Transplant goes beyond survival – Putting patients at the center of multidisciplinary care and research

Background

Transplantation medicine has evolved over decades into a life-saving and life-restoring discipline, spanning solid organ transplantation (kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, intestine), hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA). While graft and patient survival remain core clinical endpoints, the field is increasingly recognizing that psychosocial, bioethical, and patient-reported outcomes are equally decisive for long-term success. Mental health, quality of life, adherence to immunosuppression, body image, identity, family dynamics, return to work, and the ethics of candidate selection and informed consent all shape what transplantation truly delivers to patients and their communities.

The goal of this Frontiers Research Topic is to bring together current and ongoing investigations into the psychosocial and broader non-clinical dimensions of transplantation medicine. We invite contributions on topics including, but not limited to:

• Psychological assessment and follow-up of candidates, recipients, and living donors
• Quality of life and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) across transplant types
• Mental health, coping, post-traumatic stress, and resilience in transplant recipients
• Adherence to immunosuppression and behavioral interventions
• Bioethical considerations in candidate selection, consent, allocation, and living donation
• Family, caregiver, and social support dimensions
• Cultural, socioeconomic, and equity-related determinants of transplant outcomes
• Multidisciplinary and team-science approaches to psychosocial care
• Pediatric and adolescent transplantation: developmental and family-centered perspectives
• Comparative perspectives across solid organ, stem cell, and vascularized composite allotransplantation
• Technological innovation in multidisciplinary care

By placing the patient at the center of multidisciplinary research, this Research Topic aims to consolidate evidence and stimulate innovation that helps the field evolve beyond purely clinical endpoints toward outcomes that restore dignity, function, and meaningful participation in life.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: psychology, psychosocial outcomes, solid organ transplantation, quality of life, patient-reported outcomes, bioethics, mental health, adherence, team science, patient-centered medicine, VCA, stem cell transplantation, multidisciplinary care

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.