VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center

02/04/2026

February is American Heart Month! More than 3,900 people in the U.S. are waiting for a donor heart. Register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor, and learn more about heart donation and transplantation at DonateLife.net. ❤️

02/03/2026

In honor of Black History Month, we reflect on the nearly 43,000 Black donors to date who have generously given the gift of life. Their selfless acts are a testament to the power of community and the profound impact of giving.

This year's theme, “A Century of Black History Commemorations,” marks the 100th anniversary of this important observance. It honors a century of reflection, resilience, and progress through the lens of education, civic engagement, and cultural pride.

01/29/2026

In 2025, 10 patients found a new beginning through TP-IAT at Hume-Lee—meaning a new life free from the debilitating pain of chronic pancreatitis.

TP-IAT (or Pancreatectomy with Islet Cell Autotransplantation) can mean fewer hospitalizations, relief from constant pain, and the chance to truly live again. We’re proud of the multidisciplinary teams and resilient patients who made this milestone possible.

This is more than a number. It’s 10 lives changed.✨

To learn more about our program visit: https://bit.ly/3FehI0c
VCU Health

01/21/2026

As we reflect on an extraordinary 2025, we’re proud to celebrate a year defined by innovation, growth, and life-saving impact at Hume-Lee Transplant Center:

✨ World’s first robotic living liver donor surgery, advancing safety and precision for donors

✨ Nation’s first robotic living donor liver transplant surgery, redefining what’s possible in transplant care

✨ Opening of our new Comprehensive Liver Care Unit, expanding specialized, coordinated care for patients

✨ Our first lung transplant patient, marking a meaningful milestone in expanding access to care

✨ Hundreds of second chances at life, made possible through the generosity of donors and the expertise of our transplant teams

Throughout 2025, our teams advanced care through thoughtful innovation, strengthened one of the nation’s most robust living donor programs, and continued to care for increasingly complex patients with compassion and expertise.

Every transplant reflects the power of generosity, collaboration, and commitment—from donors and families to surgeons, clinicians, researchers, and support staff.

Thank you to everyone who made 2025 a year of hope, healing, and possibility. Together, we continue transforming lives—one transplant at a time. 💙
VCU Health

Our lung transplant program at VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center provides much-needed access and delivers better-than-national-average outcomes.

01/19/2026

On this National Day of Service, thank you to all who are helping others. You can help save and heal lives by registering your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at RegisterMe.org and encouraging others to do the same.

01/15/2026

We’re grateful to the American Heart Association for sharing Denis' powerful story of heart transplantation. ❤️ It’s a reminder of what’s possible because of organ donation, expert care, and resilience!
VCU Health

After a full day of yard work Denis Popp’s left shoulder throbbed. He figured it was a flare-up of pain from a past injury, but pain medication didn’t help like it usually did. It hurt so badly he couldn’t get to sleep. The next morning, he went to urgent care.

“Mr. Popp, you’re having a heart attack,” a nurse told him. “An ambulance is on the way.” Within hours, doctors had placed three stents in his heart to clear blockages in his arteries.

At 47, married and the father of four daughters, he feared not turning 50. He started taking his health more seriously, learned about healthier eating and started walking regularly.

But his heart never recovered completely. Over the years, his heart function continued to deteriorate. He had to stop working. “I was using two canes to walk and could barely climb any stairs,” said Denis. He was told he’d need a heart transplant to survive in the long term.

Meanwhile, his left ventricle needed immediate help. That came in the form of a left ventricular assist device, a surgically implanted mechanical pump that essentially does the work of the left side of the heart. Patients can rely on them long-term or short-term while awaiting a heart transplant.

One evening 14 months later – Jan. 3, 2017, at 5:57 p.m., to be exact – the transplant team called. “Mr. Popp, would you like to come to the hospital tonight and get a new heart?”

The day after his transplant, Denis, who was about to turn 60, felt like a new person. And he had a new mission.

Now 68, Denis volunteers regularly with the organ transplant groups, the American Heart Association and Mended Hearts, a nonprofit that provides peer-to-peer counseling for people living with heart disease. He also volunteers at the hospital where he was treated.

“Someone passed away to give me this gift, and I am going to do everything I can to honor that,” he said. “It’s now my calling to help others going through the same thing.”

01/13/2026

The flu has caused about 180,000 hospitalizations so far this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several Central Virginia hospitals, including VCU Health and Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, are reinforcing infection prevention measures to help protect patients, visitors and staff from the spread of the flu and respiratory illnesses. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3YCHlOA CDC Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU 😷

01/13/2026

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An updated compilation of the Richmond region’s most recommended medical professionals

01/13/2026

Tune in to hear from Dr. Keyur Shah and patient, Johnny Boatman, about his journey from amyloidosis diagnosis to transplant ❤️⬇️

01/12/2026

Today is National Pharmacist Day! At Hume-Lee, we’re proud to recognize the essential role our transplant pharmacy team plays in patient care. From optimizing complex medication regimens to ensuring the safe use of immunosuppressants, our pharmacists, residents and pharmacy technicians are vital partners in every step of the transplant journey. Their expertise helps improve outcomes, prevent complications and enhance the quality of life for our patients. 💊🩺

Thank you to our transplant pharmacy team for the exceptional care and dedication they bring to our patients!

01/11/2026

Today is International Thank You Day! Thank you to organ, eye and tissue donors and donor families for your generosity. You save and heal so many lives each year. Thank you to the donation and transplantation professionals for your incredible dedication and collaboration! 💙💚 You can register your decision at RegisterMe.org.