The University of Michigan Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program has performed over 489 kidney transplants since the program's beginning in 1964, and reports post-transplant graft and patient survival rates that rank among the world's best. It is the most experienced program within the state of Michigan, and has particular expertise in the transplantation of young infants and children. For many pediatric patients optimal outcomes will be achieved by pre-emptive kidney transplant (transplant before going on dialysis). In appropriate patients pre-emptive kidney transplants are performed when possible.

The success of the program is largely due to the multidisciplinary team approach to care giving that includes pediatric transplant surgeons, pediatric transplant nephrologists, transplant coordinators, transplant nurses, dieticians, social workers, and child psychologists. Children are cared for in a dedicated pediatric renal transplant clinic designed to meet the special needs of children following kidney transplantation. In addition, every effort is made to make the transition from chronic kidney disease to transplantation as smooth as possible while providing essential communication and compassionate care in the process.

The Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at the University of Michigan participates in state of the art, multi-center, NIH funded clinical trials, including novel immunosuppressive trials. In addition, multi-disciplinary clinics and extensive clinical and basic science research programs assure our patients access to the newest medications and technologies. As the site of the Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center (KECC), and as an integral component of the Scientific Registry of Tranplant Recipients (SRTR), the University collects and analyzes data on dialysis patients worldwide and on all transplant recipients (including children) in the United States. This make the University of Michigan the world's leader in dialysis and transplant outcome research.