About the Kidney Transplant and Dialysis Program
The Pediatric Kidney Transplant and Dialysis Programs at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) provide comprehensive care for infants, children and adolescents diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease. We are one of the most active pediatric kidney transplant programs in the United States. We provide all forms of chronic kidney replacement therapy and support and resources for your entire family, including:
- Kidney transplantation from living-related, living-unrelated and deceased donors
- A relationship with the National Kidney Registry that increases access to well-matched living donors
- Acute in-center hemodialysis, home hemodialysis and home peritoneal dialysis
- Home training for home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis and follow-up support
A multidisciplinary team will partner to care for your child throughout the dialysis and transplant process. Your child’s team will include members such as pediatric nephrologists, pediatric urologists, nephrology fellows, dialysis and transplant nurse practitioners, dialysis nurses, a nephrology transplant clinical nurse specialist, transplant surgeons, social workers, pharmacists, nutritionists, psychologists, financial counselors and child life specialists.
Caring for children before, during and after kidney transplant
Children who undergo kidney transplant will need a lifetime of follow-up care. They need to take immunosuppressive medications for the rest of their life to prevent the body from recognizing the new kidney as foreign and attacking it.
The Kidney Transplant Program provides a special multidisciplinary clinic focused on supporting transitions in healthcare responsibility for adolescents with kidney transplants. The CHOP Kidney Transplant Program partners with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and other adult programs to support a seamless transition to adult care.
We have developed a guide for patients and families to learn about important topics including the transplant evaluation process, waiting for a transplant, transplant surgery, post-transplant care, and life after transplant.
Kidney research
Our team is committed to advancing understanding of kidney disease and bringing breakthroughs in care to patients. Faculty members are funded through independent research awards through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). We are launching a new Penn-CHOP collaborative for kidney research across the lifespan. This initiative is focused on transforming patient care by early detection, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease and its complications across the life course. Our faculty members are national and international leaders in public policy, advocacy and education through their involvement with the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, the American Society of Transplantation, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the International Pediatric Nephrology Association and the International Pediatric Transplant Association.