Overview
What we do
There are more than 90,000 people in the nation waiting for a kidney transplant, and wait times are increasing. Living kidney donors save the life of the recipient and reduce the number of people on the deceased donor waitlist. At UW Health, we honor living kidney donors as life-saving heroes.
Living kidney donation happens when you give one of your kidneys to someone whose kidneys are failing. During this surgery, your kidney is removed and placed into the recipient’s body. You can live well with one kidney, and the recipient will have better health with their new kidney. A transplant from a living kidney donor is the best option for people who need a kidney transplant.
Why choose UW Health?
The UW Health Transplant team has been serving living kidney donors for more than 55 years. We are nationally respected for our surgical expertise and outstanding patient outcomes. Our team focuses on thorough patient education and creating personalized donation plans to support your needs.
We are the largest and most active living kidney donation program that works with the National Kidney Registry. We are a Center of Excellence for most insurance networks and a certified living kidney donor center for adults and children. U.S. News & World Report ranks University Hospital as Wisconsin’s top hospital.
About
Learn about living kidney transplant
Meet our team
Our experienced team
Our highly experienced team delivers compassionate care to living kidney donors. We consider you a hero for your generous gift of life. We dedicate ourselves to supporting your decisions. We are committed to your health and will work to provide customized care.
Your living kidney donation team includes experts in nephrology (kidney medicine), living kidney donation and kidney transplantation. Our social workers, financial counselors and living donor advocate also provide ongoing support.
UW Health is an academic medical center, so we are always researching and improving every aspect of living kidney donation and transplantation. We provide thorough education to you and your support team. We are dedicated to giving you the best living kidney donation experience .
Locations
Expert care in Madison
We offer living kidney donation services and surgery at University Hospital in Madison.
Patient stories
Inspiring living donor stories
Our patients share their living kidney donation stories.
Patient and support services
Resources for living kidney donors
We offer many helpful resources for before and after your living kidney donation surgery.
Education materials
Stay connected and promote donation
Use social media on the many channels where UW Health is active
Become a mentor. Living donors are paired with people who are considering live donation to share their experiences and help others during their decision-making process.
Be a living kidney donation champion
Join our Patient and Family Advisory Council to improve the patient experience by sharing feedback with our transplant professionals.