WashU Medicine Division of Nephrology

03/24/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Will Ross on receiving the National Kidney Foundation Award of Excellence for his decades of outstanding work in kidney health, patient advocacy, and community impact.
WashU Nephrology is so proud!
WashU Med Department of Medicine

Congratulations to Will Ross, MD, MPH, Alumni Endowed Professor of Medicine, Nephrology, and Associate Dean for Diversity at Washington University School of Medicine, who was honored with the National Kidney Foundation’s (NKF) Award of Excellence at their 75th Anniversary Heroes Awards celebration...

03/24/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Ying Maggie Chen on her $2.969M R01 for her project, “Activating Autophagy to Treat Uromodulin-Associated Genetic CKD," which aims to offer new hope for patients with this currently untreatable kidney disease.
WashU Med Department of Medicine

Ying Maggie Chen, MD, PhD, FASN, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology, has been awarded a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) R01 grant totaling $2.969 million for her project, “Activating Autophagy to Treat Uromodulin-Associated Geneti...

03/13/2026

WashU Nephrology Nurse Practitioner Lisa Koester-Wiedemann recently shared her interview with nephrologists Dr. Rowena Del Santos and Dr. Massini Merzkani on "Keeping Patients Kidney Transplant Ready" at the Annual Dialysis Conference.

"It was very well received and received rave reviews from the audience," says Lisa. Enjoy the video below!

03/13/2026

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Steven Cheng, who was named the 2026 Jane Phillips‑Conroy Professor of the Year, honored by medical students for his exceptional teaching and leadership!

Congratulations to Steven Cheng, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology, and Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, on receiving the Jane Phillips-Conroy Professor of the Year Award, one of the Distinguished Service Teaching Awards (DSTAs) at Washington Univer...

03/13/2026

WashU Nephrology is recruiting! We’re seeking clinical‑track faculty at the Assistant, Associate, or Professor level to join our nationally recognized program in clinical care, research, & education.
The start date for this position is July 1, 2027.

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.
Learn more & apply:

Description The Division of Nephrology at Washington University in St. Louis seeks a clinician to join the faculty at the level of Assistant, Associate, or Professor of Medicine on the clinical track. We are seeking a dynamic individual to join a collegial faculty with diverse interests in nephrolog...

03/03/2026

Returning for its 14th year, the March NephMadness “tournament” brings together the kidney community for a month‑long exploration of the field’s most compelling topics. WashU Nephrology is proud to see Dr. Timothy Yau on this year’s Blue Ribbon Panel!

Organized by the NephMadness Executive Team and presented on the AJKD Blog, the event is a free, online, interactive educational activity modeled on the NCAA’s March Madness, except that nephrology topics replace basketball teams. Join the conversation and submit your bracket!

Returning for its 14th year, the March NephMadness “tournament” brings together the kidney community for a month‑long exploration of the field’s most compelling topics. Organized by the NephMadness Executive Team and presented on the AJKD Blog, the event is a free, online, interactive educat...

03/03/2026

Congratulations to Marcos Rothstein, MD, Professor of Medicine, WashU Nephrology, who has been named a 2026 recipient of the Dean’s Impact Award. The annual award recognizes individuals whose extraordinary service and leadership strengthen the clinical care, education, and research missions of WashU Medicine.

Dr. Rothstein’s recognition highlights his decades‑long dedication to patient‑centered nephrology care, his leadership in device-based treatment of hypertension, and his commitment to mentoring trainees.

Marcos Rothstein, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology, has been named a 2026 recipient of the Dean’s Impact Award. Established in 2023, the annual award recognizes individuals whose extraordinary service and leadership strengthen the clinical care, education, and research missi...

03/03/2026

Ignacio Portales‑Castillo, MD, Assistant Professor, WashU Nephrology, has been awarded an NIH K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award to advance his development as a physician‑scientist.

The 5-year grant provides support for his project “β-arrestin‑mediated desensitization of PTH1R at the intersection of PTH and PTHrP biologic actions.” The goal is to uncover new molecular mechanisms that contribute to kidney and bone diseases, ultimately opening the door to new therapeutic strategies.

Ignacio Portales‑Castillo, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology, has been awarded an NIH K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award to advance his development as a physician‑scientist. The award provides $192,288 per year for five years, suppor...

02/17/2026

Congratulations to Kevin Hurtado, PhD, a postdoctoral research scholar in the laboratory of Leslie Gewin, MD, who has been selected for induction into the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, a national honor recognizing exceptional scholarship, leadership, and a commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in higher education.

“I began my research journey with the goal of supporting first-generation students, inspired by my own experiences and the mentors who helped me along the way," says Dr. Hurtado. "Joining the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society is an honor that deeply humbles me and makes these goals feel more tangible.”

Read all about Dr. Hurtado here:

Kevin Hurtado, PhD, a postdoctoral research scholar in the laboratory of Leslie Gewin, MD, has been selected for induction into the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, a national honor recognizing exceptional scholarship, leadership, and a commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in hig...

02/17/2026

02/17/2026

WashU Nephrology celebrated the Lunar New Year with a delicious luncheon yesterday, welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse with great food and great company. Many thanks to Dr. Meei-Hua Lin for the pics.

02/13/2026

Congratulations to Kevin Hurtado, PhD, postdoc scholar in the
Leslie Gewin laboratory, on his induction into the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society!
This is a wonderful recognition of Dr. Hurtado's scholarship & leadership.
Read all about Dr. Hurtado in the link:

Kevin Hurtado, PhD, a postdoctoral research scholar in the laboratory of Leslie Gewin, MD, has been selected for induction into the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, a national honor recognizing exceptional scholarship, leadership, and a commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in hig...