Kidney Transplant Program

Grateful Recipient - Toshiko Linton, 80, is pictured during her recovery following kidney transplant surgery in the spring of 2010. Sharing in her gratitude for the gift of life are surgical resident Nasim Ahmadiyeh (left) and Surgical Director Stefan Tullius (right).

The Kidney Transplant Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) is recognized as the oldest and one of the largest such programs in New England, and one of the most successful in the country. The Program is part our Renal Division, which has been consistently honored  by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top kidney programs in the United States.

Expanded surgical techniques, improved anti-rejection and desensitization protocols, cutting-edge approaches to laparoscopic kidney removal, and high-quality patient care for complex patient co-morbidities characterize the BWH program and are critical factors in our current success in kidney transplantation.

The Program at BWH began when the world’s first successful human organ transplant, a kidney transplanted from one identical twin to another, was performed here by Joseph Murray, MD, in 1954. Dr. Murray was later awarded the Nobel Prize in 1990 to recognize this medical milestone and his subsequent development of immunosuppressive drugs to help prevent organ rejection. Since this momentous start, our renal program has performed over 2,400 kidney transplants and continues to help advance the science of kidney transplant surgery and help more and more patients lead healthy and productive lives.

Our transplant surgical team now consistently performs more than 80 kidney transplants each year. This capability is made possible by the combination of our dedicated team of transplant surgeons, transplant nephrologists, pre- and post-kidney transplant care provided by a multidisciplinary team of medical specialists, and our state-of-the art medical facilities.

• What Is Kidney Transplant Surgery?
  Learn more about what happens before, during and after kidney transplant surgery.
• Who Needs a Kidney Transplant?
  Learn about who would be a candidate for a kidney transplant and what a patient can expect during the screening process.
• Meet the Kidney Transplant Team
  Read more about the unique team of specialists who provide care before, during and after a kidney transplant.
• Finding a Donor
  Learn more about what’s involved in kidney donation.