Rhode Island Hospital Division of Organ Transplantation

Founded in 1997, the Division of Organ Transplantation at Rhode Island Hospital has become recognized as one of the most advanced in New England.

We have assembled one of the most skilled and experienced teams of transplant surgeons, nephrologists and specialists in the nation. The transplant program provides the full range of vital services close to home, eliminating extra trips to other hospitals for visits and follow-up care.

Our transplant team emphasizes close consultation and cooperation with referring nephrologists and primary care physicians of transplant patient candidates as they progress from the initial evaluation to postoperative care and management.

Kidney recipient Cindy Jones (middle, bottom) with her transplant team

The Rhode Island Hospital transplant team has moved quickly to the forefront of clinical research in newer, more effective immunosuppressive agents and reduced immunosuppression protocols—research that improves transplant success, reduces the likelihood of rejection and enhances quality of life.

In addition, our team is on the forefront of innovative techniques to promote both living and deceased organ donation. In July 2005, transplant center surgeons performed Rhode Island's first laparoscopic kidney transplant, removing a kidney from a 31-year-old woman and transplanting it to a 17-year-old recipient.