Since Dr. Robert Foran, one of the founding members of Vascular Surgery Associates (VSA), performed the first kidney transplant at Cedars-Sinai over thirty years ago, the volume and complexity of these procedures has consistently grown. Dr. J. Louis Cohen serves as the Surgical Director of the transplant team at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He personally evaluates all potential candidates along with our colleagues from urology, nephrology and immunology. In collaboration with transplant urologists, Dr. Cohen performs an average of 75-80 transplants a year.

The renal transplant immunology service, led by Dr. Stanley Jordan, has made substantial contributions to the field of transplant immunosuppression. These advances have allowed for an expanded use of living donor transplantation. Minimally invasive removal of kidneys by advanced laparoscopic techniques has reduced the hospital stay and recovery time of organ donors. The average hospital stay for donors is two days and most return to work within one week after their operation. Greater than 90% of living donor kidney removal at Cedars-Sinai is done laparoscopically. As a result of these strides, friends or family now donate the majority of kidneys transplanted by our team.

The combined efforts of this dedicated group of nationally recognized specialists have resulted in patient and organ survival rates consistently above national averages. At two years, 95% of transplanted kidneys are functioning, a success rate that stands as a benchmark in the field.

Cedars-Sinai Kidney Transplant Program