Clinical Scientist in Nephrology program award recipients

Dr. Alexandra Bicki (2023 CSN fellow)

Dr. Alexandra Bicki is a pediatric nephrology fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. She will be working on identifying facilitators and barriers to home dialysis and living kidney donor transplantation among adolescents and young adults. Dr. Bicki will study the factors that lead to high morbidity and mortality rates among adolescents and young adults with kidney failure compared to other age groups receiving dialysis. She will interview patients, caregivers and providers and perform statistical analyses with data from the U.S. Renal Data System to understand whether systems-level factors of dialysis facilities, such as social worker support, are associated with access to kidney transplantation. The results from these analyses will be crucial for the development of an intervention to address barriers and increase uptake of home dialysis and living donor transplantation among adolescents and young adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). 

Dr. Bicki earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from the University of Miami and her medical degree and master's in public health from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She completed her residency and chief residency in pediatrics at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School and is currently a pediatric nephrology fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. 

Dr. Jillian Caldwell (2022 CSN fellow)

Jillian Caldwell, DO, is a nephrology fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Caldwell will examine the interplay between immunologic matching in kidney transplants and equitable access to transplantation. While immunologically matched kidney transplants demonstrate better outcomes in terms of patient and kidney survival, racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive fully-matched kidneys, a disparity historically attributed to the genetic makeup of the donor pool. Her project will examine the reasons for this disparity and evaluate alternative kidney allocation strategies that enhance access to well-matched kidney transplants.

Dr. Caldwell's long-term goals include devising better systems, including policy changes, to enhance access and equity in kidney transplantation.

Dr. Caldwell earned her Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience at McGill University and her medical degree at Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her residency at the University of Illinois-Chicago and is now in a nephrology fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California.

Dr. Janewit Wongboonsin (2022 CSN fellow)

Janewit Wongboonsin, MD, MS, is a clinical and research fellow in the Brigham and Women's Hospital-Massachusetts General Hospital Renal Fellowship Program conducting his post-doctoral research at Boston Children's Hospital. He will study the genetic signatures of nephrotic syndrome, a rare disorder with a group of symptoms that indicate a person's kidneys are losing essential proteins in the urine, through an existing electronic health record-linked biobank of 130,000 participants of the Mass General Brigham Biobank. Dr. Wongboonsin hopes to expand the understanding of the prevalence and clinical impact of nephrotic syndrome genetic variants and create a large, genetically mapped cohort of patients that will be valuable for current and future clinical genetic epidemiology studies. These discoveries may also be used to inform a precision medicine approach to kidney disease.

His professional goal is to become an independent investigator in kidney genetics, leading a translational kidney genomics research program.

Dr. Wongboonsin earned his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, in Bangkok, Thailand. After completing his residency, chief residency, and Master of Science in Clinical Research at the University of Minnesota, he is a nephrology fellow in the BWH-MGH Renal Fellowship Program and a research fellow at Boston Children's Hospital.

Dr. Elizabeth Kermgard (2021 CSN fellow)

Elizabeth Kermgard, MD, is a pediatric nephrology fellow at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Kermgard will study the relationship between the gut microbiome, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) resistance in patients on chronic dialysis. It is known that our gut microbiome and the production of SCFAs are important for normal bone regulation, but what is not known is if this relationship holds true for those with CKD. Better understanding this relationship could shed light on new possible interventions to treat bone and mineral disease in CKD patients. Her research will enroll 48 pediatric dialysis patients between the ages of six and 21. Her team will collect blood and stool samples to look at shotgun sequencing of the gut microbiome, conduct analysis of serum and stool SCFAs as well as PTH and PTH fragment levels, an important indicator of mineral and bone disease in CKD patients.

In parallel with her research, Dr. Kermgard will pursue a Master of Science in Clinical, Biomedical and Translational Investigations degree at the University of Southern California (USC). Dr. Kermgard completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Saint Louis University. After medical school, she completed her pediatric internship and residency at CHLA, where she is currently completing her first year of fellowship in pediatric nephrology.

Dr. Christine Limonte (2021 CSN fellow)

Christine Limonte, MD, is a nephrology clinical research fellow at the University of Washington. Dr. Limonte's research will utilize novel analytics techniques to determine if blood vessel disease in the back of the eye, or retinopathy, can reveal information about kidney function and kidney disease. The goal of the investigation is to better diagnose and treat diabetic kidney disease. In a two-part study, Dr. Limonte will first use machine learning on medical record data from 10,000 patients to look at associations between kidney function and eye disease. In the second part, she will work with the Kidney Precision Medicine Project, a consortium sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, to analyze kidney biopsy samples from 75 people, using genetic data to help decipher mechanisms of kidney disease.

Dr. Limonte graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, where she concentrated in Neuroscience and received her medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Limonte completed her residency in internal medicine at Northwestern University, where she also participated in the Academy for Quality and Safety Improvement (AQSI) certificate program. During her residency, she spent one month volunteering at a community health clinic in Bolivia.

Dr. Anika Lucas (2020-2022)

Institution: Duke University

Dr. Anika Lucas is a nephrology fellow at Duke University. Dr. Lucas' research studies racial differences in adverse pregnancy and postpartum outcomes in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with a goal to more accurately identify women who are at particularly high risk for adverse events. Dr. Lucas is conducting detailed studies on an international cohort of women with SLE from the United States, Canada, Germany and Italy — one of the largest reported multi-ethnic cohort of pregnant women with SLE in the world — and evaluating the relations between maternal second trimester estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the likelihood of adverse pregnancy outcomes including preeclampsia, preterm birth, fetal loss and small for gestational age. She explores the potential role of APOL1 genetic mutations on these important outcomes.

Dr. Lucas is a graduate of Wellesley College, received a master's degree from Harvard Divinity School and obtained her medical degree at Temple University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Connecticut. As part of her research fellowship, Dr. Lucas received additional training in research methods through the Clinical Research Training Program at Duke.

Recent Research 

• Removing race from GFR estimates: balancing potential benefits and unintended consequences
• Only Part of the Story

Dr. Lucas' Bio

Dr. Maria Clarissa Tio (2020-2021)

Institution: University of Mississippi Medical Center

During her fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital's Joint Nephrology Program, Dr. Tio studied several emerging risk factors in CKD progression, particularly uric acid and oxalate, through mixed epidemiologic and physiologic approaches. Currently, she holds an Assistant Professor faculty position at the University of Mississippi (UMMC) in Jackson, MS, working with underserved patients at the only tertiary care center in the entire state. Dr. Tio is a graduate of the University of Philippines in Manila and the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and completed a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in May 2021.

Recent Research

• Plasma Endothelin-1 and Risk of Death and Hospitalization in Patients undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis

Dr. Tio's Bio

Dr. O. Alison Potok (2019-2021)

Institution: University of California, San Diego

Dr. O. Alison Potok completed her fellowship at the University of California, San Diego. She was born and raised in Paris, France, and completed her medical school training at Université Paris V René Descartes and a family medicine residency at Faculté de Médecine de Strasbourg. She then moved to the United States and completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. Throughout her years of training, Dr. Potok has cared for the elderly on multiple occasions and has developed a research interest in geriatric nephrology. Her research project aimed to better understand how two common markers used to estimate kidney function relate to aging and body composition. Clinicians usually estimate kidney function by calculating the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), using markers present in the blood, most commonly serum creatinine or cystatin C. Dr. Potok studied how differences in these estimates correlated with muscle mass and frailty in older adults. Her AKF Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship was funded by a grant from Akebia Therapeutics.

Recent Research

• Applying a Geriatrics Framework to Older Dialysis Patients' Needs: Getting There Is Half the Battle

Dr. Potok's Bio

Dr. Pablo Garcia (2019-2021)

Institution: Stanford University

As a second-year nephrology fellow at Stanford University, Dr. Pablo Garcia was awarded an AKF Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship funded in part by a grant from Amgen. He was born and raised in Guatemala. He received his medical degree from the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. He underwent clinical training in internal medicine at Rutgers/Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey before joining Stanford's fellowship program. Dr. Garcia's research project entitled, Exploring the epidemiology and etiology of primary tubulointerstitial kidney disease, sought to better understand the causes and prognosis of primary tubulointerstitial kidney disease. Dr. Garcia continues to work toward his ultimate career goal of becoming an academic nephrologist with focused interest and expertise in tubulointerstitial kidney disease and chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu).

Recent Research

• COVID19 vaccine type and humoral immune response in patients receiving dialysis

Dr. Garcia's Bio

Katherine Wang, MD (2018-2020)

Institution: Stanford University

Dr. Katherine Wang was Stanford University's 2018-2020 American Kidney Fund CSN fellow. Her research project: SPRINTing to intensive blood pressure targets: when, for whom, and how?, was an evaluation of the achievement of intensive blood pressure control in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). "I am enthusiastic and earnest about this opportunity. I wholly believe in the American Kidney Fund's commitment to fostering healthcare access, health literacy and prevention/progression of kidney disease", said Dr. Wang. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Rochester and her medical school and residency training in internal medicine at Albany Medical College. Dr. Wang envisions an enriching career serving as an academic nephrologist. Her major interests are focused on improving hypertension outcomes, particularly in patients suffering with chronic kidney disease. She is currently a Clinical Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in the Division of Renal Medicine.

Recent Research

• Factors Associated With Failure to Achieve the Intensive Blood Pressure Target in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT)

Dr. Wang's Bio

Jessica Tangren, MD (2017-2018)

Dr. Jessica Tangren is a third year fellow in the Brigham and Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Joint Nephrology Fellowship Program. As the 2017-2018 American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow, Dr. Tangren's research project is titled "Renal and Vascular Dysfunction After Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in Young Women – Implications for Pregnancy and Beyond."

Dr. Tangren's career goal is to become a physician-scientist in nephrology, with a focus on the management of kidney disease in women. "The mission of the American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology program aligns with my own career goals. I have a core commitment to patient advocacy, and I am driven to conduct research to improve the quality of care we provide for women with kidney disease," Dr. Tangren said.

Dr. Tangren's AKF Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship is funded in part by a grant from Amgen.

Anoop Sheshadri, MD (2016-2017)

While completing his renal fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Sheshadri was awarded the American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship, funded by Amgen and Sanofi Renal. Dr. Sheshadri's research was titled Pedometers and Exercise in Dialysis. Aims of his research included determining whether a pedometer-based walking intervention would result in increased physical activity in patients treated with dialysis, and whether increased physical activity in patients treated with dialysis would result in improved physical function and in endothelial function. Currently, Dr. Sheshadri sees patients at the Nephrology and Hypertension Faculty Practice at the UCSF Medical Center, where he is also a Clinical Instructor.

Megan Yanik, MD (2016-2017)

When awarded an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship funded by Amgen and Sanofi Renal, Dr. Yanik was also in the process of completing her fellowship in pediatric nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Yanik's research was to determine the influence the CYP3A5 genotype has on the time to achieve a therapeutic level of tacrolimus in pediatric kidney transplant recipients, and to determine the influence of CYP3A5 genotype on risk for acute rejection episodes in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. Dr. Yanik is currently, Assistant Professor and Pediatric Nephrologist at Children's Hospital of Alabama – Nephrology.

John Stanifer, MD, MSc (2015-2017)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow, as well as a fellow at Duke University's Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Dr. Stanifer's research aimed to assess the health literacy of individuals with chronic kidney disease from an underserved community in southeastern North Carolina with a large American Indian and African American population. Dr. Stanifer is now a Medical Instructor in the Department of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. Read a post by Dr. Stanifer on our blog, Kidney Today.

 

Susan Wong, MD (2014-2016)

Dr. Wong was awarded the American Kidney Fund-Sanofi Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship as a nephrology fellow at the University of Washington Medical Center. Dr. Wong researched the reasons some older adults do not receive dialysis as treatment for kidney failure, and the circumstances under which that decision occurs. Dr. Wong is currently Assistant Professor of Nephrology Medicine at Kidney Research Institute in Seattle, Washington.

Elaine Ku, MD, (2013-2014)

Awarded the American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship while at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Ku's project was titled Impact of Pre-End Renal Disease Management on Outcomes After Development of End-stage Renal Disease. The major goal of this study was to understand whether and how mortality risk among ESRD patients is affected by the intensity of blood pressure control during CKD. Currently, Dr. Ku is Assistant Professor at UCSF Department of Medicine – Nephrology.



 

Sagar Nigwekar MD (2012-2013)

Dr. Nigwekar was awarded the American Kidney Fund-Sanofi Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship, as a research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. His research examined calciphylaxis and the role of vitamin D analogues and the evaluation of serum biomarker. Currently, Dr. Nigwekar is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Margaret Yu, MD (2012-2014)

Dr. Yu was awarded the American Kidney Fund-Sanofi Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship while she was a nephrology fellow at the University of Washington. Dr. Yu's research examined the gender differences in chronic kidney disease prevalence, risk factors and progression in an outpatient diabetic population. Dr. Yu is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford.

Katherine Lynch, MD (2012-2014)

Dr. Lynch was awarded the American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship as a nephrology fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Lynch's research examined the clinical effectiveness of common interventions aimed at mitigating intradialytic hypotension. She is currently a nephrologist, and Instructor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Graham Abra, MD (2011-2013)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Neprhology fellow at Stanford School of Medicine, Dr. Abra's project focused on the design of an electronic health record-based intervention, using alerts for physicians, pharmacists and nurses, for medications in need of adjustment in patients with hospital-acquired acute kidney injuries (AKI). Pre and post-intervention response times to medication adjustment, adverse drug events, length of stay and risk-adjusted cost in patients with hospital acquired AKI, were evaluated in order to learn process improvement through electronic health record order set design, multidisciplinary committee work and intervention analysis. Dr. Abra is currently Director of Medical Clinical Affairs at Satellite Healthcare in Northern California.

Ernest Mandel, MD (2011-2013)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School's Channing Laboratory, Dr. Mandel examined the role of diet in acid-base balance and the development and progression of chronic diseases, with a focus on developing preventive strategies to lessen their disease burden. Currently, Dr. Mandel is Associate Director at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital Joint Nephrology Fellowship Program.

Jamie Green, MD (2010-2012)

As an American Kidney Fund-Genzyme Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Green's study assessed the association of health literacy with dialysis treatment adherence in patients receiving in-center hemodialysis. Dr. Green is currently a Clinical Investigator at Geisinger Health in Pennsylvania.

Jenny Shen, MD (2010-2012)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen CSN Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Stanford University, Dr. Shen's research, titled Risks and Benefits of Heparin Use in Maintenance Hemodialysis, determined the associations among heparin dose and the risks of important clinical events. Her study also described patterns and correlates of heparin use in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis at the facilities of a national provider of dialysis services. Dr. Shen is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCLA.

Delphine Tuot, MD (2010-2012)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen CSN Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Tuot's research determined whether patient awareness of CKD is associated with greater application of evidence-based medical regimens in a nationally representative sample. Additionally, her study sought to determine concordance between physician recognition and patient awareness of CKD in clinical settings with diverse patients in the San Francisco Bay area. Currently, Dr. Tuot is as Associate Professor at UCSF School of Medicine.

Julie Wright-Nunes, MD (2009-2011)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen CSN Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Dr. Wright-Nunes' research titled, Facilitating Physician Delivered CKD Patient Education, evaluated the impact of low literacy materials used by nephrologists while delivering patient CKD education and care. Dr. Wright-Nunes is a nephrologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan.

Nisha Bansal, MD (2008-2010)

As an American Kidney Fund-Genzyme Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Bansal's research focused on the impact of CKD on the clinical presentation of coronary artery disease. Additionally, her study examined the role of CKD-specific risk factors and medication use on the presentation of coronary artery disease. Dr. Bansal is Assistant Professor in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Washington Medical Center, in Seattle.

Tamara Isakova, MD (2008-2010)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen CSN Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Isakova's research titled Postprandial Hypocalcemia in Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in Early Chronic Kidney Disease, sought to enhance understanding of postprandial calcium and parathyroid metabolism and how to normalize these in early CKD. Dr. Isakova is currently Director at the Institute for Public Health and Medicine–Center for Translational Metabolism and Health at Northwestern Medicine's Feinberg School of Medicine.

Carmen Peralta, MD (2007-2008)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Peralta's research examined the roles that individual genetic ancestry and socioeconomic status play in chronic kidney disease, and how these factors impact the progression to end stage renal disease. Dr. Peralta is an Associate Professor at UCSF School of Medicine.

Tammy Brady, MD, MHS (2006-2008)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow from Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Brady investigated whether an automated computerized algorithm increased the recognition of elevated blood pressures in an urban primary pediatric clinic setting.  Dr. Brady also worked to identify the modifiable risk factors associated with poor physician recognition of elevated blood pressures during well-child visits, and to determine the prevalence of hypertension in the stated population over a twelve month period. She was awarded Best Clinical Abstract at the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology annual meeting in 2007 for her work on this project.  In July 2008, Dr. Brady joined the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Nephrology. She is currently, Medical Director of the Pediatric Hypertension Program at Johns Hopkins.

Orlando Gutierrez, MD, MMSc (2006-2008)

As an American Kidney Fund-Genzyme Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow from Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Gutierrez examined novel connections between disorders of phosphorus metabolism and cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease. In addition, Dr. Gutierrez examined differences in phosphorus metabolism in healthy patients, and in those with chronic kidney disease.  Dr. Gutierrez was named the 2008 Valedictorian of the Scholars in Clinical Science Program at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Gutierrez is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.

Jeffrey Fadrowski, MD, MHS (2005-2006)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Fadrowski examined the type of vascular access in a cohort of pediatric hemodialysis patients and the relationship between the type of vascular access and the frequency of infection and hospitalization. Dr. Fadrowski is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is also the recipient of NIH's K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award and the National Kidney Foundation's Young Investigator Grant Award.

Krista Lentine, MD, MS (2004-2005)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri, Dr. Lentine explored registry data from the USRDS, OPTN and Medicare, to investigate the risk, predictors and outcomes of cardiovascular disease events after kidney transplantation. During her CSN fellowship, she completed a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology degree from Stanford University. Since completing her CSN fellowship, she has earned a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Loan Repayment Award for Clinical Research and a five-year Career Development (K-series) Award from the NIH National Institute of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Diseases, for her active interests in the cardiovascular complications of kidney disease. Dr. Lentine is a tenured Associate Professor at Saint Louis University, with appointments to the Center for Outcomes Research and the Division of Nephrology.

Eric Taylor, MD (2004-2006)

As an American Kidney Fund-Genzyme Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the Brigham and Women's Hospital of Massachusetts, Dr. Taylor evaluated novel risk factors for kidney stone formation. During his fellowship, he completed his Masters of Science in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Taylor has authored over 40 original research publications. He is a nephrologist at Maine Nephrology Associates, in Portland, Maine.

Yoshio Hall, MD (2003-2005)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Hall investigated differential outcomes among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans with ESRD. During his fellowship, Dr. Hall completed the UCSF Advanced Training in Clinical Research Program. He is currently Director of the Nephrology Fellowship Training Program, as well as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the Kidney Research Institute at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Karen Smirnakis, MD, PhD (2003-2005)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Smirnakis' research interests focused on the prevention of end-stage renal disease by early diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus. Her project examined postpartum screening for diabetes among women with a history of gestational diabetes. Dr. Smirnakis completed a Masters of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. She is currently Medical Director, Safety Risk and Benefit at Biogen.

Manjula Kurella Tamura, MD, MPH (2002-2004)

As an American Kidney Fund-Genzyme Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the University of California San Francisco, Dr. Kurella Tamura focused on the impact of chronic kidney disease in the elderly. Her proposal focused on cognitive function in elderly patients with advanced renal failure. Dr. Kurella Tamura received a Master of Public Health degree from University of California, Berkeley. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at Stanford University and the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

Jeffrey Rubel, MD (2001-2003)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Rubel evaluated the effectiveness of established guidelines for treating and preventing coronary artery disease, and the ability of health care providers to successfully implement these strategies.  Dr. Rubel completed a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Rubel now practices at Beverly Hospital in Massachusetts.

Holly J. Kramer, MD, MPH (2000-2002)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Kramer conducted what may be the first study to investigate the effects of hormone replacement therapy on morbidity and mortality in post-menopausal women with ESRD.  Also during her CSN fellowship, Dr. Kramer completed a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Kramer joined the faculty at Loyola Medical Center in 2002 with a joint appointment in the Department of Preventive Medicine and in the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension. Currently, Dr. Kramer is an investigator, Associate Professor and Program Director for the MPH Program at Loyola University Medical Center.

Preston S. Klassen, MD, MHS (2000-2001)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Duke University, Dr. Klassen conducted an in-depth study of the relationship between blood pressure and clinical outcomes in dialysis patients.  Dr. Klassen had the unique opportunity to spend part of his fellowship at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Baltimore, Maryland. During his fellowship, Dr. Klassen completed the requirements for a Master of Health Science degree at the Duke University Clinical Research Training Program. He was also previously on the faculty of Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Klassen is now Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer at Arena Pharmaceuticals.

Liam Casserly, MD, MSc (1999-2001) 

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Boston Medical Center, Dr. Casserly conducted a study of hypertensive heart disease among ESRD patients and completed a Master of Science degree in epidemiology and biostatistics at Boston University's School of Public Health. He is now an academic nephrologist in Ireland.

Chi-Yuan Hsu, MD, MSc (1998-2000)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and later at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Hsu completed a study of the risk factors for chronic renal insufficiency. During his fellowship he also earned a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Hsu became Chief of the Division of Nephrology at UCSF in 2008 and has since been promoted to Professor. 

Rulan S. Parekh, MD, MSc (1997-1999)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Dr. Parekh conducted a study of cardiovascular mortality in children with ESRD. She also completed a Master of Public Health degree, with a concentration in biostatistics and clinical research. Dr. Parekh is Associate Chief, Clinical Research at Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute and Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Hospital for Sick Children, University Health Network and University of Toronto.

Lynda Szczech, MD, MSCE (1996-1997) 

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Dr. Szczech's project was titled, The Impact of Post-Transplant Antibody Therapy on Kidney Transplant Survival. She has published several clinical articles and has most recently served as Executive Medical Director at FibroGen, Inc.

Ravi Thadhani, MD, MPH (1995-1998)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Thadhani conducted research on pregnancy-related kidney disease and earned a Master in Public Health degree. Dr. Thadhani is currently a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Nephrology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. As of September, 2017, Dr. Thadhani was appointed as Vice Dean, Research and Education at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.

David M. Kates, MD, MHSc (1994-1996)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the University of Washington, School of Medicine in Seattle, Dr. Kates studied cardiovascular disease in ESRD patients. Formally, Dr. Kates was the Director of the Renal Program at Kelowna General Hospital, and the Director of the Regional Transplant Program. In 1996, Dr. Kates founded David Kates Medical Services Inc.

Glenn M. Chertow, MD, MPH (1993-1995)

As an American Kidney Fund-Amgen Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Dr. Chertow conducted research on nutrition and kidney disease and earned a Master's Degree in Clinical Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Chertow is currently Professor of Medicine and Chief, Division of Nephrology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Prior to joining the faculty at Stanford, Dr. Chertow served with distinction on the faculties at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School (1995-98) and the University of California San Francisco (1998-2007).  Dr. Chertow has established a successful career as a clinical investigator and continues to maintain a productive research program focused on improving care for persons with acute and chronic kidney disease.  He was Vice Chair and member of two workgroups for the Kidney Disease Quality Outcomes Initiative (K/DOQI) and Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

David A. Roth, MD, MSCE (1992-1994)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Roth conducted research on renal disease among African Americans and earned a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology degree. Dr. Roth is currently Vice President, Medicines Development Leader at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals in Philadelphia, PA.

Rebecca L. Hegeman, MD, MPH (1991-1993)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow, Dr. Hegeman researched renal failure in transplantation as she completed classes required for a Master of Public Health. Dr. Hegeman is currently Clinical Professor and Interim Director at the University of Iowa College Of Medicine, Nephrology Division in Iowa City. 

Gary C. Curhan, MD, ScD (1990-1992) 

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow, Dr. Curhan conducted studies focusing on kidney stones. This research has served as the foundation for the ground-breaking kidney stone research that Dr. Curhan currently pursues at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.  Dr. Curhan is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, as well as Editor-in-Chief of a leading nephrology journal, the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Rhonda B. Rubin, MD (1989-1991)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York, Dr. Rubin studied the impact and special needs of AIDS and HIV infected patients in dialysis units. She has also co-authored numerous research articles. Dr. Rubin currently works at Westchester Health medical group in Valhalla, NY.

Stephen R. Smith, MD, MHS (1989-1991)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Smith studied the effects of potassium chloride supplementation on blood pressure among elderly patients. Dr. Smith joined the Duke University faculty and became Medical Director of the Kidney Transplant Program in 1993 and Training Program Director for the Nephrology Fellowship in 2005. Currently, Dr. Smith is Clinical Affairs, Vice Chief at Duke University School of Medicine.  

Maria E. Ferris, MD, MPH, PhD (1989-1991)

As an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow at the University of California, San Diego, Dr. Ferris studied congenital renal and urinary tract conditions. Dr. Ferris is Founder and Director of the UNC Transition Program, as well as an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.