Northwestern Medicine establishes a Transplant Institute focused on innovation and access

The Northwestern Medicine Transplant Institute launches on the heels of surgeons performing Northwestern Medicine’s 3,000th liver transplant

B-roll, photos and interview:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wtnkusp180af52i4ip6it/AG01TMtvVWlkKvxDZW3ZOR4?rlkey=ail6fschngocmi1krnyb9jbki&st=fkjef3qg&dl=0

CHICAGO, Oct. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northwestern Medicine has established the Northwestern Medicine Transplant Institute, marking a transformative new chapter in its commitment to advancing transplant innovation. Made possible by a five-year fundraising campaign, the institute brings together nationally recognized programs and multidisciplinary expertise to accelerate discovery, expand access to transplantation and advance patient care.

“For more than six decades, Northwestern Medicine has helped shape the evolution of transplant care. Every day, we see the extraordinary commitment of the people working across our transplant programs to help patients navigate some of life’s most difficult challenges,” said Howard Chrisman, MD, president and chief executive officer, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. “Through philanthropic support, Northwestern Medicine will continue to shape a future where even more patients have the opportunity to thrive after transplant.”

The institute launches as Northwestern Medicine’s transplant programs continue to achieve record growth and national recognition.

In September, the liver transplant team completed their 3,000^th liver transplant, becoming the first program in Illinois to reach the milestone.
In 2025, Northwestern Medicine performed 691 transplants, the most in Northwestern Medicine history.
They rank among the nation’s top 10 transplant centers for the number of transplants performed.
Home to the largest liver, kidney and living donor transplant programs in Illinois.

The institute represents the culmination of a vision that has taken shape over the five years since Satish Nadig, MD, PhD, transplant surgeon and executive director of the Northwestern Medicine Transplant Institute, joined the team.

“We really had to think about what does transplant mean to Northwestern and what exactly can we do to change the landscape of the field,” said Dr. Nadig. “It became very clear to us that we hang our hat on this idea of innovation, so we got to work.”

Destination for transplant innovation

Northwestern Medicine is advancing transplantation through innovations such as AI-powered donor matching, AWAKE kidney transplantation, liver transplants for terminal colon cancer, robotic surgery, xenotransplantation and regenerative medicine, making transplants safer, more effective and more accessible.

The institute will include several centers, each with a unique focus.

Highly specialized Northwestern Medicine Organ Transplant Centers for abdominal organ transplants:
- Tony and Laura Davis Center for Kidney Transplantation
- Center for Liver Diseases and Transplantation
- Center for Pancreas, Islet Cell and Intestinal Transplantation
- Kovler Organ Transplantation Clinic
- Siragusa Transplantation Center at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, in partnership with Northwestern Medicine
Northwestern Medicine Center for Transplant Research and Education: fueling discovery and scientific advancement in partnership with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern Medicine Center for Transplant Access: making transplantation safer, faster and more accessible for patients and living donors
Northwestern Medicine Center for Transplant Innovation: developing the next generation of transplant therapies

"Establishing Northwestern Medicine Transplant Institute is not simply a reorganization of what we do. It is a deliberate, bold commitment to lead transplantation into its next great era – the era of technology,” said Dr. Nadig. “Our vision is to become the destination for transplant innovation, a place patients turn to when options have run out elsewhere, and where breakthrough science, exceptional clinical care and bold thinking come together to make the impossible possible.”

Father-daughter kidney donation

Just days before Christmas in 2023, Art Nichols of West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer that had severely damaged his kidneys. With few options, the father of two and grandfather of 10 soon began dialysis treatment, three days a week for four hours at a time. As months on dialysis stretched into years, his family explored the possibility of a kidney transplant with different health systems in the Midwest.

“In our research, my son-in-law discovered that Northwestern Medicine had a living-donor transplant program,” Nichols said. “I was accepted into the program in April, and I was instantly drawn to the confidence of the team as they explained, step by step, what the process of finding a match would look like and what I could expect from the procedure.”

Little did Nichols know that his donor would be someone he already knew.

Without his knowledge, his daughter, Natalie Nichols, a mother of two and a veterinary technician in Fisher, Indiana, underwent testing that confirmed she was a perfect match. With a kidney secured, Natalie and Art’s transplant team went about scheduling surgery for September 18, along with the ultimate surprise. Just days after Art received his new kidney, his care team asked if the 70-year-old wanted to meet his donor.

“Natalie walked through the door of my hospital room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had no clue she had gone about getting tested,” Art said. “Eighteen must be my lucky number. I was born on January 18, Natalie’s birthday is April 18, and now September 18 will be another special day for us. It means the world to me what she did.”

Just over a month post-op, Art says his new kidney is working flawlessly. No longer tied to a dialysis schedule, his days are now packed with the football and soccer games of his grandchildren.

“Natalie and Northwestern Medicine have given me a second chance at life that nearly three years ago, I could only have dreamed of,” Art said. “It’s programs like this and living donors like Natalie that truly have the power to change lives.”

For more information on the Transplant Institute, visit nm.org.

PATIENT PHOTOS and VIDEO:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wtnkusp180af52i4ip6it/AG01TMtvVWlkKvxDZW3ZOR4?rlkey=ail6fschngocmi1krnyb9jbki&st=fkjef3qg&dl=0

Media Contact
Jenny Nowatzke
Jenny.nowatzke@nm.org, 402.740.8148 (cell)

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

AWAKE kidney transplant

AWAKE kidney transplant at Northwestern Medicine

AWAKE kidney transplant with Dr. Nadig and Dr. Rohan

AWAKE kidney transplant

AWAKE kidney transplant at Northwestern Medicine

Dr. Satish Nadig headshot

Dr. Satish Nadig

Dr. Satish Nadig performing AWAKE kidney transplant.

Dr. Satish Nadig portrait

Drs. Dietch and Nadig performing RAPID transplant

Transplant OR at Northwestern Medicine

Art and Natalie Nichols

Art and Natalie Nichols kidney transplant

Art and Natalie Nichols

Art and Natalie Nichols kidney transplant

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