Since its start in 1967, the kidney transplant program at UTMB Health’s Texas Transplant Center has built a broad footprint serving patients across the Texas Gulf Coast, performing close to 4,000 kidney transplants to date. It is one of oldest and most established programs west of the Mississippi River.
That footprint continues to expand, most recently with the addition of a kidney transplant clinic in Katy designed to improve access for patients west of Houston.
“We strive to really target our local market, but we also try to be the preferred center along the entire Gulf Coast of Texas,” says Charles Machner, Administrative Director for Transplant Services.
Over the years, that strategy has led to clinics being established at Town Center in League City, and in the cities of McAllen and Beaumont. The Katy location followed a close look at referral patterns that revealed an unmet need in a rapidly growing area.
To launch the clinic efficiently, Transplant Services partnered with UTMB’s Regional Women’s Services and Pediatrics (RWSP) and opened the Katy transplant clinic in June 2025. Since then, referrals have exceeded expectations, with Machner estimating more than 100 received to date.
Like the McAllen and Beaumont locations, the Katy clinic operates once a month and focuses on pre-transplant services. Approximately eight patients are seen per session. The program operates with a telehealth-based model in which transplant coordinators travel to Katy to see patients in person, while physicians conduct visits virtually.
“The travel time is about an hour and a half each way. This allows our physicians to be much more productive keeping boots on the ground for other program needs, while our team of transplant coordinators are the ones traveling,” Machner says.
Several patients from the Katy area have already received transplants at UTMB, and many others have been added to the waitlist. Plans are under discussion to expand access as resources allow, while continuing to prioritize the program’s high-volume clinic at Town Center in League City.
Transplant Program Medical Director Syed A. Hussain, MD, said the Katy expansion reflects a broader shift toward more comprehensive and personalized transplant care.
“We have moved to a comprehensive care model where we are providing everything, including pre-transplant and post-transplant care for their original disease,” he says.
That approach includes careful planning for dialysis access and timing, customized for patients preparing to undergo a transplant – care that Dr. Hussain says is beyond what other centers currently offer.
“It’s not transplant alone – it’s working with all the other general nephrology subspecialties,” Dr. Hussain says.
At the same time, UTMB’s living donor kidney transplant program has seen dramatic growth. While the program used to see two to three a year, the volume has grown tremendously and is on track to complete 32 this year. The program supports both direct living donation and paired exchanges through the National Kidney Registry.
With growing referrals, expanding services, and innovative care models, the Katy clinic represents both the next step and a blueprint for future growth for UTMB’s transplant strategy.