Newswise — NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s (RWJUH) Kidney Transplant Program has been named one of 53 hospitals in the United States with the best organ transplant outcomes, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.

Using data collected from other organizations, the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) assesses outcomes of centers that perform liver, heart, lung, kidney and kidney-pancreas transplants. According to SRTR, it uses a risk-adjusted assessment to evaluate how often patients are alive with a functioning transplanted organ one year after the transplant and then assigns a score of one (the worst) to five (the best). RWJUH’s program, which was ranked among the top 30 kidney transplant centers nationally, was assigned a five.

“We are gratified to learn that our program has earned a place on this national list,” said David Laskow, Associate Professor of Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Chief of Transplant Services at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “Our team works hard to develop a comprehensive kidney transplant program that not only addresses the unique physical needs of our patients, but their emotional needs as well.”

RWJUH and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have worked collaboratively to develop an extensive program to help guide individuals through the adult or pediatric transplant process physically and emotionally. RWJUH’s program is personalized to fit the patient and family’s needs. Because RWJUH is an academic medical center, patients have access to the latest research and clinical trials.

In 1999, the Kidney-Pancreas Transplant Center at RWJUH performed its first transplant and is now among the 50 largest transplant centers in the nation.