Medical City Dallas reaches 2,000 kidney transplant milestone
Dallas, Texas — Medical City Dallas Transplant Institute has completed its 2,000th kidney transplant, marking a significant milestone for the hospital’s transplant program and the North Texas patients it serves.
The 2000th recipient, Oliver Turman, 59, of North Texas, spent five years on dialysis after living for decades with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare kidney disease. On March 28, 2026, Turman received the call that a matching donor kidney had been found.
For Turman, the milestone represents far more than a number. It marks a new beginning.
"The team was excellent from start to finish," Turman says. "They provided top-notch care every step of the way."
A longtime high school football and basketball referee, Turman is recovering well; Turman has returned to the basketball court to officiate his first game since his transplant. Photos of Turman's transplant journey are available here.
"Transplantation is one of the most complex areas of medicine, requiring seamless collaboration across dozens of specialties," says Ali Khalil, MD, renal transplant medical director at Medical City Dallas. "Reaching 2,000 kidney transplants demonstrates the consistency, experience and multidisciplinary excellence it takes to achieve outstanding outcomes and help more patients receive a second chance at life."
As a market leader in abdominal transplantation, Medical City Dallas continues to meet the growing demand for kidney transplantation, performing 242 kidney transplants in 2025 and 115 procedures in 2026 so far. More than 850 patients are on the hospital's kidney transplant waitlist, with more than 90,000 people on the national waitlist according to Donate Life America.
Medical City Dallas is also part of the Medical City Healthcare - St. David's HealthCare Kidney Access Network, a collaboration among kidney transplant programs at Medical City Dallas, Medical City Fort Worth and St. David's North Austin Medical Center. The network is designed to help eligible kidney transplant patients explore additional listing opportunities while beginning the evaluation process at one home transplant center.
"This milestone reflects how far our transplant program has come and where we're headed.” says Jay deVenny, CEO of Medical City Dallas. “As the need for organ transplantation continues to grow, we remain committed to expanding access to high-quality, lifesaving care for patients throughout North Texas."
Learn more about transplant services.