Program overview

For over 30 years, the American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology (CSN) fellowship program has funded researchers whose work is designed to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for patients living with chronic kidney disease and has promoted clinical research in nephrology. Our CSN fellows conduct prevention and outcomes research while receiving advanced training in areas related to the AKF vision.

The CSN program has trained some of nephrology's brightest scholars who have gone on to become leaders in the field and mentors to new generations of scientists studying kidney disease. Many former CSN fellows have conducted groundbreaking research that advances knowledge and treatment of kidney disease.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Drs. Alexandra Bicki, Glenn Chertow, Gary Curhan, Maria E. Diaz-Gonzalez de Ferris, Christine Limonte, and Alison Potok for sharing their experiences as program alumni and for paving the way for future fellows. View their stories below.

Meet our 2026 CSN fellows

Sophie Claudel, MD 

Sophie Claudel, MD is a nephrology fellow at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, where she studies the intersection of kidney and cardiovascular diseases.  She earned her MD from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and completed a clinical research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health during her medical school training. She completed her internal medicine residency and chief year at Boston Medical Center through the NIH R38-funded Promoting Research in Medical Residency (PRIMER) pathway.

Dr. Claudel's research examines the bidirectional relationship between chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. By integrating epidemiology, clinical phenotyping, and 'omics' approaches, she aims to uncover shared mechanisms of disease and inform strategies for prevention. Her research will examine the proteomics of albuminuria and subclinical vascular disease among a unique population of individuals without diabetes or low kidney function. She hopes that uncovering the shared pathways between early kidney and vascular disease will provide insight into new treatments to stop disease progression. 

"Kidney and heart disease are deeply interconnected, yet the molecular pathways linking them remain poorly understood, especially in the earliest stages, when injury is clinically silent and opportunities for intervention are most easily missed. My research focuses on the proteins and pathways that connect albuminuria and vascular injury at these critical early timepoints, with the goal of identifying new targets for detection and treatment before irreversible damage occurs. The American Kidney Fund's mission to fight kidney disease and help people live healthier lives is exactly what drives this work: if we can intervene earlier, we can change outcomes for the millions of patients living with, or at risk for, kidney and cardiovascular disease. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to pursue this science through the Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship." 

Dr. Liz Kiernan

Dr. Kiernan is a clinical research fellow in nephrology at University of Washington in Seattle. Her research is focused on the study of endothelial cell biology across kidney diseases. Endothelial cells are a specialized cell type which line blood vessels and are integral to preservation of kidney function by regulating blood flow, filtration and inflammation. Using advanced cellular and molecular techniques including single cell sequencing, Dr. Kiernan will investigate endothelial cell signaling using kidney biopsies from patients with diabetes and acute kidney injury. Her goal is to identify specific molecular patterns that indicate endothelial injury and to understand their association with histopathologic and clinical outcomes. Dr. Kiernan hopes to apply these findings to improve non-invasive assessment of disease and to guide development of targeted therapies that will benefit patients as individuals.

Dr. Liz Kiernan is a clinical research fellow in nephrology at University of Washington in Seattle. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at the Pennsylvania State University and her Medical Degree at Temple University School of Medicine. She then completed her residency in Internal Medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and served as an Assistant Chief of Service in 2024 - 2025.

"I chose to become a nephrologist to help patients who suffer from a disease that is often recognized late in its course with life altering implications. Modern scientific research methods have equipped us with tools to enable earlier disease identification and to reveal mechanisms that drive disease progression. I believe nephrology stands at the precipice of transformative advancements that will improve the lives of our patients. I am honored to receive the support of the American Kidney Fund and to join a community of scientists devoted to this mission."