Research Spotlight

See how NKF researchers are making strides in the fight against kidney disease.

Kevin Erickson, MD, MS

Kevin Erickson, MD, MS

Kevin Erickson, MD, MS is researching whether nephrology care before ESRD develops can help patients keep their jobs

Connie M. Rhee, MD

Connie M. Rhee, MD, MSc

Connie M. Rhee, MD, MSc examines whether thyroid hormone replacement improves new dialysis patients’ quality of life.

John Richard Lee, MD

John Richard Lee, MD

John Richard Lee, MD lead the development of new tests to decrease peritonitis in home peritoneal dialysis.

Meghan Pearl, MD

Meghan Pearl, MD

Meghan Pearl, MD, is studying AT1R-Ab antibodies in pediatric kidney transplantation.

Dr. Avi Rosenberg

Dr. Avi Rosenberg

Dr. Rosenberg is studying APOL1-Related Nephropathies including testing and novel therapies.

Elaine Ku, MD

Elaine Ku, MD

Dr. Ku is studying the weight trajectory in adults versus children on dialysis, including examining the association between weight change before dialysis and risk of death after dialysis in adults.

Hanni Menn-Josephy, MD

Hanni Menn-Josephy, MD

Dr. Menn-Josephy is conducting basic and translational research in the area of lupus and autoimmune kidney disease, focusing on the effect of Interferon Regulatory Factor 5 (IRF5) in the signaling pathway of toll-like receptors in mice models and in patients with lupus disease

Divya Moodalbail, MD

Divya Moodalbail, MD

Dr. Moodalbail is studying the genetic risk for kidney disease in comparison to the number of laboratory markers of the disease in children and young adults with Sickle Cell Disease.

Oleg Palygin, PhD

Oleg Palygin, PhD

Oleg Palygin is studying how oxidative stress contributes to the progression of hypertension and kidney damage.

Katherine Lynch, MD

Katherine Lynch, MD

Dr. Lynch is studying the effects of smell and taste loss in order to identify ways to combat malnutrition in patients with kidney disease.

Ilse Daehn, PhD

Ilse Daehn, PhD

Ilse is researching what happens to cells within the kidneys when they are injured, and how to prevent the injured cells from causing further damage.

Ciaran McMullan, MD

Ciaran McMullan, MD

Dr. McMullan is studying how sleep impacts the kidneys and whether more sleep and melatonin supplementation can improve kidney function.

Dr. Maria Hadjifrangiskou

Dr. Maria Hadjifrangiskou

Dr. Maria Hadjifrangiskou is Researching New Solutions to Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections

Dr. Jenny Shen

Dr. Jenny Shen

Dr. Jenny Shen is Exploring the Patterns of Adherence to Medications Used to Treat Cardiovascular Conditions in ESRD Patients.

Sagar Nigwekar, MD, MMSc

Sagar Nigwekar, MD, MMSc

Dr. Sagar Nigwekar is on the front lines of calciphylaxis

Benjamin Freedman, PhD

Benjamin Freedman, PhD

Dr. Benjamin Freedman is working to take PKD out of the patient

Jeff Zhang

Jeff Zhang

Jeff Zhang Finding a New Way to Detect Kidney Damage

Dr. Alex Chang

Dr. Alex Chang

Dr. Alex Chang Studies the Effects of Phosphorous on Early-Stage CKD

Dr. Marta Christov

Dr. Marta Christov

Dr. Christov’s NKF-funded research initiative to discover alternative ways to remove phosphorus from the body.

Dr. Sahir Kalim

Dr. Sahir Kalim

Dr. Sahir Kalim Studies Therapies to Better Replicate Natural Kidney Function

Dr. Martina McGrath

Dr. Martina McGrath

Dr. Martina McGrath, researches therapies that may help prevent organ transplant rejection.

Dr. Tengis Pavlov

Dr. Tengis Pavlov

Dr. Tengis Pavlov Researches Polycystic Kidney Disease

Dr. Weiben Zhou

Dr. Weiben Zhou

Dr. Weiben Zhou Studies the Human Genome for Clues about Kidney Disease

The National Kidney Foundation gratefully acknowledges that the NKF Young Investigator Grant Program is made possible by support from (or in honor of) the following organizations and individuals:

American Society of Nephrology
Amgen
Bristol Myers Squibb
Victor Chaltiel Foundation
Fresenius Medical Care
GSK
Gambro
Shaul G. Massry, MD
Pfizer Laboratories
Solomon Papper, MD
Patricia Welder Robinson
Donald Seldin, MD
George Schreiner, MD
Robert Schrier, MD
Hilda Gershon Sugarman
Diana Goldberg