Desiree Kish

BSN, RN, CCTC

Liver Health Foundation is proud to honor all dedicated nurses by offering “2026 Nurse of the Year” award to Ms. Desiree Kish, BSN, RN, CCTC. Desiree has been on our radar screen for a while now. She not only is a compassionate nurse, but she is also an energetic advocate for all foundations and organizations that promote patients’ education. In her own non-assuming manner, at Cedars-Sinai, she hosts bake sales, operates a Hot Dog stand, and brings in yummy cookies to sell to her colleagues and doctors and to raise funds for her chosen charities. All her baked goods are baked and dreamed of by her unbelievable talent in baking and cooking. She is truly one of a kind individual.

Desiree is a Liver Transplant Coordinator at Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Transplant Center. Her more than two decades in nursing reflect a commitment to clinical excellence, lifelong learning, mentorship, service, and compassionate patient care. As a transplant Coordinator, she works hard to make sure those who need transplants are placed on the transplant list. We have heard from her patients about the calls they receive from her to make sure she has all the information she needs to present their case to the transplant board. Nothing stops her from finding ways to help the patients and their families.
Desiree earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kent State University in Ohio and became a registered nurse in 2004. She began her career in orthopedics, caring for patients undergoing knee, hip, and spine surgeries. After one year, she embarked on what would become an extraordinary 12-year career as a travel nurse. Her assignments took her throughout California and across the country, including Hawaii, New Orleans, Connecticut, and Alaska. Yet throughout those years of traveling, one place continually drew her back: Cedars-Sinai. Over multiple assignments, she gained experience in the float pool, orthopedic clinic, imaging, heart transplant, and lung transplant.

At the completion of her lung transplant assignment, Desiree realized she no longer wanted to leave Cedars-Sinai. When she asked her manager what opportunities were available in transplant, the answer was simple: “Liver.” Desiree initially responded that she knew nothing about liver transplantation. Her manager reminded her that she had once known little about heart or lung transplantation either, yet through determination and a willingness to learn, she had succeeded in both. Desiree accepted the challenge and was “all in.”

She began as a transplant nurse and immersed herself in learning the complexities of liver disease, transplantation, and the multidisciplinary care required throughout the transplant journey. As her knowledge, experience, and responsibilities grew, Desiree earned her certification as a Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator (CCTC). She subsequently advanced to Transplant Coordinator and then Transplant Coordinator II. Her commitment to professional development continues, and she intends to pursue advancement to Transplant Coordinator III in 2027.

Desiree credits much of her development in liver transplantation to the extraordinary mentors who invested in her: Michalyn Pelphrey, Brenda Durand, and Honore Kotler. Their willingness to share their knowledge, provide guidance, and encourage her growth helped shape the transplant coordinator she is today. Their example also taught her the importance of mentorship and of passing knowledge forward to others.

Desiree’s commitment to the transplant community extends well beyond her clinical responsibilities. Her passion for cooking and baking began in childhood while watching her mother in the kitchen. Over the years, that early interest developed into a particular talent for baking cakes and cookies—and eventually into an unexpected way to support causes close to her heart. For many years, Desiree has used her culinary skills to organize fundraising activities for charitable causes connected to her patients, profession, and personal values. At the Comprehensive Transplant Center, she has organized bake sales to raise funds for the Liver Health Foundation, an organization especially meaningful to her. Her fundraising efforts have expanded beyond bake sales to include raffles, potato, hot dog, and nacho bars, and other creative events designed to bring colleagues together while supporting causes important to the transplant community.

For Desiree, these activities represent more than fundraising. They are another way to serve. They combine something she genuinely loves with an opportunity to support liver health, contribute to causes affecting the patients she cares for, and foster camaraderie among her colleagues. That sense of community is what ultimately transformed Cedars-Sinai from just another travel assignment into Desiree’s professional home. She values camaraderie, mentorship, mutual respect, diversity, and willingness of colleagues to support one another. Whether she is coordinating complex transplant care, learning from and supporting her colleagues, advocating for the transplant community, or turning homemade cakes and cookies into funds for a cause she believes in, Desiree brings the same philosophy to her work: use what you know, continue learning what you do not, and find a way to make a difference.

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