Division of Nephrology

With the establishment of the National Institutes of Health-funded Center of Excellence in Pediatric Nephrology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the vision of the Division of Nephrology centers on addressing barriers to clinical trials’ implementation in children with kidney disease. Through investigators’ extensive experience with studying the epidemiology of kidney disease in children, members of the Division continue to contribute breakthroughs in understanding the causes and consequences of kidney disease in children, and work toward developing cures for these rare and complex diseases.

Work in the Division and the NIH Center of Excellence builds on a rich research base at CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania that allows investigators to accelerate the design and implementation of clinical trials aimed at defining effective treatments in pediatric nephrology. 

Among the specific research strengths in the Division include cohort studies and clinical trials in childhood acute and chronic kidney disease; learning health system research; bone and mineral disorders in CKD and kidney stone research; kidney transplant research in adherence to therapies and in developing treatments to promote tolerance and prevent kidney transplant rejection; and the use of renal and bladder imaging as biomarkers of kidney disease progression.

Looking forward, the long-term goal in the Division of Nephrology involves leveraging the Division’s collaborations in learning health systems and studying biomarkers of kidney disease — including targeted markers, imaging biomarkers, proteomics, genomics, and metabolomics — to develop breakthroughs in precision health research.