On June 8, 1966, UF surgeons performed the state’s first adult kidney transplant, a procedure that marked the beginning of the UF Health Shands Transplant Center. In the 50 years since, thousands of lives have been saved at the center thanks to the collaboration between expert clinical teams and organ procurement staff.
To date, UF Health physicians and medical teams have performed more than 8,300 transplants, making it one of the largest, most successful and most innovative organ transplant centers in the Southeast. The center is the longest continual provider of organ transplantation in Florida and has become a pioneer in transplantation research.