IU Health Transplant

03/06/2026

03/05/2026

Transplant team members celebrate milestone

Several members of IU Health’s liver transplant program recently marked a milestone achievement. Drs. Chandrashekhar Kubal and Plamen V. Mihaylov performed the 50th living donor liver transplant surgery. IU Health started the living liver donor program in 2020, providing patients with another option toward renewed health.

Living donors help reduce the wait time for a life-saving organ, and in some cases, a living liver donor may provide the best option for transplant. Patients and donors undergo initial screenings and multiple tests and evaluations. They work with a team of transplant experts including physicians, living donor coordinators, social workers, dieticians, pharmacists, and financial coordinators.

The transplant involves removing a portion of the donor’s liver and then using it to replace the diseased liver in the recipient. The liver regenerates and returns to full function within a month.

IU Health’s Transplant Program is nationally ranked in both volume and specializations. The team has averaged 520 transplants since 2021. IU Health is the only center in Indiana approved to perform all organ transplants and the only liver, lung, and pancreas transplant program in the state. IU Health is the only living liver donor transplant program in Indiana.

The 50th living donor transplant involved a mother and son who are now recovering at home.

“It takes a well-coordinated team to perform these complex surgeries, “said Dr. Kubal, who serves as the section chief of liver and intestine transplant surgery. “I’m proud of our team and our outcomes. We now have a solid foundation that will allow us to strengthen and grow this program to help even more patients. I’m grateful to the donors who made these transplants possible. They came forward for a surgery they did not need in order to help someone else. In doing so, they also helped the next person on the waiting list.”

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) there are close to 9,000 people in the United States on the liver transplant waitlist. In 2025, IU Health performed 193 liver transplants—187 adults and six pediatric patients. The combined total is the eleventh highest volume in the U.S. The program is also recognized nationally for overall patient outcomes toward improved health.

To learn more about becoming a living liver donor: https://iuhealth.org/find-medical-services/living-liver-donation. To learn more about becoming a registered donor: https://donatelife.net/donation/donor-registries/national-donate-life-registry/

-By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

02/28/2026

02/20/2026

Strength in heart care is built through people coming together with purpose.

Shortly after receiving a heart transplant in early 2022, David Wilkerson set an ambitious goal: completing a 5K. His determination met the steadfast support of a care team committed to helping him rebuild strength, and philanthropy played a vital role in ensuring he had access to advanced cardiac care and recovery resources.

During one of his clinic visits, David invited his physical therapist, Lindsay Tucker, to join him in the race. Though running was outside her comfort zone, she agreed. Their decision to take on the challenge side by side illustrates the collaborative spirit that donor support helps foster—one where patients and care teams can pursue milestones that once felt out of reach.

Philanthropy makes these stories possible. It strengthens cardiac programs, supports innovative therapies, and ensures that every patient has the chance to move toward a healthier future. Because of philanthropy, more patients can move toward healthier, hope‑filled futures. Together, we make .

02/19/2026

Two women forged a friendship by overcoming illness and giving back.

02/16/2026

Have you heard? The 2026 Transplant Games will be in Denver from June 18-23!

Whether you are the competitive type and want to try your skills in a particular sport or want to kick back and challenge others to a fun game of euchre, there is a broad range of activities!

If you are a transplant recipient, living donor or a family member of a donor hero and want to represent Team Indiana, learn more here: https://www.donatelifeindiana.org/advocacy/team-indiana-transplant-games/

02/15/2026

When Joshua “Josh” Wilson, 23, decided to donate his liver to a stranger, he had no idea that stranger would have a son the same age.

When Joshua “Josh” Wilson, 23, decided to donate his liver to a stranger, he had no idea that stranger would have a son the same age.

02/14/2026

On we help spread awareness for the five different types of donation – Organs, Tissues, Marrow, Platelets, and Blood – for saving and healing lives. Today we also honor all donors and think of our patients who have received an organ donation or are waiting for the call.

Donate Life Indiana

02/06/2026

02/05/2026

Todd Zortman recently joined the AAHC team as a wound nurse. But he’s already spent lots of time within the hospital walls as a heart transplant patient.

01/27/2026

Riley Children’s Health provides access to pediatric primary and specialty care across Indiana, including at Riley Hospital for Children in downtown…