Transplant Programs

Feel confident choosing UC San Diego Health’s lifesaving transplant program.

Our surgeons at the Center for Transplantation have extensive experience in heart, kidney, liver, lung and multi-organ transplants from deceased donors and kidney and liver transplants from living donors. We have performed thousands of successful transplant procedures since 1968, with patient survival rates exceeding the national average.

We provide a full spectrum of care for the entire transplantation process — from pre-transplant evaluation to post-surgical maintenance — with the highest level of transplantation medicine available.

Complete Transplantation Care

You'll receive personalized care from the region’s top transplant surgeons and transplant specialists, who are with you every step of the way.

A pre-transplant evaluation reviews your overall nutrition, health and psychosocial factors to see if you’re a candidate for transplant surgery.
Mental health services help provide coping skills and emotional support throughout the organ transplant journey.
Advanced, research-driven surgical techniques ensure a successful and speedy recovery.
Post-surgery recovery services help build strength and reduce the likelihood of organ rejection.
Long-term monitoring and care prevent infection and improve transplant outcomes.

Lifesaving Transplant Procedures

Expect us to help you achieve the best possible outcomes for these surgeries at UC San Diego Health:

Heart transplant
Kidney transplant
Liver transplant
Lung transplant
Multi-organ transplant (for example, combined heart and lung transplant)
Blood and marrow transplant (BMT)

High Survival Rates

Our patient survival rates exceed the national average for all programs, placing us among the nation's best transplant centers by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR).

View Transplant Survival Rates

Paying for Your Transplant

Rely on our financial coordinator to help you with every financial aspect of your transplant surgery. UC San Diego Health accepts most major insurance plans for transplant services.

View Transplant Plans Accepted

Video: Transplant Care With Dr. Kristin Mekeel

female patient talking with a female Dr. Kristin Mekeel

Transplant surgeon Kristin L. Mekeel, MD, explains how patients needing an organ transplant can get world-class care at UC San Diego Health, with leading-edge technology and innovative medicine.

Become an Organ or Tissue Donor

Organ donation is voluntary, and mechanisms are in place to protect your health, safety and privacy. The organs can come from either living donors or deceased donors. It's easy to become an organ donor — you can indicate your intention in the following ways:

Register to Donate After Death

You can sign up to donate your organs, eyes or tissue after death. It's a way of giving your legal consent for the anatomical gift of tissue and organs after your death.

Join Donate Life California Registry

Become a Living Kidney Donor

You have several options on how to donate your kidney. You can do directly donate to someone you know or use a paired exchange or voucher program.

Learn About Living Kidney Donation

Become a Living Liver Donor

You can donate part of your liver to someone you care about. Both your liver piece and the transplanted piece grow back to normal size.

Learn About Living Liver Donation

Transplant Program Team

Receive leading-edge, compassionate transplant care from our multidisciplinary transplant team, which includes surgeons, nurses, transplant coordinators, pharmacists, financial coordinators and nutritionists. We also have social workers and psychologists to provide emotional support and facilitate short- and long-term follow-up.

Surgeon: Specializes in transplantation and performs the transplant surgery
Transplant physician: Specializes in the medical care of transplant patients. Includes cardiologists, hepatologists, nephrologists, pulmonologists and other physicians specific to each organ group.
Nurse coordinator: Arranges appointments, medication refills and your recovery services
Nutritionist: Helps you meet your nutritional needs before and after transplant surgery
Pharmacist: Works with your care team to provide safe medication management
Psychologist: Optimizes your emotional and behavioral health
Financial coordinator: Assists will all billing needs
Social worker: Refers you to resources that can help with lodging, transportation, finances, and other support services