Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Performs 2,000th Solid Organ Transplant

ATLANTA (June 11, 2026) - Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has reached a historic milestone with its 2,000th pediatric solid organ transplant, underscoring more than four decades of innovation, clinical excellence and life-saving care for children throughout Georgia and the Southeast. Since performing its first solid organ transplant in 1980, Children's has built one of the nation's leading pediatric transplant programs, bringing together highly specialized surgeons, physicians, nurses and multidisciplinary care teams to treat children with complex heart, liver and kidney disease.

Ranked No. 1 in the Southeast and No. 4 nationally by volume, the Children's transplant program is among the nation's most comprehensive pediatric solid organ transplant centers, offering advanced care for liver, heart and kidney patients. In 2025 alone, Children's teams performed 57 solid organ transplants. Earlier this year, surgeons performed the system's first dual heart and liver transplant at Arthur M. Blank Hospital.

Two-year-old John Miller became Children's 2,000th solid organ transplant recipient on June 3 when he received a kidney transplant. Diagnosed in utero with hydronephrosis, a condition that can obstruct the urinary tract and lead to chronic kidney disease, John's journey with Children's began when he was just 1 month old and was airlifted to the hospital in stage five kidney failure. Dr. Bhargava Mullapudi, Division Chief of Abdominal Transplant Surgery and Surgical Director of Pediatric Abdominal Transplant, and Dr. Richard Hendrickson, pediatric transplant surgeon, performed John's transplant in collaboration with Dr. Rouba Garro, John's nephrologist and Medical Director of the kidney transplant program at Children's.

"This milestone reflects decades of collaboration, research and compassionate care that have helped thousands of children receive a second chance at life," said Donna Hyland, Chief Executive Officer, Children's. "Children's continues to be on the leading edge of treatment for patients with complicated, end-stage heart, liver and kidney disease. We're proud to provide innovative, world-class care that gives these patients the gift of life."

For more information or to contribute to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta comprehensive transplant program, visit give.choa.org/transplantfund.