Let’s explore transplant together
Congratulations on deciding to learn more about kidney transplant and living donation. Whether you are a patient, family member, friend, potential donor, or healthcare provider, we are here to help.
Explore Transplant is a national consortium of leading experts in transplant, health literacy, and research. Our commitment is to provide you with the best education and decision-making tools available.
Latest news
💖 “My life has begun again.”
Meet Mandy from Texas, who received a life-saving heart transplant 5 years ago. Before her transplant, Mandy lived in fear—afraid to leave her house, exhausted from heart failure, Transient Ischemic Attack (TIAs -known as strokes), and being shocked repeatedly by her ICD.
✨ Today, everything is different. She hikes, travels, and celebrates life’s milestones—watching her sons graduate, seeing one get married, and celebrating her 30th anniversary.
Her message to others waiting for a transplant: Be patient. The hardest part is not knowing when your gift will come—but when it does, it’s worth the wait.
➡️ Watch Mandy’s full journey and other inspiring patient stories at Health Stories for You.
🎥 healthstories4u.org
🎥 livingdonationstories.org
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🎥 healthstories4u.org
🎥 livingdonationstories.org
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#HeartTransplant #DonateLife #TransplantStrong #HealthStoriesForYou #OrganDonation #HopeAndHealing #TransplantJourney #PatientVoicesMatter
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Imagine if you had honest stories from people—donors and recipients—that help you decide whether living kidney donation could be right for you. That’s what we’ve been building.
At Houston Methodist, Dr. Amy Waterman’s team is using AI to understand real fears & questions that show up in people’s online searches, and our Living Donation Storytelling Library (200+ videos in English, Spanish, and French) allows you to watch first-hand accounts from people just like you.
Proud to be working alongside Amy on the Digital Storytelling Project, helping make these stories available, real, and helpful—for those thinking about donation, their families, or anyone who just wants the facts.
🔗 Read the full article & see how AI + real stories are helping support living donors: read.houstonmethodist.org/artificial-intelligence-helps-support-potential-living-kidney-donors-o#...
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To learn more about the library, visit the website: The Living Donation Storytelling Project
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#LivingDonation #KidneyHealth #AIforHealth #PatientStories #DonateLife #TransplantEducation #HealthEquity #DigitalStorytelling #HoustonMethodist
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🏃♀️💚 Houston showed up BIG for the 2025 LifeGift 2nd Chance Run!
On September 13, 2025, Houston Methodist Patient Engagement Lab joined hundreds of runners, transplant recipients, living donors, donor families, and supporters to celebrate the gift of life and honor those impacted by organ, eye, and tissue donation.
✨ Why We Run:
💚 To honor the selfless donors who gave the gift of life
💚 To celebrate the courage of transplant recipients and those waiting
💚 To support donor families and uplift their loved ones’ legacies
💚 To raise awareness about the power of donation and encourage others to register
🙌 Huge thanks to the many vendors, volunteers, and community partners who came out to cheer, support, and make this day unforgettable.
Let’s keep spreading the word: One donor can save up to 8 lives and enhance many more. 💚
Help inspire others to say YES to donation!
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#LifeGift #2ndChanceRun #DonateLife #OrganDonation #TransplantStrong #GiftOfLife #LivingDonation #HoustonEvents #DonateLifeTexas #LifeGiftHouston #TransplantAwareness #CommunitySupport #RunnersOfHouston
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💙 “Hello, my name is Jan…” That’s how her powerful story begins. After being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and told she had only 3–5 years without a lung transplant, Jan refused to give up. With the love of her husband, children, grandchildren, and friends, she held onto hope.
In August 2016, at age 65, Jan received her life-saving single lung transplant. Today, she’s living proof that strength, faith, and family support can carry you through the hardest times. 🙏💪
✨ Watch Jan’s full journey and hear more stories of resilience and hope at Health Stories for You.
🎥 healthstories4u.org
🎥 livingdonationstories.org
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🌟 The Human Side of AI: Transforming Transplant Care 🌟
At the Alliance National Innovation Forum, Dr. Amy Waterman introduced a human-technology co-care model that blends AI with compassionate, human-centered medical care.
✨ Key highlights:
✅ Using AI to personalize support tools for patients
✅ Scraping 200K+ online comments to understand real patient concerns
✅ Creating 3 donor profiles – Caretakers, Purpose Seekers, and Pragmatists – to better connect with what motivates people to give the gift of life
✅ Predictive models to help high-risk patients complete transplant evaluation
This work proves that when AI is grounded in empathy, it can expand access, reduce barriers, and improve outcomes for transplant patients everywhere.
🔗 Read the full piece and learn how this innovation is shaping the future of donation and transplantation: www.organdonationalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Illuminating-Innovation-The-Human-Side-o...
#AIHealthcare #organdonation #transplantinnovation #patientcenteredcare #machinelearning #digitalhealth #healthtech #kidneytransplant #InnovationWithImpact #humansideofai #TheAlliance
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The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) is hosting its 50 Annual National Patient Meeting in October 3-5, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. This hybrid event is the premier kidney patient conference in the U.S., featuring educational sessions, social activities, an exhibit hall, and much more. Join AAKP in person in Texas or online.
Register at: bit.ly/AAKPNPM.
#kidneypatients25
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Spotlight on Brian Gowan: Bringing Heart, Hope, and Harmony to Transplant Care:
✨ Meet Brian Gowan, Senior Chaplain at Houston Methodist, whose heart for patients goes far beyond the walls of the hospital. From creating digital stories of hope during COVID to building peer mentoring programs and even founding the Grateful Heart Singers (a group of transplant recipients who share music on hospital units 🎶), Brian brings compassion, creativity, and joy to transplant care.
Through his work with the PE Lab, Brian is helping transform how patient voices inspire, connect, and heal. 💙
🌍 Read Brian’s full story and see how passion + purpose = impact: exploretransplant.org/brian-gowan-bringing-heart-hope-and-harmony-to-transplant-care/
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Or Visit: Explore Transplant website > under Transplant News to read the full story.
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#TransplantCare #HealthcareHeroes #PatientVoices #FaithInAction #StorytellingForChange #ChaplainsOfInstagram #HopeAndHealing #LivingDonation #HoustonMethodist #TransplantCommunity
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🚨 Exciting News! Dr. Amy Waterman is speaking at the AAKP 50th Annual National Patient Meeting — a hybrid event you won’t want to miss! 🎤 Whether you're joining in-person in Fort Worth or virtually from anywhere, there's something for everyone.
Event Dates: October 3 - 5, 2025 | HYBRID EVENT
Why attend virtually?
✅ Access to General Sessions + select Breakouts
✅ Visit the Virtual Exhibit Hall
✅ Connect with other attendees in the Network Lounge
✅ Join discussions via Discussion Boards
✅ Fun extras like virtual photo booths
🗓️ Register now to learn cutting-edge updates, engage with kidney community leaders, and be part of conversations that are shaping kidney care.
🔗 Link to reserve your spot / Visit wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E16588&id=82
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American Association of Kidney Patients
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#AAKP2025 #KidneyPatientCommunity #KidneyCare #DrAmyWaterman #VirtualConference #PatientEngagement #TransplantInnovation #KidneyHealth #HealthcareAccess #LearnFromHome #kindeypatients25
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🌍 From Paris to the World!
At the World Transplant Congress, Dr. Solaf Al Awadhi reunited with her former mentor, Dr. Alexandre Loupy of the Paris Transplant Group — the brilliant mind behind the iBox tool, which has revolutionized how we predict long-term kidney transplant outcomes.
🤝 She also introduced him to Dr. Amy Waterman from the Patient Engagement Research Lab, sparking exciting discussions about future collaborations that could advance transplant care worldwide.
✨ This is what happens when innovation, mentorship, and global collaboration come together!
#worldtransplantcongress #transplantinnovation #kidneytransplant #TransplantCare #MentorshipMatters #GlobalCollaboration #HealthcareInnovation #iboxtool #patientengagement #livingdonationstories
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At the World Transplant Congress, Dr. Amy Waterman connected with collaborators, including Dr. David Axelrod from University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, to discuss:
💡 Ongoing and future projects using technology and AI
🚪 Improving access to transplantation
💰 Measuring the economic impact of these innovations
Together, we’re building solutions that transform transplant care and make it more accessible for patients everywhere.
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Transplant news
INSIGHTS FROM KIDNEY RECIPIENTS, LIVING DONORS AND TRANSPLANT PROFESSIONALS
Brian Gowan: Bringing Heart, Hope, and Harmony to Transplant Care
Senior Chaplain, Houston Methodist For more than two decades, Brian Gowan has served as a compassionate presence at Houston Methodist—first for 11 years, then returning a decade ago in what he calls his “second calling” to the hospital. Today, as Senior Chaplain, he focuses primarily on heart failure and transplant patients, walking alongside them pre- and post-surgery, while also serving …Read more
Spotlight on Dr. Arica Brandford: Advancing Community Engagement Across Health Disciplines
Associate Director of Community Outreach & Engagement | Assistant Research Professor | Dorothy and Mickey Ables Distinguished New Century Chair Leading with Purpose in Cancer Prevention and Community Research Dr. Arica Brandford serves as the Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement and an Assistant Research Professor of Community Engagement Science in Medicine at the Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center. …Read more
Spotlight on Dr. Javed Zulqarnain: Championing Equity in Heart and Kidney Health
Assistant Professor, Scientist, and National Study Leader Bridging Disciplines for Better Health Outcomes A Multifaceted Role in Population Health and Cardiovascular Research Dr. Javed Zulqarnain, MBBS, MPH, PhD, holds multiple leadership roles at Houston Methodist, where he serves as Assistant Professor of Population Health and Preventive Cardiology, Scientist at the DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston Program Manager for the …Read more