History of UNOS

United Network for Organ Sharing was founded to help the community of donation and transplant professionals make the best possible use of organs to save lives. We have played a vital role in the evolution of transplantation in the U.S. for more than 40 years.

View the history of transplantation

What was transplant like before UNOS?

From the mid-1950s through the early 1970s, individual transplant hospitals and organ procurement organizations in the U.S. managed all aspects of organ recovery and transplantation. If an organ couldn’t be transplanted near where it was recovered, there was no system to find matching candidates elsewhere. Many organs couldn’t be used simply because transplant teams were not able locate a compatible recipient in time.

How we began

The South-Eastern Organ Procurement Foundation (SEOPF), a regional association of donation and transplant professionals, sought to increase the efficiency of organ placement. SEOPF established a computerized database in 1977 that allowed each of its member institutions to list candidates and help them find matches for organs they couldn’t use locally, and named it the United Network for Organ Sharing. In 1982, SEOPF launched a call center in Richmond, Va. to provide personal assistance with organ placement. This service is now the UNOS Organ Center and has been in continual operation ever since.

A national call to action

By the early 1980s, as more transplant hospitals were opening and many more candidates were being accepted for transplantation, broader coordination of organ allocation and data collection was needed. In 1984, Congress passed the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) calling for an Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to be created.

UNOS at work

On March 21, 1984, UNOS incorporated as an independent, non-profit organization, committed to saving lives through uniting and supporting the donation and transplant community. UNOS was awarded the initial OPTN contract in 1986 to develop the requirements for the operation of the OPTN.

UNOS has grown from a handful of staff in rented office space to an organization with more than 450 employees. Today, the nonprofit’s portfolio encompasses not only donation and transplant but also broader public health projects through its work developing new technologies and initiatives, conducting data-driven research and analysis, providing expert consulting services, advocating for patients, and being a leader in bringing communities together to save lives.