Samir M. Parikh, MD, FASN

KidneyCure Board of Directors

Biography
Dr. Parikh is Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and Chief of Nephrology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School where he holds the Robert Tucker Hayes Distinguished Chair in Nephrology, in honor of Dr. Floyd C Rector, Jr., and the Ruth W. and Milton P. Levy, Sr., Chair in Molecular Nephrology. His research is focused on mechanisms underlying acute kidney injury and sepsis. In recent studies, the Parikh laboratory has implicated mitochondrial maintenance via PGC1alpha and NAD+ as a novel pathway for resilience against acute physiological stressors. Ongoing studies are examining links between AKI, CKD, and aging and how NAD+ metabolism impacts injury in other organs. Work from his team has been published in Nature, Nature Medicine, JCI, Science Translational Medicine, PNAS and other high-impact journals. Dr. Parikh graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a degree in chemistry and received the Founders Medal for highest academic standing from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed residency and fellowship training in Nephrology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. He attained the rank of Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His mentorship and teaching have been recognized by multiple awards. Dr. Parikh is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (2017) and the American Association of Physicians (2021). He received the Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Heart Lung Blood Institute (2018), the Sir William Osler Award from the Interurban Clinical Club (2018), and ANIO's Award for Academic Excellence (2021). Dr. Parikh received the 2019 Donald W. Seldin Award from the American Society of Nephrology and the American Heart Association. Dr. Parikh received the 2021 STARS award from the state of Texas.

Current Position/Titles:

  • Chief, Division of Nephrology, University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine
  • Robert Tucker Hayes Distinguished Chair in Nephrology in Honor of Dr. Floyd C. Rector, Jr.
  • Ruth W. and Milton P. Levy, Sr. Chair in Molecular Nephrology; Professor of Internal Medicine
  • Professor of Pharmacology
  • Degrees/Training:

  • A.B., Harvard, 1997
  • M.D., Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2001
  • Internal Medicine Residency: Beth Israel Deaconess, Harvard
  • Nephrology Fellowship: Beth Israel Deaconess, Harvard
  • Research/Post-Doctoral Training: Beth Israel Deaconess, Harvard
  • ASN Service:

    Program Committee for Kidney Week meeting (2013, 2021, 2022); Late-Breaking Clinical Trials Committee for Kidney Week (2022); Abstracts Reviewer (2013, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023); Kidney Self-Assessment Program (2016); Securing the Future Capital Campaign (2018); Lifetime Achievement Awards Committee (2020); ASN Highlights Program Acute Kidney Injury Faculty (2015-2019); Editorial Board JASN (2016-present); Associate Editor Kidney360 (2019-present); Chairperson, Abstract Selection Committee for Acute Kidney Injury at Kidney Week (2015, 2017); Chairperson, AKINow Basic Science Workgroup (2021-2022); Chairperson, AKINow (2023-present); AKINow Steering Committee (2023-present); Executive Advisory Committee for ASN's Excellence in Patient Care (2023-present)

    Leadership positions:

    University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Chief of Nephrology (2021-), ASN, Executive Advisory Committee for EPC (2023-), ASN, Chairperson of AKINow (2023-) and member of AKINow Steering Committee (2023-), ASN, Editorial Board for JASN (2016-) and Associate Editor for Kidney360 (2019-), PNAS, Guest Editor (2021-), NIH, Chair of DSMB for COVID AKI studies (2021-), NIH, Chairperson-elect of Pathobiology of Kidney Disease (PBKD) study section (2023), RPA, Member, NKF, Research Roundtable 2021-2022, ISN, TRANSFORM group 2023

    Honors:

    Donald W. Seldin Young Investigator Award from ASN and American Heart Association 2019; Carl Gottschalk Award from ASN 2008; Election to American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI, 2017); Election to American Association of Physicians (AAP, 2021); Award for Academic Excellence from American Nephrologists of Indian Origin (ANIO, 2021); Sir William Osler Award from Interurban Clinical Club 2018; Election to Interurban Clinical Club (ICC, 2019); Election to Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (SSCI, 2022); International Keynote Address Australia New Zealand Society of Nephrology 2021; Outstanding Investigator Award from National Heart, Lung, Blood Institutes (NHLBI, 2018)

    Alpha Omega Alpha 2000; Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Founder's Medal 2001; Harvard Medical School Teaching Award 2003, 2008; Gordon Strewler Mentorship Award Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 2016; Daiichi Sankyo Visiting Professor, University of Tokyo 2018; James A Schafer Memorial Lecture at University of Alabama Birmingham 2020; Gerald Schulman Visiting Professor at Vanderbilt University 2020; Nephrology Annual Visiting Professor at University of Utah 2020; Giles F. Filley Lecture 2021; Charles Lincoln Austin, Jr. Lecture at Baylor University Medical Center 2022; Juha Kokko Visiting Professor at Emory University 2023; Robert Greenblatt Lecture at Augusta University 2023

    Board Certification:

    Internal Medicine (2005), Nephrology (2006, 2016)

    Research Interests:

    ASN's 2019 Seldin Award recognized our discovery that renal tubules resist AKI when intracellular NAD+ is defended. This hypothesis is now undergoing evaluation across diverse settings: from preclinical models in Texas and Massachusetts to ICU admissions in New York, cardiac surgery patients in California, transplant recipients in Europe, and vulnerable workers in Latin America.

    Studies led by more than 30 exceptional mentees and many collaborators have spanned cellular gene editing to clinical trials to test how nutrition can influence kidney aging and disease. We seek accessible and affordable strategies to enhance kidney health for all people regardless of circumstances.

    Personal Statement:

    Imagine when Nephrology becomes free from delays, disparities, and despair. Instead, prevention, equity, and transformation abound. This future must become our present. Through ASN, we can get there together.

    Leading teams at UT Southwestern, NIH, and ASN, I collaborate every day with patients, practitioners, scientists, advocates?an ever-growing community ready to transform kidney medicine. Take ASN's AKINow, where we are tackling diverse projects from AI to community outreach. Together, we can pioneer new medicines, champion justice, enhance education, support young investigators, increase membership, and invent a new future. I am honored by your consideration to advance kidney health together.