News

Research into cures for chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been severely hampered because of the difficulty in studying the highly specialized cells of the kidney, particularly the podocytes, outside their native microenvironment.  However, a game-changing, novel culturing technique, developed through the collaboration of scientists from WashU Division of Nephrology and the McKelvey School of Engineering, […]

For almost 80 years, dialysis has been a lifesaving procedure for patients with kidney failure, yet problems such as low quality of life and the realization that patients will have to remain on dialysis for the rest of their lives have resulted in an increased interest in kidney transplantation.  The number of available transplantable kidneys, […]

WashU Nephrology gives a warm welcome to Selas Kidane, our new Senior Department Accounting Assistant, who will be handling the purchasing and accounting functions for our Division. Originally from Eritrea, East Africa, Selas came to St. Louis in 1991.  She graduated from St. Louis Community College (STLCC) and went on to earn an Associate Degree […]

In collaboration with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois (NKFI), Washington University nephrologist Anuja Java, MD, is helping raise awareness of kidney disease – often referred to as the “silent killer” – in the greater St. Louis area. One in three people are at risk of developing kidney disease, which is the 10th leading cause […]

A new, minimally-invasive bio-diagnostic device may replace painful blood collection techniques used to detect acute kidney injury (AKI) biomarkers in children in the future. WashU collaborators, nephrologist Ying Maggie Chen, MD, PhD, and bio-engineer Srikanth Singamaneni, PhD, have received a grant from the OVCR (Office of Vice Chancellor for Research) Seed Grant Program to study […]

WashU Nephrology is pleased to welcome our 2022 renal transplant fellows.  The comprehensive, one-year Transplant Nephrology Program allows trainees to be part of one of the largest and most experienced kidney transplant centers in the United States. Sri Mahathi Kalipatnapu, MBBS, MD, comes to us from the nephrology fellowship program at the University of Chicago.  […]

WashU Nephrology welcomes our 2022-2024 fellows. We are proud to introduce: Taha Mohamed Djirdeh, MD, earned his medical degree from International American University College of Medicine in Saint Lucia and completed his residency at Mercy Health GME Javon Bea Hospital Rockford, IL. Taha helped found the Clinic Committee in the Internal Medicine Residency.  “We were […]

Jeannine Basta, PhD, Assistant Professor of Research in the Division of Nephrology, has been awarded a Norman Siegel Research Scholar Grant by the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and KidneyCure.  The two-year, $200,000 grant will fund her project: Investigation of Nephron Maturation and Cessation in a Mouse Model that Disrupts Sall1/NuRD Interaction.  “The kidney field […]

A new study by Leslie Gewin, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, WashU Nephrology, challenges the long-held assumption that renal tubular cell cycle progression is always beneficial in the context of renal injury.  In their article, just published online in Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI) Insight, Dr. Gewin and colleagues detail how slowing cell cycle progression […]

WashU Nephrology is pleased to announce that Charbel Khoury, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, is the recipient of the 2022 Nathan Hellman Memorial Teacher of the Year Award. The award was presented at the Fellows Graduation Dinner, June 10, 2022. The annual award is given to a faculty member selected by fellows […]

Congratulations to our graduating renal and transplant fellows of 2022.  Please know how much you will be missed.  We wish you all the best in your future careers! Renal Fellows (2020-2022) “My journey at WashU Nephrology has been a total joy.  For me, finding a family-oriented program was a top priority and I am glad […]

Feng Chen, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Nephrology, has been awarded a five-year, $2.36M GUDMAP grant titled “Creating High-resolution Multi-omics Molecular Atlases for Developing Urogenital Organs.” The GenitoUrinary Development Molecular Anatomy Project – GUDMAP – provides data and tools that facilitate research on the genitourinary tract for the scientific and medical community.  “Our goal is […]

WashU Nephrology Transplant and Barnes-Jewish Hospital Transplant will be well-represented at the 2022 American Transplant Congress (ATC) being held virtually and in-person June 4-8 in Boston, MA.  A joint annual meeting of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) and the American Society of Transplantation (AST), the ATC provides transplant professionals the opportunity to present and discuss […]

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a slowly progressive, neurodegenerative disease, is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.  The number of people with AMD is projected to increase from 196 million in 2020 to 288 million in 2040.  While lifestyle factors, such as diet and smoking, are associated with the risk of advanced AMD, it is […]