Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship Program Recipients

2023

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Mitra S. Jamshidian, MD, MS
The effect of SGLT2i on blood pressure and serum potassium in a real-world setting

Jonathan Levinsohn, MD, PhD
Genomics of Human Kidney Development and Early Maturation

Merve Postalcioglu, MD
Associations of urine epidermal growth factor with the onset and progression of chronic kidney disease

Esilida Sula Karreci, MD
Molecular and cellular involvement of the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone system in APOL1 kidney disease

Xiaoqiong Wei, PhD
Regulation of podocyte adhesion by SEL1L-HRD1 ERAD via integrin

Dimitrios G. Oreopoulos Research Fellow

Lashodya Vindana Dissanayake, MD, PhD
The role of uric acid homeostasis in salt-sensitive hypertension

Donald E. Wesson Research Fellow

Jielu Hao Robichaud, MD, PhD
A paradigm of cilia-mediated senescence in promoting disease progression after acute kidney injury

George B. Rathmann Research Fellow

Zeping Gui, MD
The role and mechanisms of innate allorecognition in renal allograft rejection

Jared J. Grantham Research Fellowship

Richard Samuel Babicz, MD
A novel aquaporin-2 signaling pathway as a target for disorders of renal water balance

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Ana C. Onuchic-Whitford, MD
Allele-specific expression in proteinuric kidney disorders: investigating a novel disease mechanism

2022

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Johnny Bou Saba, MD
Harnessing the Role of Reparative Tregs in Limiting Early Inflammation after Transplantation

Michael L. Granda, MD, MS
Scintigraphic Tubular Assessment of Renal Transplant Secretion

Benjamin Lidgard, MD
Medical Rate Versus Rhythm Control for the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation in Dialysis Patients

Jeffrey D. Pressly, PhD
Oxysterol-Binding Protein Like 7 in chronic kidney disease

Sho Sugahara, MD, PhD
The role of cyclin G1/CDK5 in maladaptive dedifferentiation

Donald E. Wesson Research Fellow

Qandeel H. Soomro, MD
Phenotyping of heart failure in chronic kidney disease using 12- lead ECG- identifying features for early identification

Jared J. Grantham Research Fellowship

Le Xiao, PhD
Elucidating the mechanism of TMED9 and MUC1-fs-meditated Mucin 1 kidney disease (MKD)

Joseph A. Carlucci Research Fellow

Bethany Birkelo, DO, MSc
The role of tubular secretory clearance in the kidney elimination of piperacillin-tazobactam

KidneyCure Research Fellow

Orhan Efe, MD
Selective Regulatory T Cell Expansion by A Novel IL-2 Mutein as a Glucocorticoid Minimizing Strategy in Glomerulonephritis

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Ester Oh, PhD
Vascular Function and Sex Hormones in Women with Chronic Kidney Disease

2021

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Fabian Bock, MD, PhD
Rac1 is required for renal tubular function and repair

Amanda J. Clark, MD
NAD+ Biosynthesis Impairment in Acute Kidney Injury

Irma Husain, MD
Role of Macrophage AIF-1 in Ischemia Reperfusion Injury and Kidney Allograft Rejection

Felix Poppelaars, MD, PhD
Molecular imaging: A novel tool for noninvasive tracking of disease activity in lupus nephritis.

Ghazal Z. Quinn, MD, FASN
Immune Cells in Renal Fibrosis and Chronic Kidney Disease

Dimitrios G. Oreopoulos Research Fellow

Dan Wang, PhD
The role of glomerular basement membrane glycation and stiffening in development of proteinuria

Donald E. Wesson Research Fellow

Caroline M. Hsu, MD
Predictors of Peritoneal Dialysis Technique Survival

George B. Rathmann Research Fellow

Konstantin Deutsch, MD
Recapitulating the Human SRNS phenotype in CRISPR/Cas9 Zebrafish Models by Circumventing NMD

Jared J. Grantham Research Fellowship

Enrico Cocchi, MD
Somatic mutations in kidney disease

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Mary Hannan, PhD, NP
The Influence of Sedentary Behavior on Health Outcomes in Individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease

2020

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Michael David Donnan, MD, FASN
Defining the role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor 3 (VEGFR3) in the fenestrated microvascular beds of the kidney

Seolhyun Lee, MD
Improved Removal of Protein-Bound Solutes During Hemodialysis by Partial Regeneration of the Dialysate

Kyle McCracken, MD, PhD
Characterization and manipulation of proximal tubule development in kidney organoids

Yuvaram N.V. Reddy, MBBS, MPH, FASN
Novel Methods to Inform Health Care Policy in Home Dialysis

Joshua S. Waitzman, MD, PhD
Structure and molecular mechanism of ApoL1

Donald E. Wesson Research Fellow

Russell S. Whelan, MD, PhD
Dissecting Shigatoxin-mediated Endothelial Injury in Engineered Renal Microvasculature

Jared J. Grantham Research Fellowship

Qinzhe Wang, MS, PhD
Cryo-EM Structures of Polycystic Kidney Disease Proteins

Joseph A. Carlucci Research Fellow

Ankit B. Patel, MD, PhD, FASN
Derivation of collecting duct principal cells from induced pluripotent stem cells by direct programming via transcription factor expression

KidneyCure Research Fellow

Irene Chernova, MD, PhD
The Role of Na-K-ATPase in the Pathogenesis of Lupus Nephritis

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Mohammad Kazem Fallahzadeh Abarghouei, MD
Identifying opportunities for improved cardiovascular care delivery among kidney transplant recipients

2019

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Lakshmi Ganesan, MD
Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis and Uremic Solutes

Kana N. Miyata, MD
Novel role of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F (hnRNP F) in regulation of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (Sglt2) expression in diabetes

Nabin Poudel, PhD
Pannexin1 and acute kidney injury

Katherine Scovner Ravi, MD, MPH
Acid-Base Status of Hospitalized Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis as a Predictor of Hospital Outcomes

Seyedmohammadebrahim Tahaei, PhD
Illuminating the mechanisms that control salt balance in the face of NCC inhibition

Dimitrios G. Oreopoulos Research Fellow

Aneta J. Przepiorski, PhD
Modeling kidney fibrosis and testing therapeutic compounds in human kidney organoids.

Donald E. Wesson Research Fellow

Xiao-Tong Su, PhD
Dietary potassium causes chloride-induced distal tubule remodeling

George B. Rathmann Research Fellow

Michael Wayne Holliday, Jr., MD, PhD, FASN
From bedside to bench: Gramoxone and Mesoamerican Nephropathy

Jared J. Grantham Research Fellowship

Ken Sutha, MD, PhD
Patient-derived kidney organoids

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Sri Lekha Tummalapalli, MD, MA, MBA, FASN
Screening Strategies for Chronic Kidney Disease in US Populations

2018

ASN Foundation for Kidney Research Fellow

Kaice Arminda LaFavers, PhD
The Role of Uromodulin in Oxidant Stress During Sepsis-induced Kidney Injury

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Mark Hepokoski, MD
Mitochondrial Dysfunction in ARDS due to AKI

Jiahua Li, MD, PhD
Targeting Proximal Tubule Metabolism in AKI to CKD Transition in Diabetic Nephropathy

Kabir O. Olaniran, MD, MPH
Risk Factors and Risk Modification for Chronic Kidney Disease in Black Sickle Cell Trait Patients

Jin Wei, PhD
Relaxin Receptor, Tubuloglomerular Feedback and Preeclampsia

Jie Zhang, PhD
Renal Mechanisms for Hypertension in Diabetes

Donald E. Wesson Research Fellow

Yuenting Diana Kwong, MD
Identification of Sub-phenotypes in Sepsis Associated Acute Kidney Injury

Jared J. Grantham Research Fellowship

Amar J. Majmundar, MD, PhD
Whole Exome Sequencing to Identify Novel Monogenic Causes of Nephrolithiasis.

Joseph A. Carlucci Research Fellow

Ke Wang, MD
Proximal Tubule Secretion: A Complementary Marker to GFR in Kidney Disease

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Rebecca C. Hjorten, MD
Modeling APOL1 Disease in Drosophila Melanogaster

2017

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Khodor Abou Daya, MD
Tissue Resident Memory T Cells in Organ Transplantation

Calyani Ganesan, MD
Bone Outcomes in Urinary Stone Disease: Data from the Veterans Health Administration

Ragnar Palsson, MD, FASN
Use of Endogenous Serum Filtration Markers for Estimation of Renal Functional Reserve

Vishnu S. Potluri, MD, MPH
Impact of Neighborhood Environment on Phosphate Control Among Patients on Dialysis

Victor N. Tomilin, PhD
TRPC3-Dependent Ca2+ Signaling in Collecting Duct Water Reabsorption and Osmosensitivity

Dimitrios G. Oreopoulos Research Fellow

Nikolaos Skartsis, MD, PhD
The Role of Granzyme B and Serine Protease Inhibitor 6 in the Homeostasis of Adoptively Transferred Regulatory T cells in Transplantation

Donald E. Wesson Research Fellow

Claire Gerber, PhD, MPH
Effects of SGLT2 Inhibition on Mineral Metabolism and Skeletal System

George B. Rathmann Research Fellow

Charles Ginsberg, MD, MA
The Effects of Phosphate on Microvascular Function

Jared J. Grantham Research Fellowship

Matthew Bruce Lanktree, MD, PhD, FASN
Improving Polycystic Kidney Disease Prognostication using Imaging, Next Generation Sequencing and Urinary Biomarkers

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Jamie S. Lin, MD, FASN
The Functional Role of ARF6-GEFs in Nephrin-Mediated Cytoskeletal Remodeling and Endocytic Nephrin Trafficking

2016

ASN Foundation for Kidney Research Fellow

Ashish K. Solanki, PhD
A Novel Mutation in CLCN5 Associated with FSGS

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Pui Susan Wen Cheung, MD, MS, FASN
Inhibition of EGFR Signaling as a Novel Therapy for Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus

Evelyne Huynh Cong, PhD
WT1 Regulation of the HIPPO Signaling in Podocyte Diseases

Adele Mitrotti, MD
Genetics Of Human Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis

Harini Sarathy, MD, MS
Feasibility and Reliability of Non-Invasive Central Pressure Measurement in Elderly Persons with Hypertension and Chronic Kidney Disease: A Pilot Study

Monica Sircar, MD
Development of a Novel Biomarker for Diabetic Nephropathy

Donald E. Wesson Research Fellow

Hila Milo Rasouly, MSc, PhD
Genetic Basis of Congenital Kidney Malformations

Jared J. Grantham Research Fellowship

William F. Hoffman, MD
BAFF and Immunological Memory in Early Kidney Transplant Rejection

Joseph A. Carlucci Research Fellow

Malgorzata Kasztan, PhD
The Role of Endothelin in Sickle Nephropathy

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Gaia M. Coppock, MD
A Role for IL-27 in Limiting Immune Pathology After Crescentic Glomerulonephritis

2015

ASN Foundation for Kidney Research Fellow

Emilie Cornec-Le Gall, MD, PhD
An In-depth Study of Hypomorphic Alleles of the PKD1 Gene in a Large International Population of ADPKD Patients

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Ashima Gulati, MD, PhD, FASN
Identification and Functional Characterization of Novel Genetic Causes of Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome

Stacy Alana Johnson, MD, PhD
The Role of Branched-chain Amino Acids in Diabetic Nephropathy

Mitchell R. Lunn, MD, MS, FASN
Validation of Patient-Performed Smartphone-Based Albuminuria Quantification

Weizhen Tan, MD
Delineate the Pathogenesis of Nucleoporin Mutations, a Novel Monogenic Cause of FSGS.

Abolfazl Zarjou, MD, PhD, FASN
Role of Ferritin as an Inhibitory Mechanism Against Vascular Calcification

Donald E. Wesson Research Fellow

Karim Yatim, MD
The Sentinel Role of Renal Dendritic Cells in Immune Surveillance

George B. Rathmann Research Fellow

Yu Leng Phua, PhD
Role of miR-17~92 in Nephron Progenitor Self-renewal and Low Nephron Endowment

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Heather M. Perry, PhD
Endothelial Sphingosine-1-phosphate Receptor-1 is Necessary for Recovery from Ischemia Reperfusion Injury and Prevents Fibrosis

2014

ASN Foundation for Kidney Research Fellows

Javier A. Neyra, MD, MS, FASN
Klotho and Acute Kidney Injury: A Case-Control Study in Humans

Rabi Yacoub, MD, FASN
Nephrin's Role in Maintaining an Intact Slit Diaphragm in Adult Mice

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Akinwande A. Akinfolarin, MD
The Role of DNA Damage Mediators in Kidney Fibrosis Following Tubular Injury

Pei-Lun Chu, MD, PhD
Defining the Role of Endothelial Collectrin in Blood Pressure Homeostasis

Daniel Fantus, MD
Role of Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Complexes in Regulation of Alloimmunity and Transplant Rejection

Silvia Ferrè, PhD
Understanding the Regulation of HNF-1 Beta Expression by ER Stress Effectors

Michelle M. O'Shaughnessy, MBChB, MD, MS, FASN
Trends in the Incidence, Clinical Characteristics, and Outcomes of Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease Due to Glomerulonephritis

Donald E. Wesson Research Fellow

Nicholas Zwang, MD, FASN
Pharmacologic Phosphatidylinositol-3 Kinase Inhibition in Regulatory T Cells

Joseph A. Carlucci Research Fellow

Gene-Yuan Chang, MD
Characterizing Renal Gluconeogenesis and its Regulation in Wild-Type, Insulin-Resistant and Diabetic Rats

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Moshe Shashar, MD
Role of Uremic Solutes in Thrombosis

2013

ASN Foundation for Kidney Research Fellows

Colin R. Lenihan, MD, PhD
The Effectiveness and Safety of Cardiovascular Medications in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Meghan E. Sise, MD, MS
Molecular Networks Mediating HIV-associated Nephropathy

Ben J. Lipps Research Fellows

Yongen Chang, MD, PhD, FASN
The Important Role of Renal Myofibroblast Alphav Integrins in Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis

Katharina Hopp, PhD
Identification of Modifier Genes that Cause Early-Onset Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Using Next-Generation Sequencing

Daria Ilatovskaya, MS, PhD
TRPC6 Channel as a Target for Treatment of the Nephrotic Syndrome

Steven Kim, MD
A Novel Array of Silicon Nanopore Membranes: Transport & Biocompatibility Studies

Omar H. Maarouf, MD
The Role of Wnt Signaling in Kidney Pericyte to Myofibroblast Transition

Dimitrios G. Oreopoulos Research Fellow

Tripti Singh, MBBS, MD, FASN
Role of Innate Activation of B cells in Alloimmunity and Graft Rejection

George B. Rathman Research Fellow

Jie Cui, MD
Prediction of Arteriovenous Fistula Stenosis and Failure via In Vivo Inflammation and Fibrin Molecular Imaging

Sharon Anderson Research Fellow

Nwamaka D. Eneanya, MD, MPH, FASN
Discussing End-of-Life: Racial Disparities in End-of-Life Preferences in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Due to Limited Health Literacy

2012

ASN Research Fellows

Justin Miles Belcher, MD, PhD, FASN
Utilizing Novel Biomarkers and Discovery Proteomics for the Differential Diagnosis of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with Cirrhosis

Lisa B. Boyette, MD
Monocyte Subsets in Human Renal Transplantation

Peter G. Czarnecki, MD
Cellular Functions of the Cystic Kidney Disease Protein Nek8 in Ciliary Protein Homeostasis

David A. Drew, MD, MS
FGF-23, ADMA and Cognitive Impairment in Hemodialysis Patients

Heon Yung Gee, MD, PhD
Functional Characterization of the Novel FSGS-Causing Genes ARHGDIA and MED28

Julie H. Ishida, MD, FASN
Influence of Intravenous Iron on Infection Risk in Hemodialysis Patients

Farrukh M. Koraishy, MD, PhD, FASN
The Crosstalk of HGF and Wnt Signaling in Kidney Repair

Ciaran Joseph McMullan, MBChB, MS, MSc
Association of Blood Pressure Variability on Incidence and Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease

Madhav C. Menon, MD, MBBS
Role of Shroom3 in Kidney Fibrosis and Development of Chronic Kidney Disease

Nirupama Ramkumar, MD, MPH, FASN
Distal Nephron Renin Control of Blood Pressure and Sodium Excretion