Transplant Services

Our organ transplantation teams provide some of the most advanced transplant care in the country with exceptional patient outcomes.

Heart transplant and organ donation concept.

Why choose UCLA Health for transplant programs?

At UCLA Health, our transplantation programs are some of the most experienced, advanced organ transplant programs in the country. We are international leaders in research and surgical techniques, and our outcomes are among the best in the nation.

When you choose our transplantation services, you benefit from:

Collaborative approach: We use a care model that incorporates the expertise of multiple transplant specialists. This is especially useful for patients who need multi-organ transplants, such as a heart and lung transplant in one operation.

Excellent outcomes: In many of our programs, patient survival rates far surpass the national average. In our Heart Transplant Program, only 5% of patients experience donor organ rejection, compared to the 25% national average.

Research-driven techniques: Our transplant specialists have achieved national and international recognition for their research in transplants and on the immune system. We consistently discover or improve surgical techniques and immunosuppressive regimens and protocols to ensure patients don’t reject a donor organ. For example, we developed a blood test for heart transplant patients that identifies potential rejections sooner, leading to better outcomes.

Pediatric-to-adult care: We are one of the few places in the region that has the expertise to treat both adults and children in one setting. We commit to making the transition to adult care as smooth as possible and have a specialized program to help children move to adult providers, when necessary.

Expanding donor pools: We use unique strategies such as kidney exchange and “breathing lung” transplants to expand patients’ access to donor organs. Additionally, we walk prospective donors through the organ donation process.

Our transplant services

Our organ transplant services provide lifesaving treatment to critically ill patients. We offer many types of transplantation programs, including:

Bone marrow transplant

Our team provided one of the first successful bone marrow transplants in 1968. Since then, we have performed more than 5,000 successful transplants in adults and children.

Corneal transplant

The surgeons in the UCLA Stein Eye Institute offer advanced procedures for patients who need a corneal transplant. These advances expand patient options for the most common type of human transplant surgery.

Face transplant

The UCLA Face Transplantation Program is the first of its kind in the western United States. Our state-of-the-art program offers treatment for people who have suffered severe trauma or disfigurement of the face, upper extremities or abdomen.

Hand transplant

Hand transplants are among the latest experimental transplants. At UCLA Health, recognized leaders in multiple areas of medicine provide expert care for patients who would benefit from a hand transplant.

Heart transplant

The UCLA Heart Transplant Program is one of the largest and most successful heart transplant programs in the country. We routinely rank higher than the national averages in terms of volume and patient survival.

Intestinal transplant

We provide intestinal transplants for patients of all ages, including babies and children. To date, our transplant specialists have performed more than 150 intestinal transplants, making us one of only five programs worldwide that has surpassed 100 transplants.

Kidney transplant

Patients in our Kidney Transplant Program benefit from some of the best outcome rates in the country. We are a major referral center for kidney transplants, meaning we regularly treat patients with the most complex conditions.

Liver transplant

The specialists in our Liver Transplant Program are some of the most experienced in their field in the western United States. We are one of the longest-running, most well-established liver transplant programs in the country, meaning we don’t just use the most advanced techniques — we helped develop them.

Lung transplant

The UCLA Lung Transplant Program frequently treats patients who have been turned down by other transplant centers. Our patients have complex diseases and may need multiple organ transplants. Even with these complicated cases, we regularly meet and exceed national patient outcome rates.

Pancreas transplant

We use unique and advanced techniques to offer patients comprehensive treatment options. For example, our Pancreas Transplant Program is one of the only places that offers auto islet transplants. We also work closely with other specialists to provide multi-organ transplants, such as kidney-pancreas transplants to those who need it.

Pediatric transplants

We are one of the only places in the region that offers transplants for both children and adults in one convenient location. Our specialists are leaders in pediatric transplants, including:

Meet our team

Our organ transplant specialists include some of the nation’s top experts. In addition to performing surgery, we continually research new techniques so that we can bring patients the most advanced care available.