An estimated 35.5 million Americans live with chronic kidney disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2024. In the 2025 calendar year, Emory Healthcare (EHC) performed 591 kidney transplants, setting a national record for any adult transplant program in the U.S. The achievement surpassed Tampa General Hospital’s previous record of 500 kidney transplants in 2024.
Arpita Basu, assistant professor of medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine, said that refining Emory Healthcare’s response system to connecting donors to patients contributed to its success.
“We’ve always had a robust wait list for deceased donors,” Basu said. “It’s just that we didn’t have a process that was fully fine-tuned to be able to have the right kind of patients ready at the right time. Over the last several years, we have honed down on that process.”
EHC’s record-breaking achievement follows a slight nationwide decline in kidney transplant rates, with 102 fewer transplants than in 2024. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, the number of deceased patients who decided to donate their kidneys declined slightly in 2025, shrinking the amount of potential transplants available.
To combat that trend, Professor of Surgery Christian Larsen (80C, 84M, 91MR) noted that his team focused on preparing every potential patient for surgery.
“From the surgeons, the nephrologists, the whole team is really focused on having our patients likely to receive an offer be ready,” Larsen said. “That number increased considerably.”
Larsen, who formerly served as dean of the medical school, added that surgical teams meet frequently to “review every single organ offer,” ensuring the team can match each viable kidney and achieve efficient transplants.
In a city where kidney disease disproportionately affects African American and low-income communities, Associate Professor of Medicine Payaswini Vasanth noted that Emory plays a critical role in expanding access to lifesaving transplants in the greater Atlanta community.
“We’ve transplanted the largest African American patient population in the nation,” Vasanth said.
Through her work, Basu also highlighted the importance of dismantling the barriers marginalized communities face in health care.
“For me, in particular, that ability to improve access to transplant, particularly to the vulnerable groups like lower socioeconomic patients or the HIV population, that is something that I find gratifying,” Basu said.
Several physicians pointed to leadership and process improvements that strengthened the program’s coordination. Larsen noted that the return of Assistant Professor of Surgery Adam Bingaman (99G, 01MR) in 2024 has made it easier for patients to reach EHC, access data and make decisions quickly.
Pasten added that alongside strong leadership, the program’s success was “really a team effort” among physicians, nurses, coordinators and staff.
Beyond the impact of EHC’s record-breaking accomplishment, Larsen spoke about the amazement of watching a kidney transplant.
“The surgery is beautiful,” Larsen said. “You see a kidney go from a grayish, soft organ to a beautiful pink and fully functioning, and then seeing a life transformed.”
Pasten described the kidney transplant surgery as a “transformative experience” for many patients who have severe kidney disease.
“After a successful kidney patient, it’s almost magical how much better most patients feel,” Pastan said. “They feel like they’ve been given their lives back.”
Vasanth added that EHC’s mission credited the achievement to EHC’s mission, citing the hard work of the transplant team.
“At the end of the day, it’s the dedication, the hard work, determination and the collective expertise are the true engines of a transplant center to achieve these kinds of huge targets,” Vasanth said.
