The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) recently hosted the 8th Annual Renal Symposium 2023. A roster of leading experts highlighted the latest insights into acute kidney injury, cystic disorders, and therapeutic interventions.
Two of those experts included Benjamin Humphreys, MD, PhD, Joseph Friedman Professor of Renal Diseases in Medicine and Chief, WashU Division of Nephrology, and WashU Nephrology alumnus David P. Basile, PhD, who is currently Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology at Indiana University School of Medicine.
Dr. Humphreys, a clinician and nationally recognized investigator in kidney fibrosis, stem cells and regenerative medicine, spoke on “Defining Cellular Complexity in Human and Mouse ADPKD by Multimodal Single-cell Analysis.” The Humphreys Lab focuses on single-cell technologies that drive precision medicine, the generation of kidney organoids that model kidney development and disease, and regenerative medicine for the treatment of human kidney diseases.
Dr. Basile, who completed four years of post-doctoral work at WashU Nephrology from 1994-1998, gave the 7th Annual Dr. James A. Schafer Lectureship with the talk “Th17 Cell Activation in Kidney Injury and Potential Role in Progression of CKD.” The James A. Schafer Lecture is an annual lecture series as part of the annual UAB Renal Symposium. James A. Schafer, PhD, a Professor in the Department of Medicine, Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, was a founding member of the Division of Nephrology in the Department of Medicine.
“Dr. Schafer was a respected scientist, teacher and colleague in Nephrology at UAB, and he had a reputation for helping and supporting junior colleagues in their career development,” says Basile. “Therefore, it was a tremendous honor to be selected to give this year’s Schafer Lecture.”
Thinking back on his time at WashU early in his career, Basile recalls experiencing much of that same spirit embodied by Dr. Schafer. “Colleagues and faculty, both inside and outside of the Renal Division, were generous with their time and resources, shared ideas, provided important feedback on grant writing, and certainly helped build a foundation for my career.”
Basile’s research focuses on acute kidney injury due to ischemia, and the repair processes that ensue to restore function. He holds an adjunct appointment in the Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Medicine/Nephrology Division, is an affiliated member of the Indiana Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine, and sits on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology, Kidney International, and the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Visit the Basile lab website here.
Katie Hering-Smith, MS, PhD, FASN, Associate Professor of Nephrology & Hypertension at Tulane University School of Medicine and an alumna of WashU Nephrology, attended the virtual UAB Renal Symposium. Drs. Hering-Smith and Basile are shown below at the 2023 American Physiology Summit (APS) in Long Beach in April at a dinner she organized. This was Hering-Smith’s last APS as Renal Section Chair; she will be Sage/Past Chair for the next three years. “It was nice to see Katie again and catch up,” says Basile.
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