Welcome

Jean C. Emond, MD
Thomas S. Zimmer Professor of Surgery; Vice Chair and Director of Transplantation NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center

Comprehensive Transplantation Services

Organ transplantation that prolongs and dramatically improves quality of life is nearly a daily occurrence at Columbia University Medical Center.

The success of solid organ transplantation – with improved surgical techniques, replacement organ procurement, and medical management – is advancing each year. Many of these advances have resulted from scientific and clinical research conducted at Columbia University Medical Center.

A Brief History of Transplantation at Columbia

Heart Transplantation

Approximately 2,200 heart transplants are now performed each year in more than 150 heart transplant centers in the United States. The surgeons and cardiologists of Columbia University Medical Center of NYPH have a long and distinguished history of advancing "standards of care" and the survival rates of our patients by using innovative surgical techniques, by applying our basic scientific research in immunosuppression to the clinical setting, and by inventing and perfecting life-sustaining cardiac assist devices that prolong life while waiting for organ availability.

Renal and Pancreatic Transplantation

The Renal Transplant Service, initiated here in 1975, currently performs between 250-260 kidney transplants a year, placing our service in the top 50 programs in the country (out of about 250) in terms of volume. Our success rates are above the national average, as indicated by the most recent UNOS Center Specific Data Reports, and the program ranks as a significant national research center. NYPH/Columbia received UNOS approval for pancreatic transplantation at NYPH/Columbia in January 2008, and it is expected that NYPH/Columbia's premier kidney transplant program will facilitate rapid growth of the new pancreatic transplantation program, which will overlap both in its patient population and its surgical and medical expertise.

Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation

Columbia University Medical Center's lung and heart-lung transplantation program, which began in 1985, is fast approaching its 200th transplant. Performing more than 30 transplants each year, the lung and heart-lung transplant teams have earned a national reputation for excellence. Our world-renowned transplantation researchers have helped lead the way to improvements in care that, nationwide, have increased the long-term survival rate for lung transplantation by 50% over the past seven years. Among those improvements are new immunosuppressive agents, new antibiotics, refined surgical techniques, and a more comprehensive understanding of follow-up care.

Liver Transplantation

The Division of Abdominal Organ Transplantation was founded and fully certified as a liver transplant center in 1997, with the recruitment of Dr. Jean C. Emond and Dr. Robert S. Brown. The CLDT focuses on the seamless integration of medicine and surgery in its commitment to patient care. The center's team may recommend a liver transplant when all other treatment options are exhausted.