Lurie Children’s (at that time Children’s Memorial Hospital) performed Illinois’ first kidney transplant in a child in 1964. Our Pediatric Kidney Transplantation Program is now a leading pediatric kidney transplant provider in the nation, both in volumes and outcomes. Our program has exceptional outcomes including 100 percent patient and graft survival at one month, one year and three years.
Why Choose Lurie Children's?
We provide family-centered care, which means the entire family is involved in the patient’s treatment plan. We use a multidisciplinary team to plan your child’s treatment so that your child gets the most comprehensive care possible. Our team members are from various healthcare specialties, and they bring a variety of experiences to the program. They will all consider your child’s treatment and use their combined perspectives to create a holistic care plan that focuses on the whole person.
We focus on performing transplants as early as possible. About 30% of our kidney (renal) transplants are preemptive. Preemptive kidney transplant, which means doing a transplant before the patient becomes very ill and goes on kidney dialysis, has a number of benefits. It spares children the need for costly and time-consuming dialysis treatments, and it may lead to a quicker recovery after transplantation.
Preemptive transplants often need living donors, so we offer new solutions to the organ shortage. One option is donation from an unrelated donor (such as altruistic or paired kidney donation). Another choice is kidney desensitization, a process before and after transplant that removes harmful antibodies from the blood. This allows patients to receive a kidney that they otherwise would reject.
Thanks to our partnership with the Kidney Transplantation Program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, we have easy access to services that adult living donors need. It also helps ease teen patients’ transition to adult care.
We actively conduct clinical and laboratory research to find new ways to help children who receive a kidney transplant. Lurie Children’s was the first in the Midwest to use a “prednisone-free protocol” for immune suppression after transplant to prevent organ rejection. By reducing the patient’s exposure to corticosteroids, this treatment lowers the risk of side effects that come with long-term steroid use, such as stunted growth and broken bones due to osteoporosis.
Pediatric Kidney Transplant Team
Our kidney transplant is led by Dr. Priya Verghese, medical director, and Dr. Riccardo Superina, surgical director. Our transplant team includes:
- Pediatric kidney doctors (pediatric nephrologists)
- Pediatric transplant surgeons
- Pediatric nurse practitioners and nurses
- Social workers
- Dietitians
- Child life specialists
- Parent to parent coordinators
- Psychologists
- Transplant financial coordinators
- Pharmacists
Our team members also work closely with healthcare providers in many other fields to address all of your child’s needs.
Leadership
Priya Verghese, MD, MPH
Division Head, Nephrology; Medical Director, Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program
Transplant Nephrologists
Stella R. Kilduff, MD
Attending Physician, Nephrology (Kidney Diseases)
Debora Matossian, MD, MS
Attending Physician, Nephrology
Kidney Transplant Surgeons
Riccardo A. Superina, MD
Division Head, Transplant Surgery, co-director, Siragusa Transplantation Center
Juan C. Caicedo, MD, FACS
Transplant Surgeon, Siragusa Transplantation Center
Satish Nadig, MD
Director, Comprehensive Transplant Center
Northwestern Medicine
Vinayak Rohan, MD
Attending Physician, Transplant Surgery
Transplant Administration
Berni Chrobak, RN, MSN, MBA
Transplant Managed Care Contractor
Riva Mehmood
Transplant Data and Quality Coordinator
Johanna Mishra, MS
Senior Director, Siragusa Transplantation Center
Renee Shores, MAFM, CAC
Transplant Financial Manager
Nurse Coordinators
Lauren Gregory, APRN-NP, CPNP-PC
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Nephrology (Kidney Diseases)
Ashley Voit, APRN-NP, CPNP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Nephrology (Kidney Diseases)
Sofya Zak, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Nephrology (Kidney Diseases)
Samantha Scroggin, RN
Kaitlyn White, RN
Colleen Vazales, RN
Organ Procurement Coordinators
Transplant Support Staff
Justina Hathi, PharmD
Transplant Pharmacist
Natalia Panek, PharmD
Transplant Pharmacist
Maria Robles
Family-to-Family Coordinator, Siragusa Transplantation Center
LaRuby Sangler, LCSW
Transplant Social Worker
Agnes Szarek, PharmD
Transplant Pharmacist
What to Expect
Lurie Children’s offers the full range of kidney transplant options, including:
- Living donor kidney transplant
- Deceased donor kidney transplant
- A successful track record in performing kidney transplant in patients who have had other organ transplants
- Dual organ transplant simultaneously (such as kidney and liver)
Your child’s first visit may include:
- A physical exam and a review of their health history
- A psychosocial (mental and emotional health) assessment
- Imaging and lab tests as needed
- A financial needs assessment
Make an Appointment
Call to make an appointment with our Kidney Transplant team.
Transplant Remote Consultations & Second Opinions
Whether you anticipate your child needing an organ transplant in the future, interested in multiple listing for organ transplant, or would like a second opinion on post-transplant care, the transplant remote consultation and second opinion program can help.
Via telemedicine, our transplant providers are available for an initial consultation to review your care, explain our transplant process, and provide second opinions of post transplant care treatment plans before deciding if traveling to Lurie Children’s would be the right choice for you.
Our Location
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
225 E. Chicago Ave.Chicago, Illinois 60611
312.227.4000
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