On Jul. 24, 2019, the Oregon Health Science University (OHSU) Transplant Program – one of the oldest, largest and most successful transplant programs in the U.S. – transplanted its 5,000th organ. The recipient, Alicia Soine, 29, of Portland, received a life-saving kidney from her brother, Justin Riedl, 33, of Newburg. The team transplants more than 200 organs a year.

Since its inception in 1959, the OHSU Transplant Program has expanded to include heart, liver, pancreas and lungs. OHSU has been a leader in organ transplantation ever since. For example, OHSU staff proved it was safe to cold-store kidneys for up to 48 hours before transplant, enabling surgeons to take advantage of and transplant more kidneys.

OHSU also has extensive experience studying and using monoclonal antibodies to prevent rejection of a transplanted organ. And OHSU’s liver and heart transplant programs were established in the 1980s based on standards and processes first created for kidney transplantation at OHSU.