Pediatric Transplant Center

Lurie Children’s has been a leader in pediatric organ transplant and advanced hepatobiliary surgery since performing its first transplant in 1964. Across our programs, our volumes, depth of experience, transplant outcomes and family-centered care make us a destination for young patients and their families who need an organ transplant.

Our Approach

We specialize in family-centered care, which means we provide emotional and social support to the whole family along with the patient.

Our care is also uniquely long-term. The center’s staff provides follow-up care into patients’ teenage years or young adulthood, checking their development to make sure they flourish. A joint program with Northwestern Memorial Hospital, a leader in adult transplantation, lets us offer lifelong follow-up care for transplant recipients. This partnership also lets eligible adult relatives donate certain organs and tissues to children as living donors.

Our transplant program pioneered the use of support services for children receiving a transplant and for their families. We address the medical, behavioral and emotional concerns of children and families through support programs, including:

• ParentWISE™: Links parents who have children with transplants
• PeerWISE™: Links transplanted children with those who have already gone through the process
• A school services program
• A financial coordinator