UPMC Children’s Pediatric Nephrology Faculty Present at 2026 American Transplant Congress
July 1, 2026
The 2026 American Transplant Congress (ATC) was held June 20 to 24 in Boston. The ATC is the Joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS). The event hosts transplant specialists across disciplines and from around the world to advance the scientific and clinical domains of organ transplantation.
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Division of Pediatric Nephrology faculty and trainees were invited to present research at this year’s conference.
Juhi Kumar, MD, MPH, clinical director of the Division of Pediatric Nephrology and medical director of kidney transplantation at UPMC Children’s was the first author of a research poster (Abstract B228) on “Outcomes in Pediatric Kidney Retransplants: A SRTR Data Analysis.”
Dr. Kumar and colleagues’ study was recognized as a Poster of Distinction at this year’s conference.
Also presenting this year was Kathryn C. O’Brien, DO. Dr. O’Brien is currently a PGY8 fellow in the division who will be transitioning into a faculty role in July.
Dr. O’Brien’s research talk (Abstract 806) was a platform presentation titled, “Microvascular Inflammation (MVI) in the Crosshairs: Do Allo- or Autoantibodies Shape Kidney Allograft Pathology?”
Dr. O’Brien’s clinical and research interests include chronic kidney disease, glomerular diseases, kidney transplantation, and onconephrology.
Additionally, Jessica Orris, PhD, transplant psychologist who works with the Pediatric Nephrology Division at UPMC Children’s moderated a Campfire Session titled “Seal the Deal! AST Transition Readiness Assessment Checklist Validation.” This session was devoted to learning more about the Transplant Readiness Checklists that were designed to help clinicians understand and assess the needs and readiness of adolescent and young adult transplant recipients and brainstorming how to approach the process of validation and also conducting a multicenter trial.
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