Kidney Transplant
The Vanderbilt Kidney Transplant Program is one of the oldest and largest programs in the country. We offer innovative treatment options for kidney diseases in addition to kidney transplantation. Our specialists also perform lifesaving dual-organ transplants for patients with liver-kidney dysfunction or heart-kidney dysfunction. We have performed more than 6,000 pediatric and adult kidney transplants since our program started, giving us deep expertise with even the most complex cases.
Conditions We Treat
- Cystic kidney disease
- Inflammatory disease of the kidneys
- Inherited kidney disease
Meet Your Care Team
Bernard J. DubrayJr, MD
- Dialysis Access, Kidney and Pancreas Transplant, Laparoscopic Kidney Donor Surgery, Pancreas Transplantation, Pediatric Kidney Transplant, Pediatric Surgery, Renal Transplantation
Rachel C. ForbesMD, MBA, FACS
- Dialysis Access, Kidney and Pancreas Transplant, Laparoscopic Kidney Donor Surgery, Pancreas Transplantation, Pediatric Kidney Transplant, Pediatric Surgery, Renal Transplantation
Laura A. HickmanMD
- Dialysis Access, Kidney and Pancreas Transplant, Laparoscopic Kidney Donor Surgery, Pancreas Transplantation, Renal Transplantation, Surgical Problems in Patients with Kidney Disease, Transplant
David ShafferMD
- Dialysis Access, Kidney and Pancreas Transplant, Laparoscopic Kidney Donor Surgery, Pancreas Transplantation, Pediatric Kidney Transplant, Pediatric Surgery, Renal Transplantation
Beatrice P. ConcepcionMD
- Amyloidosis, Kidney Transplantation, Kidney and Pancreas Transplant, Nephrology
April L. DemersAPRN, MSN, BSN
- End Stage Kidney Disease, Kidney and Pancreas Transplant, Renal Transplantation, Surgical Problems in Patients with Pancreas Disease, Transplant, Transplant Surgery
Princess J. SheltonFNP
- Kidney and Pancreas Transplant, Renal Transplantation, Transplant, Transplant Surgery
Why Choose Kidney Transplant at Vanderbilt
- Knowledge and experience
The Vanderbilt Kidney Transplant Program is the largest in Tennessee, performing more than 250 transplants per year. Our specialists have the expertise and advanced training to perform even the most complex transplant procedures with excellent outcomes.
- Team approach
We work together to ensure that you receive the comprehensive care you need. Our team members collaborate with each other, as well as with experts in other medical disciplines, to provide you with individual care that addresses your unique needs.
- Living donor kidney program
We offer a living donor kidney transplant program to reduce wait times for a healthy kidney. A kidney from a living donor also gives patients a better chance of a longer, healthier life.
- Faster access to organs
We can successfully treat recipients of kidneys from donors affected by hepatitis C so they can safely receive them. This speeds the transplant process by making more organs available.
- Paired donor exchange
We offer paired kidney donations for patients who have a willing living donor with an incompatible blood type or tissue. This allows the incompatible pair to exchange a kidney with another donor/recipient pair on the wait list. Both recipients receive a healthy kidney with a shorter wait time. We also work with other transplant centers around the nation to create chains of kidney donors and recipients and speed up the transplant process for more people.
- Blood type compatibility
Vanderbilt is one of a few transplant centers in the country that regularly transplants kidneys from donors with blood types A2/A2B into patients with blood type B. This type of transplantation can reduce your wait time for a healthy kidney.
- Veterans care
We work closely with the Nashville VA Medical Center to care for veterans who need kidney transplantation services.
- Pediatric care
We know our smallest patients require a dedicated team of specialists as knowledgeable as they are comforting in their approach to pediatric care. That’s why we provide pediatric kidney transplants through the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Our pediatric program offers your child the most advanced, compassionate care throughout the transplant process.
Tests, Treatments and Services
- Cardiac function evaluation
- Imaging tests
- Kidney transplant
- Kidney-heart transplant
- Kidney-liver transplant
- Kidney-pancreas transplant