News

Enjoy an exciting day with our kidney community at the 2026 St. Louis National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Kidney Walk!  Heather Francis, BSN, RN, Inpatient Post Transplant Kidney Coordinator for Barnes Jewish Transplant Services, is serving as organizer and captain of The Renal Gems team, representing Barnes-Jewish Transplant Services and WashU Nephrology/Transplant.  The NKF sponsors the nation’s largest […]

Congratulations to Steven Cheng, MD, Professor of Medicine, who was recognized as Teacher of the Year in Nephrology as part of the 2025-2026 Internal Medicine Residency Program Awards.  These annual awards are selected directly by residents to honor outstanding teaching, mentorship, and clinical leadership across the Department of Medicine. Dr. Cheng has received numerous teaching […]

Sanjay Jain, MD, PhD, has been named the Mabel Dorn Reeder Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine.  A faculty member in the Division of Nephrology since 2006, Dr. Jain also holds appointments in Pathology and Immunology and Pediatrics, and is the founding Director of the Kidney Translational Research Center (KTRC) at WashU. “I am […]

Mabel L. Purkerson, MD, Professor Emerita of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, was honored by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) as a 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.  Established in 1969, the Alumni Awards celebrate graduates of all six MUSC colleges who have demonstrated significant professional accomplishments and leadership. Dr. Purkerson, a […]

WashU Nephrology is proud to celebrate three researchers who have been selected for the 2026 KidneyCure Awards.  KidneyCure, a foundation established by the American Society of Nephrology, supports researchers across all career stages to foster innovation and breakthroughs in kidney disease treatment.  It is the largest private foundation dedicated exclusively to kidney research in the […]

We are proud to welcome our 2026 renal transplant fellows to WashU Nephrology. Our Transplant Nephrology Fellowship offers a deeply immersive year within one of the country’s leading kidney transplant programs, where fellows gain experience across the full spectrum of transplant care. We are excited for the energy, dedication, and new ideas they will contribute […]

We are excited to welcome the physicians joining our WashU Nephrology Fellowship Program for 2026–2028. Each fellow brings unique strengths, perspectives, and passions to our community, and we look forward to learning from them, supporting them, and celebrating their growth over the next two years.

WashU Nephrology is proud to announce that Naoka Murakami, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, has been honored by the American Society of Transplantation (AST) for her outstanding contributions to the field of transplant nephrology. The award recognizes her scientific leadership, commitment to improving long‑term transplant outcomes, and her growing national impact as a physician‑scientist. […]

Please join us in welcoming Zheng Hu, MD, MSc, as the new Clinical Research Coordinator for our Glomerular Center of Excellence.  The center diagnoses and treats glomerular diseases through a collaborative effort among nephrologists, pathologists, and coordinators. Originally from China, Zheng has called the St. Louis area home for the past 10 years.  She brings a […]

WashU Nephrology will host the 4th Annual Glomerular Diseases Symposium: An Update on Disease Mechanisms and Management, on Friday and Saturday, September 11-12, 2026, at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the WashU Medical Campus. This two‑day, in‑person program brings together leading experts to share the latest advances in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment […]

WashU Nephrology is proud to celebrate the promotions, effective July 1, 2026, of four outstanding faculty members whose achievements keep our division at the forefront of renal care, transplantation, and nephrology research. Please join us in congratulating Monica Chang‑Panesso, MD; Massini Merzkani, MD; Rohan Paul, MBBS; and Timothy Yau, MD, on their well‑deserved promotions.

Join us in celebrating our WashU Nephrology colleagues who have reached Length of Service milestones this year. Their hard work, loyalty, and commitment help shape our division, and we thank each of them for being such an important part of our team. Visit the Staff Milestone Awards hub and find the full list of WashU […]

Maheen Khan, MD, a recent graduate of our Nephrology Fellowship Program, will join the WashU Nephrology faculty as assistant professor on July 1, 2026. Dr. Khan earned her medical degree from Dow Medical College, Pakistan.  She served as a house officer at Dr. Ruth K Pfau Civil Hospital, the country’s busiest tertiary care public hospital, before […]

We wish our graduating fellows every success and personal fulfillment as they move into the next chapter of their careers. They are the future of nephrology, and we are excited to see how their talents shape the field. Renal Fellows Transplant Fellows:

Ignacio Portales‑Castillo, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Nephrology, has been selected for funding in the third round of the George M. O’Brien Kidney Resource Alliance (OKRA) Opportunity Pool Program. He will receive $50,000 in research support for his pilot grant proposal, “Reduce Creatine in Proximal Tubule to Enhance Autophagy and Protect from […]