Transplant Services

UW Division of Transplantation: For academic and research information

Transplant Milestones

Since its creation in 1966, UW Health's transplant program has been at the forefront of transplant innovation.

Year	Accomplishment
2010	Wisconsin's first four-way paired donation kidney exchange \| Read more
2009	The UW Health OPO honored the wishes of 142 organ donors, a new milestone Twelve (of 12 eligible) hospitals in the UW Health OPO service area received the National Medal of Honor for their outstanding efforts in donation Performed more kidney/pancreas transplants than any other program in the nation 12,000th organ transplant performed Performed a record-breaking five heart transplants in the same week Completed the state's first domino liver transplant Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approval granted for all organ programs under new conditions of participation
2008	400th lung transplant performed 10,500th organ transplant performed 2,500th live donor kidney transplant performed
2007	1,500th liver transplant performed First in the nation to perform a combined kidney/pancreas transplant post-desensitization using deceased-donor organs 600th heart transplant performed 1000th kidney/pancreas transplant performed, more than any other program in the world
2006	OPO receives three HHS national awards honoring their work to improve overall quality, conversion rates, DCD donors and organs transplanted per donor First combined liver/pancreas transplant performed by Dr. Stuart Knechtle Desensitization Program directs first sensitized and ABO incompatible kidney transplant Ranked #1 kidney and kidney/pancreas transplant program in the nation, by volume
2005	1,000 heart and lung transplants performed Pancreas transplant performed on the youngest recipient in the world Ranked #1 kidney transplant program in the nation, by volume Ranked #1 kidney/pancreas transplant program in the nation, by volume
2004	6000th kidney transplant performed 1,000th pancreas transplant performed Initiated new protocol for highly-sensitized and ABO-incompatible living donor kidney, allowing greater number of patients to be eligible for kidney transplants 2,000th live donor kidney transplant performed
2003	Kidney transplant program ranked the largest program in the nation and the second largest in the world Simulataneous kidney-pancreas transplant program ranked largest in nation First "humanitarian" live donor kidney transplant performed
2002	500^th heart transplant performed First islet cell transplant performed in Wisconsin
2001	1,000^th liver transplant performed 8,000^th transplant performed
2000	UWHC OPO ranked second-largest OPO in the United States with 34 donors/million population First laparoscopic donor nephrectomy performed by Dr. Anthony D'Alessandro Second largest transplant program in the country performing 480 total transplants Transplant division has secured more than $6 million for clinical trials since 1990 Islet cell transplantation project initiated
1999	First adult to adult living related liver transplant performed by Dr. Stuart Knechtle Dr. Yolanda Becker and Dr. Hans Sollinger receive funding for xenotransplantation project, allowing the study of the use of animal organs for human transplantation)
1998	6,000^th organ transplant performed William Burlingham, PhD, describes the relationship between chimerism and tolerance in certain transplant recipients
1997	UWHC OPO ranked most effective in the United States 4000^th kidney transplant performed
1996	UW Hospital and Clinics ranked second most active transplant center in the U.S. 500^th pancreas transplant performed
1995	CellCept, studied by Dr. Hans Sollinger, approved by FDA
1994	1,000^th live donor kidney transplant performed 200^th heart transplant performed 500^th liver transplant performed First split liver transplant performed
1991	UW Hospital and Clinics Clinical Trials Department established
1990	First combined heart/lung transplant performed in Wisconsin 2,000^th kidney transplant performed
1989	Lung transplant program established First reduced liver transplant performed UNOS certifies multi-organ transplant program
1988	Intestinal transplant program established by Dr. Anthony D'Alessandro Multi-organ transplant program established HCFA certifies UW Organ and Tissue Donation
1987	Dr. Folkert Belzer and UW Medical School biochemist Dr. James Southard, PhD, develop "UW solution," a cold storage organ solution now used worldwide
1984	Liver transplant program established by Dr. Munci Kalayoglu
1983	Dr. Hans Sollinger develops "Wisconsin Technique" used in pancreas transplantation
1982	Pancreas transplant program established
1974	Dr. Folkert Belzer and Robert Hoffman, developers of a kidney preservation machine, come to UW Hospital and Clinics from the University of California at San Francisco
1973	Heart transplant program established
1966	First kidney transplant performed at UW-Madison