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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
exploretransplant.org/meet-laxmi-driving-impact-through-research-coordination-and-patient-centere...✨ Team Spotlight: Laxmi Ravula, MPH ✨
Get inspired by Laxmi Ravula’s journey and impactful work featured on Explore Transplant! In her blog, Laxmi shares how patient-centered research goes beyond data, transforming real patient experiences into meaningful insights that improve care. From coordinating complex studies to elevating patient voices through storytelling and research, her work highlights the power of precision, collaboration, and compassion in healthcare.
Whether she’s facilitating focus groups, analyzing stories, or ensuring research integrity, Laxmi brings excellence to every step, making a tangible difference for patients and the future of transplant care.
📖 Read her full blog here: ExploreTransplant.org
exploretransplant.org/meet-laxmi-driving-impact-through-research-coordination-and-patient-centere...
👏 Join us in celebrating Laxmi’s dedication and the incredible impact of patient engagement research!
#PatientEngagement #HealthcareResearch #TransplantCare #ExploreTransplant #HoustonMethodist #ResearchExcellence #StorytellingInHealthcare #HealthEquity #TeamSpotlight
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🤖💙 Can AI help more people receive a life-saving transplant?
In the latest ASN ReWired Podcast, experts discuss how AI can identify patients and living donors who may be at risk of dropping out of the transplant process and connect them with the support they need sooner.
The future of transplant care isn't just about predicting risk. It's using technology + human connection to reduce barriers, improve access, and help more people reach transplantation.
✨ Early intervention. Personalized support. Better outcomes.
#KidneyTransplant #ArtificialIntelligence #PatientCenteredCare #TransplantInnovation #Nephrology
Based on content provided from the ASN ReWired Podcast Series Session 4: "AI Beyond Eligibility for Transplant."
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Advancing precision in transplant care through collaboration and innovation 💡
Dr. Amy Waterman from Houston Methodist Patient Engagement Research Lab, represent the CSTEM team, the patient voice continues to play a critical role in shaping research that truly meets patient needs. This work highlights the development of immunosuppressant profiles designed to better personalize treatment for kidney transplant recipients, helping reduce side effects and improve outcomes.
Proud to celebrate the collaborative efforts behind this research and the progress being made toward more individualized, patient-centered care.
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#TransplantInnovation #PatientCenteredCare #PrecisionMedicine #transplantresearch #ATC2026
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Every person in this photo carries a story most people will never fully understand.
A story of giving a kidney.
Of receiving the gift of life.
Of loving someone through the waiting, the uncertainty, the fight.
This is a community no one ever plans to join… and yet, here they are, showing up, standing together, and choosing to give back 💙
Because when you’ve lived it, you don’t stay silent.
You become an advocate. A voice. A light for the next person walking this path.
This is what transplant community looks like, strength, resilience, and hope.
#OrganDonation #TransplantAwareness #GiftOfLife #PatientAdvocacy #DonateLife
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From “I want to donate” ➡️ “How do we make it possible?” 💡
At #ATC2026, Laxmi represented the Patient Engagement Research Lab to share what the team uncovered about potential living kidney donors who are ruled out due to higher BMI.
The insight? 👇
Many of these individuals are highly motivated to donate, they’re not lacking commitment, they’re lacking the right support. From tailored weight loss programs to better guidance, this research is helping shift the conversation from barriers → solutions.
First ATC and already elevating the patient voice like a pro 👏
#LivingDonation #PatientEngagement #HealthEquity #TransplantResearch ATC2026
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Big ideas + great company at #ATC2026 💡
Amy led a breakout session bringing together patient advocacy leaders from across the U.S. to tackle one big question: How can we better support transplant patients, together?
Even better, getting to collaborate with transplant patient and advocate Jullie Hogan from Kidney Solutions 💙 Because when patients and leaders co-create solutions, real impact happens.
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#patientadvocacy #TransplantCommunity #ATC2026 #PatientCenteredCare
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The Patient Engagement Research Lab is excited to be at #ATC2026 in Boston 💙
Grateful to be part of a global community advancing transplant innovation, because at the heart of everything we do are the patients and their stories. From meaningful conversations to groundbreaking research, this week is all about collaboration, impact, and being together in transplant.
Proud of this incredible team and the work we’re doing to elevate patient voices and shape the future of care.
#PatientEngagement #TransplantResearch #ATC2026 #TogetherInTransplant #HealthcareInnovation #PatientCenteredCare #ResearchImpact #TeamScience #TransplantCommunity #BostonEvents
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💚 A Mother's Love. A Life-Changing Gift. A Second Chance. 💚
When Nancy was pregnant with her first child, her kidneys suddenly began to fail. What followed was a journey filled with unimaginable challenges, dialysis, the heartbreaking loss of her premature baby, and the uncertainty of waiting for a life-saving transplant.
Yet through grief, resilience, and hope, Nancy received a perfectly matched kidney transplant in 2007 that transformed her life.
Today, 18 years later, Nancy is thriving. Her transplant gave her the opportunity to become a mother again, advocate for others through the National Kidney Foundation, and dedicate her life to helping transplant patients and donors find hope.
✨ "The best thing I ever did was get a kidney transplant, even though it was extraordinarily scary."
Nancy's story is a powerful reminder that even in life's darkest moments, hope can lead to healing, purpose, and new beginnings.
🎥 Watch Nancy's inspiring journey and discover more transplant and donation stories at HealthStories4U.org.
💬 Know someone affected by organ transplantation? Share this story and help spread hope.
#HealthStories4U #KidneyTransplant #TransplantJourney #SecondChanceAtLife #OrganDonation #DonateLife #KidneyDiseaseAwareness #TransplantSurvivor #HopeAndHealing #PatientStories #NationalKidneyFoundation #GiftOfLife #TransplantCommunity #InspiringStories
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✨ Intern Spotlight: Jessica Hao ✨
We’re excited to share a glimpse into Jessica Hao’s inspiring journey and the incredible work she contributed through her blog on Explore Transplant! From analyzing powerful patient stories to helping bring new voices into the Living Donor Storytelling Project, Jessica highlights how storytelling can truly transform healthcare and deepen empathy. Her reflections are both moving and insightful, showing how meaningful, patient-centered narratives can shape the future of care.
📖 Read her full blog here: ExploreTransplant.org
exploretransplant.org/intern-spotlight-jessica-hao-the-power-of-patient-stories/
At the Houston Methodist Patient Engagement Research Lab, it was truly an honor to have Jessica as an intern. She worked closely on the Digital Storytelling Project, and Mayra Bartyzel had the privilege of serving as her mentor. We are incredibly proud of her contributions and grateful for the passion, thoughtfulness, and dedication she brought to our team.
👏 Join us in celebrating Jessica and take a moment to read her full story!
#InternSpotlight #PatientEngagement #DigitalStorytelling #OrganDonation #HealthcareInnovation #ExploreTransplant #HoustonMethodist #MentorshipMatters #FutureHealthcareLeaders
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Transplant news
INSIGHTS FROM KIDNEY RECIPIENTS, LIVING DONORS AND TRANSPLANT PROFESSIONALS
Laxmi Keerthi Ravula, MPH Research Coordinator – Patient Engagement and Education Department of Surgery and J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center | Houston Methodist Hospital At Houston Methodist, Laxmi plays a key role in ensuring that patient-centered research is carried out with precision, care, and purpose. As a Research Coordinator in the Patient Engagement (PE) Lab, she supports every stage of …Read more
Intern Spotlight: Jessica Hao & the Power of Patient Stories
My name is Jessica Hao, and I recently graduated from Rice University, where I majored in Business with minors in Biochemistry and Medical Humanities on the pre-dental track. This past year, I had the wonderful opportunity to intern with the Patient Engagement lab through my Rice Medical Humanities Practicum, working closely with Mayra Almendarez, Dr. Waterman, and Catherine Pulicken on …Read more
Meet Dr. Thomas B. Potter: Bridging Biomedical Data and the Human Experience of Health
Research Data Scientist | Center for Health Data Science and Analytics | PE Lab Collaborator Where Technology Meets Compassion Dr. Thomas B. Potter serves as a Research Data Scientist at the Center for Health Data Science and Analytics, where he applies advanced analytics to complex healthcare problems. His work sits at the crossroads of engineering, predictive modeling, and patient-centered inquiry, …Read more