Kidney Transplant

The Vanderbilt Kidney Transplant Program is the largest in Tennessee, performing more than 200 transplants per year. Our specialists have the expertise and advanced training to perform even the most complex transplant procedures with excellent outcomes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We work closely with the Nashville VA Medical Center to care for veterans who need kidney transplantation services.

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.

Our transplant pharmacists offer the highest level of care and expertise for transplant patients. Each transplant pharmacist works directly with doctors and staff to monitor patients' care plans.

Our transplant center provides many support services, including social workers, transplant pharmacists and a dedicated nurse coordinator. They will guide you through the transplant process. We also offer a unique return-to-work program to help you resume employment and restore your emotional and financial well-being.

Our researchers are dedicated to developing new and more effective approaches to care. We not only apply the latest research, but also pioneer some of the latest innovations. You may have access to treatments before they are widely available.