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Primary Care Pediatrics

Department of Pediatrics

The Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at Holtz Children’s Hospital is part of the Miami Transplant Institute at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System. For the first time, the Miami Transplant Institute has claimed the nation’s top position, performing more organ transplants in 2019 than any other hospital, breaking every previous American record for transplants performed in a year. It is an internationally recognized Center of Excellence, offering the most advanced surgical and therapeutic modalities.

Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program - Miami Transplant Institute

The Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at Miami Transplant Institute program has performed over 400 pediatric kidney transplants starting nearly 4 decades ago. The multi-disciplinary team includes pediatric transplant nephrologists, surgeons, and individuals from pharmacy, nursing/coordinators, and social workers. 

Our Pediatric Kidney Transplant program has performed nearly 400 kidney transplants since its inception in 1979 and offers comprehensive pediatric care to infants and children facing end-stage renal disease, including medical management, dialysis and, if needed, transplantation.

It is the only pediatric program in South Florida that is a part of both an academic medical center and a distinguished world-class hospital. We perform more kidney transplants than any other pediatric program in the state of Florida, averaging 15-25 transplants per year with outstanding outcomes and competitive volumes throughout the United States. We are also improving access for our families to laboratory and clinic follow-up in the greater South Florida area, including Broward and Palm Beach Counties. 

In addition, we perform combined organ transplantation such as liver/kidney, heart/kidney and multi-visceral transplantations depending on the needs of the patient and evaluation by our pediatric transplant team. 

A dedicated multidisciplinary team of medical professionals and patient advocates works in synchrony to increase the access to transplantation and improve the quality of life for even the most complex cases.

  • Pediatric kidney transplant surgeons
  • Pediatric nephrologists
  • Pediatric infectious disease specialists
  • Nurse liaisons
  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
  • Dietician
  • Social worker 
  • Pharmacist
  • Child life specialists

The Miami Transplant Institute also offers a Living Kidney Donor Program and Paired Kidney Exchange Program, which allows a living donor, who is incompatible with a child, to be swapped with another living donor who is also incompatible with their intended recipient as options for children in need of a transplant. Here, we can quickly determine if a willing donor is a suitable match for their loved one and can use minimally invasive surgical techniques to help speed recovery time for both donors and patients.  It is important to know that the Miami Transplant Institute is committed to finding the best matches possible.  Our goal is to match the right donor with the right recipient.

In addition to our commitment to clinical excellence, we are participating in important work to move the field of kidney transplantation forward. Our team is dedicated to improving the lives of kidney transplant patients through innovation. 

Recent publications from the Pediatric Kidney Transplant team:

  • Jahromi MS, Velasquez MC, Blachman-Braun R, Gosalbez R, Castellan M, Labbie A, Ciancio G, Chandar J, Alam A. Pediatric Kidney Transplantation Outcomes in Children with Primary Urological Abnormalities Versus Nonurological Abnormalities: Long-Term Results. J Urol. 2020 Feb;203(2):406-412.
  • Kelchtermans, J, Chang, J, Glaberson, W, DeFreitas, M, Alba-Sandoval, M, Chandar, J. A pediatric case of Sirolimus associated pneumonitis after kidney transplantation. The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics. [Accepted for publication January 6, 2020, Ref: JPPT-D-19-00004R6].
  • Chandar, J, Chen, L. DeFreitas, M, Ciancio, G, Burke III, George. Donor Considerations in Pediatric Kidney Transplantation. Pediatr Nephrol 2019. [Accepted for publication August 20, 2019, Ref: Ms. No. PNEP-D-19-00231R1].
  • Chandar JJ, Ludwig DA, Aguirre J, Mattiazzi A, Bielecka M, Defreitas M, Delamater AM. Assessing the link between modified ‘Teach Back’ method and improvement in knowledge of the medical regimen among youth with kidney transplants: The application of digital media. Patient Educ Couns. 2019 May;102(5):1035-1039.