--- title: "Sister’s Gift Represents Transplant First at Sutter Health | Sutter Health" description: "CPMC in San Francisco has performed its first fully robotic living-donor kidney transplant, marking a significant milestone for the system’s transplant program." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/sisters-gift-represents-transplant-first-at-sutter-health-2077752312" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Patient Stories](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) / 3. Sister’s Gift Represents Transplant First at Sutter Health # Sister’s Gift Represents Transplant First at Sutter Health * * * 2026 Contributor: [Eric Miller](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-eric-t-miller-1046247503) Sutter’s CPMC in San Francisco has performed its first fully robotic living-donor kidney transplant, marking a significant milestone for the system’s transplant program. The procedure used the da Vinci 5 robotic system for both the donor nephrectomy, or kidney removal, and the recipient transplant, placing CPMC among a small number of U.S. centers offering this advanced, minimally invasive approach. The transplant was performed on Juan Chavez, 43, who received a kidney from his sister, Alyson Chavez, 28, a nurse at Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. Read more in [The Turlock Journal](https://www.turlockjournal.com/news/local/turlock-woman-gives-brother-the-gift-of-life/) “This is where transplant surgery is going,” said [Eric Miller, M.D.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-eric-t-miller-1046247503), surgical director of CPMC’s Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program, who led both procedures. “Using robotics allows us to operate with a level of precision that can make a real difference for patients, including less pain, smaller incisions and, in many cases, a faster recovery. Just as important, it allows us to tailor the approach to each patient and their specific needs.” ## A Rare, Fully Robotic Approach Fewer than 30 of the roughly 250 transplant centers in the United States currently perform robotic kidney transplants, making the approach relatively rare. Early clinical experience suggests it can improve recovery time and shorten hospital stays. Bringing the capability to CPMC required years of planning and collaboration. Dr. Miller worked closely with Dr. Harish Mahanty, surgical director of Sutter’s Kidney Transplant Program, and consulted with Dr. Mohammed Eltemamy of the Cleveland Clinic, an early adopter of the technique. The procedure also relied on a multidisciplinary team of nurses, physician assistants, anesthesiologists and transplant coordinators to manage the complexity of a living-donor transplant, which involves two patients and two simultaneous surgeries. Both donor and recipient were recovering well the following day. ## Building on Legacy, Expanding What’s Next This latest milestone reflects the continued evolution of its transplant program and expansion of advanced surgical capabilities across Sutter Health. Philanthropy is helping move this work forward, including through its [Living Donor Champion initiative](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/living-kidney-donation), which reduces barriers for patients and donors and expands access to transplant sooner. Sutter’s new [Limited Sobriety Pathway](https://vitals.sutterhealth.org/a-second-chance-that-changed-everything/) is also helping liver transplant patients get care sooner, taking a more flexible, individualized approach to sobriety while maintaining strong clinical oversight. Read more about the patients in The _[Modesto Bee](https://www.modbee.com/living/health-fitness/article316092935.html?giftCode=1277ad25b55bbb313ffb123dab3102d33f8afc502757f9a104ec1303bec1a116)_. ## Discover similar stories Choose a service topic below to read more stories like this one. [Kidney transplant services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories?verticalKey=patient_story&facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_services.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Kidney+transplant+services%22%5D%7D%5D) ## Advanced care for new beginnings We’ve cared for more than 10,000 transplant patients, providing life-saving care from evaluation to post-surgery support. [Request a referral](https://www.sutterhealth.org/referrals) ## Meet our care team ![Eric T. Miller, M.D.](http://a.mktgcdn.com/p/kztgQPgDLuSwjpyrTGCigUxYpmAHhvZyQ6esY6_83T0/480x480.png) [Eric T. Miller, M.D.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-eric-t-miller-1046247503) Urology Kidney Transplant ## Related articles [View all articles](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) - Patient story ### [Integrated Care Across Our System: Matt’s Story](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/integrated-care-across-our-system-matts-story-2050673193) Matthew Lee and his family are grateful for the seamless, integrated care he received at Sutter throughout his journey to receiving a kidney transplant at CPMC. - Patient story ### [A gift for Gabby: She gets new kidney from sister-in-law](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/a-gift-for-gabby-she-gets-new-kidney-from-sister-in-law-2023563952) Gabby Rojas has a big reason to smile. That’s because she just got a life-saving kidney from her sister-in-law, Danielle Rojas. - Patient story ### [Auburn Couple Reclaims Life After Living Donor Kidney Transplant](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/auburn-couple-reclaims-life-after-living-donor-kidney-transplant-2077752313) After 39 years of marriage, Stephanie Herrera stepped forward to donate one of her kidneys to her husband Rick. [View all articles](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) ## Disclaimer _Each individual’s treatment and/or results may vary based upon circumstances and the healthcare provider’s medical judgment. Testimonials or statements made by any person(s) within this site are not intended to guarantee outcomes or substitute for medical advice._ ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/sisters-gift-represents-transplant-first-at-sutter-health-2077752312#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patient Stories","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Sister’s Gift Represents Transplant First at Sutter Health"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/sisters-gift-represents-transplant-first-at-sutter-health-2077752312#videoobject","name":"A Sutter Health First Robotic Kidney Transplant ","inLanguage":"en-US","thumbnailUrl":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/jit/817826402001/9a02091c-e369-442a-9fb2-2bcc5786eede/main/1280x720/43s253ms/match/image.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-07-07T19:29:36.260Z","embedUrl":"https://players.brightcove.net/817826402001/79bcaa57-54d7-453c-9f1f-8ab3ef7b15de/index.html?videoId=6400462404112","description":"Stanislaus siblings are patients in Sutter Health's first robotic kidney transplant. ","duration":"PT1M27S","transcript":"[MUSIC PLAYING]\n\nERIC MILLER: So we just finished a robotically assisted\nlaparoscopic donor nephrectomy for a woman, sister,\nwho is donating to her brother.\nIt went great.\nI was very proud of the team, very proud of the case,\nand obviously CPMC.\nThe special aspect of today's case\nis that the entire process from start to finish,\ndonor nephrectomy is being done with the DB5 platform\nrobotically.\nAnd then more unique is the fact that the recipient will also\nbe our first living donor case transplant\nwith the robot as well.\nThis means that we're now going to be able to hopefully,\nwe perfect this technique with the system,\nour teams can then move forward doing robotic transplants\nin a minimally invasive fashion or kidney transplants\nin a minimally invasive fashion, which will then give us\nthe utility, ability, future state of doing\nother transplants, maybe liver transplants, pancreas\ntransplants, and obviously continuing\nwith kidney transplants.\nSuper proud of our team, super excited\nfor the next step, which is going to be the recipient case.\nThat's obviously going to be the first in San Francisco\nand first for CPMC for sure.\nAnd it's just kind of helping the world understand\nthat we're trying to be better, do better, and do right\nby our patients.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]"} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/sisters-gift-represents-transplant-first-at-sutter-health-2077752312#article","name":"Sister’s Gift Represents Transplant First at Sutter Health","headline":"Sister’s Gift Represents Transplant First at Sutter Health","abstract":"CPMC in San Francisco has performed its first fully robotic living-donor kidney transplant, marking a significant milestone for the system’s transplant program.","description":"CPMC in San Francisco has performed its first fully robotic living-donor kidney transplant, marking a significant milestone for the system’s transplant program.","keywords":["Kidney transplant services"],"datePublished":"2026-06-24","dateModified":"2026-07-30","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/sisters-gift-represents-transplant-first-at-sutter-health-2077752312","inLanguage":"en-US","isAccessibleForFree":true,"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/sisters-gift-represents-transplant-first-at-sutter-health-2077752312","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/sisters-gift-represents-transplant-first-at-sutter-health-2077752312#breadcrumblist"}},"author":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization"},"video":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/sisters-gift-represents-transplant-first-at-sutter-health-2077752312#videoobject"},"articleBody":"Sutter’s CPMC in San Francisco has performed its first fully robotic living-donor kidney transplant, marking a significant milestone for the system’s transplant program. The procedure used the da Vinci 5 robotic system for both the donor nephrectomy, or kidney removal, and the recipient transplant, placing CPMC among a small number of U.S. centers offering this advanced, minimally invasive approach. The transplant was performed on Juan Chavez, 43, who received a kidney from his sister, Alyson Chavez, 28, a nurse at Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. Read more in The Turlock Journal “This is where transplant surgery is going,” said Eric Miller, M.D., surgical director of CPMC’s Living Donor Kidney Transplant Program, who led both procedures. “Using robotics allows us to operate with a level of precision that can make a real difference for patients, including less pain, smaller incisions and, in many cases, a faster recovery. Just as important, it allows us to tailor the approach to each patient and their specific needs.” A Rare, Fully Robotic Approach Fewer than 30 of the roughly 250 transplant centers in the United States currently perform robotic kidney transplants, making the approach relatively rare. Early clinical experience suggests it can improve recovery time and shorten hospital stays. Bringing the capability to CPMC required years of planning and collaboration. Dr. Miller worked closely with Dr. Harish Mahanty, surgical director of Sutter’s Kidney Transplant Program, and consulted with Dr. Mohammed Eltemamy of the Cleveland Clinic, an early adopter of the technique. The procedure also relied on a multidisciplinary team of nurses, physician assistants, anesthesiologists and transplant coordinators to manage the complexity of a living-donor transplant, which involves two patients and two simultaneous surgeries. Both donor and recipient were recovering well the following day. Building on Legacy, Expanding What’s Next This latest milestone reflects the continued evolution of its transplant program and expansion of advanced surgical capabilities across Sutter Health. Philanthropy is helping move this work forward, including through its Living Donor Champion initiative, which reduces barriers for patients and donors and expands access to transplant sooner. Sutter’s new Limited Sobriety Pathway is also helping liver transplant patients get care sooner, taking a more flexible, individualized approach to sobriety while maintaining strong clinical oversight. Read more about the patients in The Modesto Bee.","mentions":[{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider/dr-eric-t-miller-1046247503#Person","name":"Eric T. Miller, M.D."}]} ```