WashU Medicine Division of Nephrology

05/16/2026

Congratulations to Ignacio Portales‑Castillo, MD, assistant professor of medicine, WashU Nephrology, on his George M. O’Brien Kidney Resource Alliance (OKRA) Opportunity Pool Program award. The grant will support his proposal: “Reduce Creatine in Proximal Tubule to Enhance Autophagy and Protect from Renal Injury.”

This award adds to Dr. Portales‑Castillo’s growing research portfolio, which includes his recent NIH K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award, a 2025 Clinical and Translational Research Funding Program (CTRFP) grant supporting his work on creatine‑based approaches to hereditary kidney disease, a Pilot and Feasibility award from the WashU Diabetes Research Center, and his recent recognition as a 2025 Dean’s Scholar.
Read more:

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 propos...

05/16/2026

Transplant nephrologist Anuja Java, MD, associate professor of medicine at WashU Nephrology and Director of Kidney Transplant at the John Cochran VA Medical Center, was invited for the third consecutive year to speak at the International Society of Nephrology’s World Congress of Nephrology (WCN’26), held this year, March 28–31, 2026, in Yokohama, Japan.

Dr. Java, a leader in the rapidly evolving field of complement-mediated kidney disease, presented two talks: “The aHUS Clinical Picture” and “Genetic Complementopathies and Kidney Disease.” Read more:

Transplant nephrologist Anuja Java, MD, associate professor of medicine at WashU Nephrology and Director of Kidney Transplant at the John Cochran VA Medical Center, was invited for the third consecutive year to speak at the International Society of Nephrology’s World Congress of Nephrology (WCN’...

05/08/2026

What’s New at WashU Nephrology? Check out our Spring 2026 Alumni Newsletter, highlighting the latest news, research, and achievements of our nephrology team! Read the newsletter here: https://nephrology.wustl.edu/app/uploads/2026/05/FINAL-4-22-26-Nephrology-Update-Spring-2026-from-Scott-Absolute-final-2.pdf

05/08/2026

“I am deeply honored to receive this award," says Dr. Chang-Panesso on being appointed a Roger M. Perlmutter Career Development Assistant Professor. "I do not have enough words to express my gratitude!”

Read more about Dr. Change-Panesso in our WashU Nephrology News about the Installation Ceremony:

Monica Chang-Panesso, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, WashU Medicine Division of Nephrology, will be ceremonially installed as the inaugural recipient of the Roger M. Perlmutter Career Development Professorship. The event will take place on March 20th at 4:30 pm at the Eric P. Newman Education....

05/08/2026

Congratulations to Monica Chang-Panesso, MD, a physician-scientist at WashU Medicine Division of Nephrology, and neuroscientist Hysell Oviedo, PhD, at WashU Medicine Neurology, the two WashU Medicine researchers named Perlmutter Career Development Assistant Professors.

Dr. Monica Chang-Panesso, who explores how kidneys heal, and Dr. Hysell Oviedo, who studies how our brains understand sound and language, have both been named Roger M. Perlmutter Career Development Assistant Professors at WashU Medicine. https://bit.ly/4wdd2NM

04/20/2026

Congratulations to Seth Goldberg, MD, who has been promoted to professor of medicine! We’re proud to celebrate his excellence in clinical care, teaching, and mentorship at WashU Nephrology. Read more about Dr. Goldberg in the link.

WashU Nephrology is delighted to announce the promotion of Seth Goldberg, MD, to professor of medicine on the clinician track, effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Goldberg is a highly respected medical educator at WashU.  He earned his medical degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine...

04/20/2026

Check out the Spring edition of the DOM Insider! It's a great issue, highlighting all the latest news at WashU Med Department of Medicine.
Especially proud of all the WashU Nephrology shoutouts!

The newest DOM Insider is Available - celebrating all that is happening across the Department of Medicine!⁠
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Spring has officially arrived in St. Louis, and there is so much to celebrate within the Department of Medicine at WashU Medicine. We are thrilled to welcome 67 new interns and residents following a successful Match Day, bringing fresh perspectives and energy to our mission of training the next generation of physician-scientists.

We are also looking forward to a new chapter of leadership as we welcome Bruce D. Levy, MD, as executive vice chancellor and dean, while sharing our deep gratitude for Dean Perlmutter’s more than 10 years of transformative leadership.

Beyond leadership, our commitment to innovation shines through the work of Dr. Tarek Alhamad, who is expanding access to kidney transplantation and advocating for the life-changing benefits of early referrals and living donors.

We invite you to read the full Sring 2026 edition of DOM Insider for more on these updates and stories that reflect our department’s commitment to excellence and innovation.⁠
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Tap the link to read the Insider> https://t.e2ma.net/message/nhl4fq/ffmdr6cd

04/20/2026

Anuja Java, MD, and Tingting Li, MD, MSCI, FASN, will present at the upcoming National Kidney Foundation's Spring Clinical Meetings 2026 with talks on glomerular disease, complement biomarkers, and IgAN care.

WashU Nephrology is proud to have Drs. Java and Li sharing their expertise at SCM 2026, reflecting our division’s goal to advance patient‑centered kidney care. NKF Kidney Professionals Learn more:

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) 2026 Spring Clinical Meetings (SCM) will be held May 6 -10 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, bringing together kidney‑care professionals from across the country for practical education, clinical updates, and multidisciplinary collaborati...

04/20/2026

WashU Nephrology is thrilled to share that Andreas Herrlich, MD, PhD, has been elected a Fellow of the AAAS - The American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the most prestigious honors in the scientific community.

Dr. Herrlich is being honored for his contributions to the field of medicine, particularly for identifying mechanisms of interorgan communication during acute kidney injury. Read more about his research:

Andreas Herrlich, MD, PhD, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most prestigious honors in the scientific community. Each year, the AAAS Council elects members whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applicat...

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...