Penn Medicine's transplant center is the most experienced in the Philadelphia region performing more than 400 solid organ transplants a year. International patients choose us because our survival outcomes consistently exceed the average in the United States. We performed our first successful kidney transplant in 1966 and have a large living donor program for kidney and liver that has national and international reputation for excellence.
Penn is one of only nine programs in the United States participating in adult-to-adult living donor research conducted by the prestigious National Institutes of Health. For children, Penn has a joint program with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that allows healthy adult relatives to donate organ tissue to children with end-stage kidney and liver disease.
Penn is a leader of transplant research with many ongoing innovative trials. These trials include the study of biomarkers for liver cancer screening, the study of genetic predictors for the treatment of hepatitis C after transplantation and the study of mechanical circulatory support devices as destination therapy for heart failure. We are the only transplant center in the region and one of a select group of programs in the United States to receive a Silver Level Award by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Transplant Options
The Penn Transplant Institute leads the Philadelphia region in total number of transplants performed. The following are the various transplants we perform:
- Hand transplant—The Penn hand transplant program helps double-arm or double-hand amputee patients regain mobility and independence. Penn Medicine is part of a select group of United States medical centers to establish multidisciplinary programs to perform bilateral hand transplants.
- Heart transplant—Many of the sickest patients choose our heart transplant program for their care. As the largest heart transplant center in the Mid-Atlantic region and one of the top three heart transplant programs in the United States, our surgeons have performed more than 1,000 heart transplants since the program began in 1988—more than all of the other centers in the Philadelphia region combined.
- Kidney transplant—We have the most experienced kidney transplant surgeons in the country who have performed more than 5,000 kidney transplants, making Penn's kidney transplant program the largest and most experienced program in the region.
- Liver transplant—Penn has extensive experience treating patients with end-stage liver disease. The Penn Transplant Institute performs more transplants for primary liver cancer than any other program in the region. The outcomes of liver transplant for cancer at Penn Medicine are excellent, with a high chance of cure.
- Lung transplant—Since the program's beginning in 1991, more than 1,000 successful lung transplants have been performed and the lives of many patients have been dramatically improved. We are one of the most experienced lung transplant teams in the United States.
- Pancreas transplant—International patients choose Penn for their transplant because of their access to the most advanced care available. We were the first program in the region to offer pancreas transplant as treatment for type 1 diabetes and are one of the leading transplant centers in the world researching islet cell transplantation.
- Bone marrow and stem cell transplant—If a bone marrow and stem cell transplant is a treatment option for you, our team of specialists in medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology and pathology will provide thorough evaluations and develop a plan designed exclusively for you. The Abramson Cancer Center’s bone marrow transplant program is one of the most established and largest in the country
Penn Transplant Institute in detail