Melissa Zhou, MD

2026 Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship

Institution: Stanford University School of Medicine

Project Title: Association between Acute Kidney Injury and Brain Perfusion and Structure in Preterm Infants

How would you sum up your overall research focus in one sentence?

My research focuses on understanding how kidney disease early in life affects brain development in vulnerable infants, with the goal of improving their long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Provide a brief overview of the research you will conduct with help from the grant.

With support from this grant, I will study how acute kidney injury affects the developing brain in a retrospective cohort of preterm infants born before 29 weeks' gestation. In the first part of the study, I will compare regional brain structure and white matter microstructure on near-term MRI between infants with and without a history of acute kidney injury. In the second part, I will compare patterns of brain and kidney oxygenation measured using near-infrared spectroscopy over the first week of life. Together, these analyses will help identify early signs of brain injury in infants with kidney disease and lay the groundwork for future studies aimed at protecting the developing brain.

What inspired you to focus your research in this area?

As a pediatric nephrologist-in-training, I care for critically ill infants with kidney disease, and I have been struck by how often their kidney problems seem intertwined with their brain health. This was reinforced by a multicenter study I led showing that infants with kidney failure experience strikingly high rates of brain injury early in life, yet often lack adequate neurodevelopmental follow-up. Combined with my earlier training in neuroinflammatory disease and neurodevelopmental disorders, these experiences motivated me to investigate how kidney injury shapes the developing brain so we can better protect these vulnerable infants.

What impact do you hope your research will have on patients?

I hope my research will help clinicians identify which infants with kidney disease are at highest risk for brain injury and developmental delay. By detecting these early warning signs, we could tailor monitoring and treatment to each infant and ultimately develop interventions that protect the developing brain. My long-term aim is to improve the neurodevelopmental outcomes and quality of life of infants and children affected by kidney disease early in life.

What are your career goals at the end of the grant period? Five years out? Ten years out?

By the end of the grant period, my goal is to have generated the pilot data needed to submit a competitive NIH K23 Mentored Career Development Award. Five years out, I hope to be an early independent physician-scientist leading multicenter studies that combine advanced neuromonitoring and neuroimaging with longitudinal developmental follow-up to identify infants with kidney disease at risk for impaired brain development. Ten years out, I aim to direct an interdisciplinary research program that develops non-invasive biomarkers and contributes to clinical trials of interventions that protect the developing brain across high-risk populations.

What are the major challenges to beginning a career in nephrology research today?

The current funding landscape is challenging, and securing the protected time needed to build a research career while balancing demanding clinical responsibilities can be especially difficult early on. Pediatric nephrology is also a small field, so finding dedicated mentorship and the resources required for translational, interdisciplinary work often takes proactive initiative. Bridge funding like the Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship is critical because it provides the time, mentorship, and momentum needed to generate pilot data and stay on the path toward independence.

Something you may not know about me is…

My first foray into research was in neurodegenerative disease, and now I find myself at the very opposite end of the lifespan, studying the developing brains of infants.

In my free time I like to…

Be active outdoors and explore new pastry pop-ups and farmers markets around the Bay Area!