I am an Academic Consultant Nephrologist at St. George’s Hospital in London with a specific interest in kidney transplantation. I was drawn to transplantation as a career by the intellectual challenges of preventing rejection of a ‘foreign’ organ and by the obvious enthusiasm of the transplant clinicians that I worked with for their specialty. The single most rewarding aspect of transplant nephrology is the long-term working relationship with a group of patients with whom you share the highs and, of course, also the lows of the transplant experience. Transplantation has become established as the best treatment for patients with end-stage renal failure and it is a joy to see patients being spared or freed from the rigors of dialysis. However, we still have a long way to go in developing the full potential of transplantation and constantly striving to improve management through research is immensely rewarding. Transplantation is very much a team activity and working closely with transplant surgeons, nurses and all other members of the multidisciplinary team is always a stimulating experience. Teaching both undergraduates and post-graduates is an opportunity to encourage the next generation of transplant clinicians. Experienced transplant patients make ideal allies in teaching medical students about most aspects of medicine.
