operated by Child Life Specialists.

A National Leader in Organ Transplantation
St. Louis Children's Hospital is at the forefront of pediatric organ transplantation in the United States, thanks in part to its close association with Washington University School of Medicine and the neighboring adult transplant center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. The combination of professional expertise, technical skill and innovative research shared at the three institutions has enabled all to build upon individual successes.

Treating Children and Their Families
From evaluation for transplant through management of the disease to the transplant surgery and vital follow-up care, the needs of the children and the support needs of their families are the common focus of the team. Every pediatric transplant candidate and his or her family receive individualized attention to help prepare physically, emotionally and financially for the major issues involved in organ transplantation.

Our Central Location
Located in the Midwestern United States, St. Louis Children’s Hospital has an important geographic advantage over many other transplant centers. Our central location provides the ability to retrieve organs from virtually anywhere in the United States.

Heart Transplant:
• Performed over 250 pediatric heart transplants. Age range: newborn to 22 years
• ABO incompatible heart transplant option available. This allows transplant of unmatched blood type organ to infants who are medically eligible for this option
• Performed the first Berlin Heart procedure in Missouri. Berlin Heart is a ventricular assist device that is used as a bridge to transplant for pediatric patients who meet criteria for its use.

Liver Transplant/Liver Care Center:
• Second largest transplant volume in the Midwest and top 10 in volume in the nation
• Multiple liver transplant options available: whole liver, segmented/reduced liver, split liver, living donor liver, and combined liver/lung.
• Center of excellence for pediatric liver disease including biliary atresia, liver tumors, metabolic diseases and hepatitis

Lung Transplant:
• Largest pediatric lung transplant experience, having performed more than 300 lung and heart-lung transplants since 1990
• Performed the region’s first living donor lung transplant

Kidney Transplant:
• Graft and patient survival rate well over the national average
• Performed over 130 kidney transplants since 1990, about 50% living donor versus deceased donor

Bone Marrow Transplant:
• FACT approved center
• Children’s Oncology Group approved center
• First hospital in Missouri to develop a comprehensive pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program. Our unit is one of a select few pediatric facilities nationwide certified to perform transplants from unrelated donors.
• Perform stem cell transplants from any applicable stem cell source

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas ranks among the top academic medical centers in the world. Its faculty members – who are responsible for a broad array of groundbreaking biomedical research advances – are respected for their dedication to teaching and training. UT Southwestern’s physicians provide patients with the highest quality of care throughout the medical center’s outpatient clinics and hospitals.

One of those hospitals, St. Paul University Hospital, was founded in 1896 as the first private hospital in Dallas. With more than 100 years of experience in health care in Dallas, St. Paul has built a reputation for excellence in cardiology, emergency medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, oncology, orthopaedics, transplantation, and urology, among other services.

Through the UT Southwestern/St. Paul University Hospital Heart and Lung Program, both faculty and private physicians provide medical and pre- and post-surgical management to patients awaiting, or who have undergone, heart and/or lung transplantation. A multidisciplinary approach enables the program to excel in providing advanced care from physicians, nursing coordinators, social workers, and dietitians.

Physicians in the Heart and Lung Program have performed more than 300 heart transplants since its inception. Survival rates for the first three years following transplantation are among the best in the country, according to data provided by UNOS – 11 percent above the national average. Survival rates for the first year following lung transplantation are 16 percent above the national average, according to UNOS.

In addition to transplantation services, St. Paul University Hospital offers other pulmonary resources, including a pulmonary function laboratory providing expertise in managing cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial fibrosis, and pulmonary neuromuscular diseases.

Stanford Hospital & Clinics is known worldwide for advanced patient care provided by its physicians and staff, particularly for the treatment of rare, complex disorders in areas such as cardiac care, cancer treatment, neurology, neurosurgery, obstetrics, surgery, and organ transplants.

Throughout its history, they have pioneered medical advances that save lives and protect against disease. For example, they performed the first successful adult human heart transplant in the country and the first combined heart-lung transplant in the world. As part of the Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford Hospital & Clinics has a close relationship with both the Stanford University School of Medicine, the oldest medical school in the Western United States, and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, an adjacent pediatric teaching hospital providing general acute and tertiary care. Stanford's ability to provide state-of-the-art care is enhanced by the close collaboration among these entities and their mutual commitment to patient care.

The solid organ programs as Stanford strive for meticulous care and superb results. They apply progressive clinical protocols with regular outcome assessment to meet the needs and expectations of patient, family, and referring physician by providing quality medical care, nursing care, and ancillary support services. Building on Stanford's long-standing history of research in transplant immunology and clinical immunosuppression, the program aims to engender clinical transplantation research. The clinical research focuses on strategies to minimize side effects of chronic immunosuppression and to improve long-term outcomes.

The Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program at Stanford is committed to outstanding clinical care and research. This commitment, in conjunction with the numerous research resources and comprehensive support services offered at Stanford, assures the best possible outcome for our patients and their families. The intent of the program is curative rather than palliative; the goal is full reintegration of each patient into his/her normal, everyday life. Since the program’s inception in 1986 more than 3,300 adults and children have received blood and marrow transplants at Stanford.

UCSF Medical Center is one of the nation's top 10 hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report. We are recognized throughout the world as a leader in medicine, known for compassionate and innovative care. And, our more than 900 doctors not only have access to the latest technologies, they are often the doctors who develop them.

UCSF's organ transplant service is one of the largest and most highly regarded in the country. Since its founding in the 1960s, our transplant service has expanded to include excellent programs for kidney, kidney-pancreas, liver, heart, and lung.

UCSF Medical Center is also a leader in blood and bone marrow transplantation for the treatment of a number of blood disorders. Our expert transplant team is comprised of health professionals who care for individuals and their families throughout the transplant process.

UCSF has performed more kidney transplants than any other institution in the world, about 6,000 since 1964. Our program is the second-largest center for living-donor kidney transplants in the country. UCSF is proud of its history providing liver transplants to those in need. 91.42 percent of our patients were alive a year after a liver transplant, compared to the 85.23 percent expected survival rate based on patient characteristics. Our lung transplant staff has performed more than 100 transplants since we started the program in 1991, with an average one-year survival rate of 80 percent compared to a national average one-year survival rate of 70 percent. Since 1989, UCSF has performed combined pancreas-kidney transplants in more than 200 Type 1 diabetic patients. Our one-year success rates are 95 percent for kidneys, 90 percent for pancreases, and 100 percent patient survival.

In partnership with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

The Transplant Center at University Hospital, in partnership with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has been a pioneering force in organ transplantation for over 20 years.

Since our program’s inception, we have performed over 2,400 kidney, liver and lung transplants. We rank in the top five Transplant Centers in Texas for the number of Transplants performed: #1 for lung transplants and #2 for liver transplants. The Transplant Center consistently achieves patient survival rates above the national average for all three transplantation programs:
One Year Patient Survival Rates:

The pursuit of renewing and extending life through transplantation never ceases. Our research team works continuously to translate the latest bench findings to further enhance transplant patient care.

The Transplant Center Amenities:
• Private patient rooms
• State-of-the-art dedicated transplant unit
• Newly remodeled Transplant Clinic Center
Support Renewed Life - visit www.uhstransplant.com for more information
888-336-9633 / 210-567-5777

The University of Chicago Hospitals is a world leader in transplantation. Since the first human transplant performed there, the center has performed more than 1,500 kidney transplants, 100 pancreas transplants, 500 pediatric and 700 adult liver transplants, 877 autologous stem cell transplants and 330 allogeneic transplants. The University of Chicago Hospitals has the largest and oldest series of living related liver transplant patients in North America.

Organ transplantation began at the University of Chicago. In 1904, a University of Chicago doctor, Alexis Carrel, MD, performed the first animal organ transplant, which earned him the Nobel Prize. Since then, we have been a world leader in organ transplant. University of Chicago has been a pioneer in transplantation with the a series of firsts, including the first successful living-donor liver transplant in the world, the first successful heart-liver-kidney transplant in the world, and the first segmental liver (“reduced size”) and split-liver transplants in the United States.

University of Chicago researchers continue to improve patient care through the evaluation and development of groundbreaking technology, such as an FDA approved clinical trial for islet cell transplantation in patients with Type 1 DM, participation in the NIH multi-center study for the transplantation of liver and kidney patients who are HIV+, developing immunosuppressive therapies that may further control both acute and chronic rejection including NIH sponsored studies in tolerance as well as the immunology of xenograft rejection. Some improvements in the area of Stem Cell Transplant have been the first pediatric stem cell transplant for sickle cell disease, development of new approaches to prevent and treat graft versus host disease, and the study of vaccines to prevent cancer recurrence following allogeneic transplantation.

The UW Health Transplant Program, based at UW Hospital and Clinics, is the only program in the nation recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for high performance and best practice in all three program aspects: Organ Procurement, Transplant Center and Hospital.

With results and wait times significantly better than the national average, the UW Hospital and Clinics transplant program is one of the most successful transplant programs in the nation. Founded in 1966, the program now performs more than 600 transplants a year, making it the largest program in the Midwest, and one of the largest programs in the nation. With a consistently maintained focus on patient success, the program delivers customized care to their patients.

Through their clinical expertise, education, innovation and scientific research the UW Hospital and Clinics transplant program has developed to become an internationally recognized leader in transplantation. Faculty and other key personnel have essentially remained unchanged over the past 20 years, allowing for steady growth and stability unmatched by any program in the United States.

Faculty and program personnel are dedicated to providing the highest quality of care for transplant patients- and creating the future of transplantation. The program has always been at the forefront in the field of transplantation, developing an organ solution and surgical technique that are being used worldwide. Our physicians and staff are respected in the field to the degree that many other programs seek them out for advice and counsel.

The UW Health Organ Procurement Organization (OPO), a hospital-based program, is recognized as one of the most effective organ procurement organizations in the nation. The program consistently ranks among the top three of the 59 OPOs in the country with respect to donation rates. For their excellence in both donation rates and organ utilization, the program was honored to be the only OPO in the nation to be visited by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services.

PEDIATRIC TRANSPLANT PROGRAM: Since it’s inception in 1967, the Pediatric transplant surgical team at UW Children's Hospital has performed more than 380 organ transplants for children.

Through clinical expertise, education and scientific research, our program has gained international recognition for leadership in transplant surgery. Our strong commitment to basic and applied research places the UW Children’s Hospital at the forefront of medical technology. In 2007, we’ll open the doors to UW Health American Family Children’s Hospital, a state-of-the art six-story facility that at completion will include 84 patient rooms with a 20-bed intensive care unit.

BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT: The Bone Marrow Transplant program at UW Hospital and Clinics has served adult patients since 1981, and pediatric patients since 1982. Our program performs the following types of bone marrow transplants for a variety of cancers, including leukemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma:

Allogeneic (related and unrelated) Using marrow, peripheral blood stem cells or umbilical cord blood from a related or unrelated donor.