The Saint Barnabas Health Care System Renal
and Pancreas Transplant Division has developed New Jersey's
first Living Donor Institute. Part of one of the largest
kidney transplant programs in the United States, the new
Living Donor Institute is dedicated to expanding this beneficial
transplant option and improving the health and life of
both living donors and transplant recipients.
"Our renal transplant program pioneered
living donation in the region and through the Institute,
our team will continue to forge new opportunities for people
who want to donate a healthy kidney to someone in need
of a kidney transplant," notes Shamkant Mulgaonkar, M.D.,
Chief of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System Renal and
Pancreas Transplant Division.
|
| From the left: Stuart Geffner, M.D, Director
of Transplant Surgery;
Andrea Teitjen, M.B.A., Manager, Data and Finance; Charles
Lascari,
M.A., R.N., Clinical Manager; Debbie Morgan, L.C.S.W.,
Director of
Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division; and Shamkant
Mulgaonkar,
M.D., Chief of Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division. |
In addition to its existing directed and non-directed altruistic
donor programs, the Living Donor Institute recently launched
New Jersey's first organ matching and exchange program
that brings together more living donor and recipient
pairs. Together with The Sharing Network and all of the
renal transplant centers in the state, the Institute
has created a vast database that manages vital information
and expedites the matching process among individuals
who would otherwise have no way of finding each other.
One of the major thrusts of the Institute
will be undertaking research aimed at protecting and ensuring
the health of donors. It is well documented in scientific
literature that transplantation with a living donated kidney
offers transplant recipients the best chance for long-term
graft survival. Yet, there is insufficient information
about the long-term health affects for donors. "One of
our first objectives is to follow the medical condition
of donors at regular intervals over many years," explains
Debbie Morgan, LCSW, Director of the Transplant Division. "We
will use the data collected to design clinical protocols
that will protect the donors' health over their lifetime."
The Living Donor Institute
- Directed and non-directed altruistic kidney donation
- Advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques that
reduce pain and complications for kidney donors
- Smooth coordination of the screening process for donors
who reside out-of-state or out of the country
- Evaluates older donors who may have been turned away
by other transplant centers due strictly to their age
- Live From ---- Kidney Transplant, in collaboration with
the Liberty Science Center and The Sharing Network of New
Jersey, introduces students to the world of kidney transplant
through live telecast. Students view transplant surgery
in real time and interact with surgeons and staff from
the surgical suite at Saint Barnabas Medical Center
- Kidney Exchange Program facilitates the matching process
for more donor and recipient pairs
- Research aimed at improving and expanding organ transplantation
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