Joseph Edward Murray (April 1, 1919 – November 26, 2012) was an American plastic surgeon who is known as the "father of transplantation" for major milestones in the field of transplantation, including performing the first successful human kidney transplant, defining brain death, organizing the first international conference on human kidney transplants, and founding the National Kidney Registry, the forerunner of the current United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). As of 2013, more than one million patients were estimated to have benefitted from organ transplantation around the world.