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
🧠💓 Meet Dr. Javed Zulqarnain — A true changemaker at the intersection of heart health, kidney care, and equity. As a scientist, professor, and national study leader, he’s advancing innovative, data-driven research that puts patients and communities first.
From leading national trials like PRESSURE CHECK to developing new risk prediction tools, Dr. Zul is helping shape a future where cardiovascular and kidney care are more connected, inclusive, and impactful.
Through his dynamic partnership with the Patient Engagement Research Lab, he's working to close health equity gaps and bring research closer to real-life needs of underserved populations. ❤️🧬
🎯 His secret to success? Interdisciplinary teamwork, community collaboration, and a healthy dose of cricket and music on the side! 🏏🎶
✨ Read his full spotlight story and see how his leadership is transforming patient-centered care:
🔗 Spotlight on Dr. Javed Zulqarnain: Championing Equity in Heart and Kidney Health - Explore Transplant & Living Donation
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Visit ExploreTransplant.org > under Transplant News for full blog
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#HealthEquity #KidneyHealth #HeartHealth #PopulationHealth #CKD #CVD #AIMAhead #PatientEngagement #DataDrivenCare #TransplantResearch #HoustonMethodist #HealthInnovation #CricketLover #PublicHealthLeadership #InspiringLeaders #ZulqarnainSpotlight #PELab #HealthcareForAll #SDOH #ChronicDiseaseCare #PreventiveCardiology #ClinicalResearch #TransformingHealthcare
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🌬️💚 Meet Denise — A Supermom with Super Lungs! 💚🌬️
Denise’s life took a dramatic turn when COVID-19 left her lungs severely damaged, but her determination to watch her daughter grow and cherish every milestone kept her fighting. After 311 days on ECMO and a long hospital stay, Denise received the gift of life through a double lung transplant. 🙌🏽
Her story is one of resilience, family love, and the power of patience. Denise reminds us that behind every transplant is a donor family grieving—and a recipient celebrating life. 💔❤️
✨ Hear Denise’s full story here: healthstories4u.org/videos/denise-lung-transplant-recipient/
and many other inspiring transplant journeys:
🎥 healthstories4u.org
🎥 livingdonationstories.org
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💫 Like, share, and help spread the word about this beautiful journey!
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#LungTransplantSurvivor #TransplantWarrior #GiftOfLife #DoubleLungTransplant #LivingDonationStories #OrganDonationAwareness #HealthStories4U #DenisesJourney #SuperMom #TransplantStrong #DonateLife #Resilience #LungHealth #ECMOSurvivor #PatientSupport #FamilyFirst #TransplantLife
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Exciting news from the 2025 AIM-AHEAD Annual Meeting! 🎉
Our project was honored as the top Year Two project in the Consortium Development Program and selected for the Lightning Round Talk ranking among the top 15 out of 210 AIM-AHEAD projects nationwide!
What made our work stand out?
✅ We used granualr patient-level health data to better understand kidney disease
✅ We focused on early warning signs like declining kidney function and limited access to transplants
✅ We involved patient focus groups to make sure their voices helped shape our research
✅ And we connected our findings directly to real-world care, helping guide next steps for improving patient outcomes
We’re proud to be leading data-driven, patient-informed efforts to transform kidney care.
#AIMAHEAD2025 #KidneyHealth #KidneyCare #HealthEquity #DataDrivenCare #PatientVoicesMatter #PatientEngagement #TransplantEquity #PublicHealthInnovation #HealthcareData #KidneyDiseaseAwareness #ChronicIllnessResearch #CommunityBasedResearch #ResearchImpact #TopProject #ConsortiumDevelopment #HealthTechForGood #PatientCenteredCare #EarlyDetection #HealthJustice #HoustonMethodist #AIMConsortium #TransformingCare #InnovationInHealth #LightningRoundWinner #EquityInKidneyCare #FocusOnThePatient #HealthcareInnovation
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🌟 Meet Dr. Catherine Pulicken — the powerhouse behind the scenes at the Patient Engagement Research Lab at Houston Methodist.
With a PhD in public health and deep roots in community advocacy, Catherine bridges strategy and storytelling—leading research operations with heart, equity, and purpose. 💡❤️
For nearly 4 years, she’s helped build a lab where patients are not just participants, but partners in shaping research and healthcare outcomes. As the lab transitions into a formal Center, her mission is clear: make collaboration more sustainable, inclusive, and impactful.
📸 Outside the lab, Catherine’s a traveler, foodie, and photographer who finds beauty in everyday moments.
Her vision? A future where empathy leads and every voice matters.
✨ “Lead with empathy and authenticity. That’s where the real impact begins.” – Catherine
Read her blog here: exploretransplant.org/meet-catherine-pulicken-bridging-systems-and-stories-at-the-pe-lab/
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Or Visit Explore Transplant - Transplant News
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#PatientEngagement #HealthcareLeadership #EquityInResearch #HealthAdvocacy #CommunityDrivenResearch #WomensVoices #HoustonMethodist #ParticipatoryResearch #EmpathyInAction #StoriesThatMatter #VoicesOfHealthcare #ResearchWithHeart
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🧠💻 At the 2025 AIM-AHEAD Annual Meeting in Dallas, Drs. Waterman and Al-Awadhi proudly represented the Patient Engagement Research Lab and the Texas Cardiometabolic Consortium!
They presented our groundbreaking research on using machine learning to predict early kidney function decline — giving patients the chance to take action before it’s too late. 💡💚
By combining clinical data with socioenvironmental factors, we’re identifying those most at risk and connecting them to the care they deserve.
This is data-driven innovation for a healthier Texas. 🌎📊
#KidneyHealth #AIMAHEAD2025 #MachineLearningInMedicine #HealthEquity #PatientEngagement #DataForGood #PredictiveAnalytics #CKD #KidneyCare #HealthTech #TexasHealth #TransplantResearch #ClinicalInnovation #DigitalHealth #ClosingTheGap #PreventCKD
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💚 Conoce a Jaime Eduardo: El regalo más grande de un hijo para su madre 💚
Cuando vio cómo la insuficiencia renal afectaba la vida de su mamá, Jaime Eduardo decidió convertirse en su donador de riñón en vida. Dialisis, hospitalizaciones, y limitaciones diarias lo motivaron a actuar. 🙌
Su recuperación fue lenta, pero en solo un mes ya había retomado su rutina. Hoy, anima a otros a informarse y a considerar la donación: “Es el mejor regalo que puedes dar a un ser querido."
🎥 Escucha su historia de amor, fe y valentía, y compártela para inspirar a otros:
livingdonationstories.org/videos/jaime-donante-de-rinon/
💚 Meet Jaime Eduardo: A Son’s Life-Saving Gift to His Mother 💚
When Jaime Eduardo saw the toll kidney failure was taking on his mother—dialysis several times a week, constant checkups, and a life full of limits—he made a powerful choice: to become her living kidney donor. 🙏
His recovery took patience, but within a month, he was back to daily life. Today, he encourages others to embrace organ donation, calling it “the greatest gift you can give someone you love.”
🎥 Watch and listen to Jaime Eduardo’s inspiring story—and share it to spread awareness about living donation.
livingdonationstories.org/videos/jaime-donante-de-rinon/
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#DonadorEnVida #KidneyDonation #LivingDonor #RegalaVida #TransplanteRenal #DonarEsVivir #CalidadDeVida #HistoriasQueInspiran #UnRiñónUnaVida #JaimeEduardo #HéroeFamiliar #GiftOfLife #DonateLife #jaimealonso18
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🎥 "I Donated Because..." – Real Voices. Real Impact. 💚
Watch this powerful video featuring living kidney donors sharing why they made the choice to give the gift of life. Their stories are raw, inspiring, and unforgettable.
🌟 You don’t need to be a hero to save a life—just a human with heart.
📣 Listen to more real-life stories at the Living Donation Storytelling Project:
👉The Living Donation Storytelling Project – Hear real-life stories…and share your own!
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#LivingDonation #IDonatedBecause #GiftOfLife #DonateLife #OrganDonation #KidneyDonation #LivingDonorVoices #TransplantStrong #StorytellingMatters #ShareToInspire #OneKidneyLife #RealStoriesRealImpact
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💚 Conoce a Marta: Donadora en vida, hace 20 años 💚
Hace 20 años, Marta le donó un riñón a su hermana—y hoy sigue fuerte y saludable.
"Cuando supe de la enfermedad de mi hermana, decidí hacerme las pruebas. Qué alegría sentí al saber que podía donar. Me recuperé en 3 días, y a los 15 ya estaba de regreso a mi rutina."
Su consejo: “No tengas miedo. Si un ser querido necesita un trasplante, dona de corazón. Es un acto de amor que cambia vidas.”
🎥 Escucha y comparte la historia de Marta, un ejemplo de amor y esperanza.
livingdonationstories.org/videos/martha-donante-de-rinon/
💚 Meet Marta: A Living Donor Who Gave from the Heart 💚
20 years ago, Marta donated a kidney to her sister—and she’s still thriving today. 🙌
“When I learned my sister needed a transplant, I got tested right away. I was so happy to be a match. My recovery was quick—just 3 days—and I was back to normal in two weeks.”
Her message? “Don’t be afraid. If someone you love needs a kidney, give from the heart. It’s a gift that changes lives—including your own.”
🎥 Watch and share Marta’s inspiring story of love and living donation.
livingdonationstories.org/videos/martha-donante-de-rinon/
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💫 Like, share, and help spread the word about this beautiful journey!
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👍 LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE, AND FOLLOW to get more inspiring stories! #livingdonationstorytelling
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#LivingDonor #KidneyDonation #DonateLife #DonarEsVivir #RegalaVida #SinDonantesNoHayTrasplantes #TransplanteRenal #HistoriasQueInspiran #VidaConUnRiñón #MartaDonadora
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💡 Meet Joshua Nielsen: Using Engineering & AI to Advance Living Kidney Donation 💡
What started as one question—"What motivates someone to donate a kidney?"—led Joshua to an incredible research collaboration with the Patient Engagement Research Lab. 🧪🤝
With a background in industrial engineering and data science, Joshua is helping the team analyze online conversations to better understand potential donors' fears, questions, and motivations—even before they enter the transplant process! 📊💻
His work shows how AI and healthcare can come together to create better education, empower patients, and break down barriers to living donation. 🌟
🎯 Read Joshua's full story and see how innovation is changing the future of transplant care: Meet Joshua Nielsen: Engineering Innovation in Living Kidney Donation
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Or visit our website at Explore Transplant under Transplant News
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👍 LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE, AND FOLLOW to get more innovative research information! #exploretransplant
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#AIinHealthcare #LivingDonation #KidneyDonation #DataScienceForGood #OrganDonation #PatientEmpowerment #TransplantInnovation #HealthcareAI #ResearchForChange #PELab #GiftOfLife #JoshuaNielsen #EngineeringHope
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💚 Conoce a Josefina: Una historia de fuerza, familia y segundas oportunidades 💚
Josefina ha recibido tres trasplantes de riñón—de su hermano, su hermana, y recientemente, de su único hijo.
La diálisis le quitaba tiempo con su familia, pero los trasplantes le devolvieron la vida.
Su mensaje es: “No tengan miedo—un trasplante les dará mejor calidad de vida. Y a los donadores: ¡atrévanse! Mis hermanos donaron hace más de 20 años y están muy bien.”
🎥 Escucha la historia de Josefina y comparte para crear conciencia sobre la donación en vida.
livingdonationstories.org/videos/josefina-receptor-de-rinon/
💚 Meet Josefina: A Story of Strength, Family, and Second Chances 💚
Josefina has received three kidney transplants—from her brother, her sister, and most recently, her only son.
Dialysis took time away from her family and daily life, but transplants gave her hope and freedom again.
Her message? “Don’t be afraid—transplants bring a better quality of life. And for donors: be brave. My siblings donated over 20 years ago and are still healthy today.”
🎥 Watch Josefina’s inspiring story and help us spread awareness about the power of living donation.
livingdonationstories.org/videos/josefina-receptor-de-rinon/
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#LivingDonation #KidneyTransplant #DonateLife #GiftOfLife #DonarEsVivir #CalidadDeVida #TransplanteRenal #HistoriasQueInspiran #OrgulloFamiliar #VidaConUnRiñón #JosefinasStory
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Transplant news
INSIGHTS FROM KIDNEY RECIPIENTS, LIVING DONORS AND TRANSPLANT PROFESSIONALS
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
Meet Dr. Catherine Pulicken: Bridging Systems and Stories at the PE Lab
Written by: Souha Farhat, MD Senior Program Manager | Patient Engagement Research Lab, Houston Methodist Hospital A Leader with a Dual Lens Catherine Pulicken is the Senior Program Manager of the Patient Engagement (PE) Research Lab at Houston Methodist Hospital, where she leads business and research operations within the Department of Surgery. With a PhD in public health and a …Read more
Meet Joshua Nielsen: Engineering Innovation in Living Kidney Donation
Written by: Souha Farhat, MD I am a recent graduate (PhD) of Industrial Engineering at the University of Louisville and a data science consultant with Rift Analytics, LLC. [This will change in the next couple of months as my post-graduation employment settles.] From a Single Question to a Research Collaboration My work consists of a variety of engineering solutions for …Read more