Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • Transplant Services >
  • ... >
  • Kidney Transplant >
  • Living-Donor Kidney Transplant >
  • Living-Donor Kidney Transplant Process
Transplant Services
About Us
Heart Transplant
Intestinal Transplant
Kidney Transplant
Candidates
Your Transplant Surgery
Evaluation Clinics
Living-Donor Kidney Transplant
Living-Donor Kidney Transplant Candidates
Living-Donor Kidney Transplant Education
Living-Donor Kidney Transplant Process
Pre-Donation Evaluation
Transplant Donor Surgery
After Donation Care
Benefits and Risks
Living-Donation FAQ
Auto Islet
Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) Calculator
Your Care Team
Patient Stories
Contact Us
Liver Transplant
Lung Transplant
Pancreas Transplant
Multi-Organ Transplant
Patient Resources
Pediatric Transplant
Referring a Patient
Become a Living Donor
Your Transplant Team
Request an Appointment
Transplant Services
About Us
Heart Transplant
Intestinal Transplant
Kidney Transplant
Candidates
Your Transplant Surgery
Evaluation Clinics
Living-Donor Kidney Transplant
Living-Donor Kidney Transplant Candidates
Living-Donor Kidney Transplant Education
Living-Donor Kidney Transplant Process
Pre-Donation Evaluation
Transplant Donor Surgery
After Donation Care
Benefits and Risks
Living-Donation FAQ
Auto Islet
Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) Calculator
Your Care Team
Patient Stories
Contact Us
Liver Transplant
Lung Transplant
Pancreas Transplant
Multi-Organ Transplant
Patient Resources
Pediatric Transplant
Referring a Patient
Become a Living Donor
Your Transplant Team
Request an Appointment

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Living-Donor Kidney Transplant Information and Process

At UPMC, we carefully evaluate potential living donors to reduce your risk of complications when they donate their kidney.

We perform comprehensive medical and psychosocial exams to determine risk for surgery and follow-up needs after surgery.

Steps of Living-Kidney Donation

From the perspective of the patient receiving the kidney, the living-donor transplant process is similar to a traditional kidney transplant (where the kidney comes from a deceased donor.

For kidney donors, the process includes the following steps:

  1. Online registration
  2. A pre-donation evaluation
  3. Surgery to remove the donor kidney
  4. Post-donation follow-up and care

Throughout the living-donation process, donors will interact with a multidisciplinary team of kidney transplant experts, including:

  • Dedicated living-donor transplant coordinator
  • Transplant social workers
  • Dedicated transplant nurse coordinators
  • Nutritionists
  • Transplant nephrologists
  • Transplant surgeons
  • Pharmacy transplant credit analyst

This team will determine if you are suitable for living-donation.

Partnering Through Organ Donation

If cleared to donate an organ, donors will be assigned an independent living-donor advocate to act on their behalf.

The living-donor advocate helps to ensure the donor is fully aware of what it means to be a living donor and understand the risks of the transplant surgery.

The living-donor advocate will voice any concerns of the donor to the multidisciplinary transplant team and will determine that the donor’s decision is fully informed.

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login