Kidney Transplant Program

The Children’s Kidney Transplant Program is the largest pediatric kidney transplant program in the Southeast by volume, providing comprehensive pre- and post- transplant services to children who need a kidney transplant. We have a multidisciplinary team of pediatric kidney transplant specialists committed to delivering the best possible care for complex kidney conditions. This team includes:

• Nephrologists
• Kidney transplant surgeons
• Immunologists
• Genetic counsellors
• Advanced practice providers
• Pathologists

The Children’s Kidney Transplant Program team understands more than just kidney transplant surgery; we understand children. And we know that each one is unique. That’s why we create personalized treatment plans, combining medical management, nonsurgical care and kidney transplant surgery, based on the individual needs of each patient. To help make treatment as seamless as possible for patients and their families, we also provide coordinated pre- and post-transplant services and comprehensive support services, guiding kids and families through each stage of treatment.

Why Choose the Children’s Kidney Transplant Program?

• Child-focused care: We are one of just a few transplant programs in the country that has dedicated pediatric kidney transplant surgeons who are dual-trained in both abdominal transplant and pediatric surgery.
• Kidney transplant expertise: The Kidney Transplant Program at Children’s is has become one of the largest programs in the Southeast and one of the largest pediatric kidney transplant programs in the country by volume since its inception in 1980*, with shorter wait times for donor kidneys than the national average.**
• Comprehensive support services: At Children’s, we understand that a kidney transplant is not just a single event, and requires a family-centered approach to care. We provide patients and families with the support they need at each phase of treatment.

Before a pediatric kidney transplant

Before your child is approved for a pediatric kidney transplant, he will undergo a pre-transplant evaluation—a series of tests that may include a routine medical exam, blood tests, imaging tests, breathing tests and other evaluations at Children’s.

If your child meets all of the standards from the pre-transplant evaluation, and the child, family and kidney transplant team decide that a kidney transplant is the best option, the next step is to place your child’s name on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waitlist.

Kidney paired donation

Children’s also offers a paired donor exchange transplant, which takes place when two patients have identified healthy donors who are not compatible themselves but are a match for someone else. The two patients exchange donor kidneys so they each receive a compatible kidney.

The Children’s Paired Donor Exchange Program helps reduce wait times for potential transplant recipients, making optimal use of willing donors.

After a pediatric kidney transplant

Taking a child home after a kidney transplant can be stressful. Your family may feel fear, anger, depression and guilt about the transplant. By sharing these feelings, you may find it easier to cope with change. Our team is here to help you in any way that we can.

• Talking to your child about a kidney transplant
• Many children believe a kidney transplant is caused by something they did, said or thought. Explain to your child that the cause of the kidney transplant was not his fault.
• Talk to your child about his feelings. Let him know that his feelings are normal. Be honest with your child about your feelings.
• Medication after a kidney transplant
  • After a kidney transplant, your child will take important medications called immunosuppressants. They will help keep your child from rejecting his new kidney and keep him in the best possible health.
• Possible complications after a kidney transplant
• Some children who receive a kidney transplant have complications. Infection and rejection are two of the most common complications after a pediatric kidney transplant. Your child’s kidney transplant team will help you learn about the early signs of kidney transplant complications.
• Rejection is a natural response of your child’s immune system, which is the body’s defense against an “unknown” material like viruses, bacteria and some types of cancers. Your child’s body tries to reject the new kidney because it recognizes it as an unknown in his body.
• Your child is more likely to get an infection when taking immunosuppressants. The risk of infection is greatest in the first three to six months after a kidney transplant.

Led by Rouba Garro, MD, Medical Director, the Children’s kidney transplant team is dedicated to caring for infants, children and young adults before, during and after a pediatric kidney transplant. Our team includes the following: 

Kidney transplant surgeons

• Richard Hendrickson, MD
• Paul L. Tso, MD

Pediatric nephrologists

• Rouba Garro, MD
• Roshan P. George, MD
• Laurence A. Greenbaum, MD, PhD
• Stephanie M. Jernigan, MD
• Sabina S. Kennedy, MD
• Hyunjung Stella Shin, MD
• Chia-shi Wang, MD

Advanced practice providers

• Meredith Combs, CPNP
• Brittney Grabowski, CPNP
• Carissa Hayes, CPNP
• Elizabeth LaHaie, CPNP
• Lynn Sherrer, CPNP

At Children’s, we have given the gift of life to more than 1,700 children through organ transplants. But there are still more young lives to be saved.

Currently, more than 116,000 people in the U.S.—including nearly 2,000 children—are in need of a lifesaving organ transplant. Many people have generously saved others’ lives through an organ, tissue, marrow and blood donation.

How do I become an organ donor?

There are three steps to register to become an organ donor:

1. Register with your state.
2. Designate “organ donor” on your driver’s license or identification card.
3. Notify your family members about your decision to donate.