From left: Richard Clark, veterans advocate and dialysis patient; Aurelia Keaton, living donor; Esmeralda Sierra, Kidney Health Together board member; Barbara Breckenridge, Kidney Health Together founder; Liise Kayler, head of EMC Transplant Program; Tara Fulgham, dialysis social worker; and Helton Briggs, transplant recipient. (Photo: Sandra Kicman)

By Annette Pinder

Of all organs that can be transplanted, kidneys are in the greatest demand. Kidney failure may take years to develop, but symptoms often appear after irreparable damage has occurred. Most people seeking a kidney transplant undergo dialysis several times a week, a grueling procedure that mechanically filters excess water and waste from the blood.

Less than one-fifth of 500,000 dialysis patients are on the transplant waiting list, and half of the 90,000 on the list die without ever getting a transplant. Sadly, if these patients did receive a transplant their life expectancy would double. Liise Kayler, MD, chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery and medical director of the Erie County Medical Center Regional Center of Excellence for Transplantation and Kidney Care, is determined to get people with end-stage kidney disease transplanted. Under her leadership, ECMC’s transplant program has improved dramatically, where wait times are among the shortest in the nation.

Dr. Kayler’s greatest challenge is knowing that Black Americans are more than three times as likely as non-Black persons to experience kidney failure, but 25% less likely to receive a transplant due to social and economic disparities and social determinants of health. To help alleviate the problem, Dr. Kayler created a patient navigator system that reduced the transplant waiting time for Black candidates to 302 days from 540.

Working with the UB Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), Dr. Kayler helped transplant candidates navigate the transplant waiting list process through educational videos and peer mentoring. She also worked with Thomas Feeley, PhD, UB College of Arts and Sciences professor, to secure a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a series of short animated educational videos made for sharing. These KidneyTIME videos received a 98% approval rating by transplant candidates and their social network members. Dr. Kayler subsequently received a $3.6 million grant to test and disseminate the videos to the community.

Dr. Kayler also enlisted feedback from Barbara Breckenridge, a kidney transplant success story and founder of the Kidney Foundation of Western New York. She and Ms. Breckenridge received a seed grant from UB’s CTSI to create a community advisory board comprised of Dr. Kayler, Ms. Breckenridge, patients, caregivers, donors, and a social worker. The board meets monthly, mostly on Zoom, to target improved transplantation among Black patients, and is launching a peer mentoring effort to help Black transplant recipients educate other Black patients considering a transplant.

Ms. Breckenridge also created Kidney Health Together (KHT), a volunteer-run 501c3 organization with a mission to help local kidney patients live healthier lives. Located in the Healthy Living Pantry, KHT provides healthy food choices for kidney patients experiencing food emergencies, and who are unable to work.

Dr. Kayler is passionate about the work she is doing, saying, “I chose transplant surgery because it saves the lives of people on the brink of dying.” She adds, “With every transplant, I am inspired by the happiness and hope experienced by patients, families, the transplant team, and hospital leadership. It’s a celebration of life!”

If you would like to be considered for ECMC’s kidney transplant program, visit https://www.ecmc.edu/kidney-transplantation, or call 716-898-5001.