Who we are
UNOS is a nonprofit organization with decades of experience in helping save lives through research, technology, innovation and education.
Our mission is to unite and strengthen the donation and transplant community to save lives.
- At a glance: About UNOS
- Our UNOS Board of Directors
- Our community commitment and economic impact
What we do
Since 1986, UNOS has managed the nation’s Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under contract with the federal government.
In addition, our portfolio encompasses broader public-health projects through our work developing innovative new technologies and initiatives, conducting data-driven research and analysis, providing expert education and consulting services, advocating for patients, and being a leader in bringing communities together to save lives.
Our work
Donation & transplant
The Organ Procurement and Transplantation System
- Maintain the national transplant waitlist.
- Match organ donors to recipients, 24/7/365.
- Coordinate the process to develop equitable organ allocation policies.
- Monitor policy compliance, maintain transplant data.
Services to advance human health and well-being
- Support countries around the globe to establish transplant system standards, policies, and monitoring and compliance frameworks.
- Provide expert consulting services in biostatistics, software engineering, research science and data analysis.
- Develop custom plans to medical device, pharmaceutical and other health companies for data capture, analysis, and real-time reporting.
Learn more about our research and consulting services.
Products & technology
Cutting-edge solutions to help save more lives
- Organ Tracker: Track donor organ shipments end-to-end in real time.
- Predictive analytics: Predict patient survival and time to next offer without a transplant.
- Offer filters: Filter organ offers by provider-selected criteria to match organs more quickly.
- SimUNet: Leverage a simulation testing platform to understand & improve decision-making behaviors.
Advocacy & education
Outreach & resources to advance our lifesaving mission
- Advocate for a stronger, more equitable system.
- Host professional education events.
- Coordinate volunteer advocates through the UNOS Ambassadors program.
- Provide educational resources for patients and professionals.
- Support innovative research and technology.
- Honor organ donors and the gift of life.
From the beginning, our focus was a lifesaving mission
The first successful organ transplant in the U.S. took place in 1954. But even as the field of transplant medicine continued to grow through the next two decades, there was no organized national system to match donor organs to suitable transplant candidates. The South-Eastern Organ Procurement Foundation (SEOPF), an organization of transplant hospitals and OPOs in the Southeastern U.S., established a computerized database in 1977 to improve the organ matching process. They named the database the “United Network for Organ Sharing.”
In 1984, Congress passed the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) calling for an Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to be created. UNOS incorporated as an independent, non-profit organization in 1984 and was awarded the initial contract for the OPTN in 1986. Today, UNOS has grown to an organization of more than 450 employees dedicated to the mission of saving lives.
Learn more about the history of UNOS