Organ Transplantation

The Division of Organ Transplantation is on a mission to make discoveries through science and research, improve organ transplant surgical techniques and outcomes, educate future surgeons and scientists, and enhance the lives of our patients. Founded in 1964, Northwestern Medicine’s transplantation program is the longest-standing program in the Chicago area.

The mission of the CTC is Patient Centric Impact through Quality, Innovation, and Education. ”

Satish Nadig, MD, PhD FACS

What We Do

Education

McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University's Residency in General Surgery includes topics in organ transplantation as part of its core curriculum. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s Comprehensive Transplant Center supports fellowship opportunities related to the Department of Surgery’s Division of Organ Transplantation. See the Education section of the center site for full descriptions of the programs, including:

Research

Built on the strong foundation of clinical success, high-volume and funded research efforts, the Comprehensive Transplant Center is actively building a research infrastructure around four pillars (Immune Tolerance, Biomarker Discovery, Outcomes Research and Engineered Tissues) that will allow our faculty to accelerate innovation and define the future of transplantation. We have developed a collaborative model we call a Modular Approach to Transplant Research by Interdisciplinary eXperts (MATRIX). This model combines our experts in transplantation with scientists from seemingly unrelated disciplines and experts in research methodologies needed to answer transplantation’s most pressing questions. We strongly believe that it is at this intersection of diverse expertise that transformative innovation is mostly likely to occur, and we are committed to utilizing this approach to execute our plan and advance the field.

Patient Care

Our patients are referred to us by Nephrology, Endocrinology and Hepatology colleagues from Northwestern Medicine, communities in the greater Chicagoland area and worldwide. Every year, we transplant over 400 organs while placing emphasis on increasing living donor procedures, which we complete more of than any other program in the Chicagoland area. We are also experts in simultaneous organ transplants, dialysis access procedures and complex hepatobiliary surgeries.