Newswise — Washington, DC (November 9, 2019) — The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) will honor leaders in the fight against kidney disease during ASN Kidney Week 2019, the society’s annual meeting, held November 5–10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
The awards recognize five individuals with significant accomplishments in research, education, and other areas of kidney health.
Mitchell Rosner – Robert G. Narins Award
ASN has awarded the Robert G. Narins Award to Mitchell Rosner, MD. This award honors individuals who have made substantial contributions to education and teaching.
Dr. Rosner is the Henry B. Mulholland Professor of Medicine and chairman of the department of medicine at the University of Virginia (UVA).
He has published more than 170 research articles and has received many teaching awards. These include a dean’s award for excellence in teaching at UVA, an all-university award for best teacher, and an award from the American College of Physicians for a project stimulating medical students’ interest in internal medicine as a career choice.
The U.S. Department of State has recognized Dr. Rosner for his work in collaborative education. During his time at ASN, he co-developed an in-service examination for nephrology fellows-in-training.
Toshiro Fujita – Homer W. Smith Award
Toshiro Fujita, MD, PhD, has been presented with this year’s Homer W. Smith Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions affecting the science of nephrology, including pathobiology, cellular and molecular mechanisms, and genetic influences on the functions and diseases of the kidney.
A well-known researcher on hypertension, Dr. Fujita is a senior fellow at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology and chief of the division of clinical epigenetics.
Dr. Fujita’s work on salt-sensitive hypertension has resulted in discoveries about the role of the Rho family GTPase Rac1 as a regulator. This has led to new insights about salt retention, proteinuria, and glomerulosclerosis. He also made key contributions by analyzing heightened adrenergic activity as a factor in salt sensitivity, working with Dr. Fred Bartter’s laboratory at the National Institutes of Health.
His research has led to the publication of more than 600 papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Paul L. Kimmel – Belding Scribner Award
Paul L. Kimmel, MD, has received the Belding Scribner Award, which recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions that have a direct impact on the care of patients with renal disorders or who have substantially changed the clinical practice of nephrology.
Dr. Kimmel is program manager of the Kidney Precision Medicine Project and director of the HIV Kidney Program at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Before joining the NIDDK, he served as ASN’s director of education from 2006 to 2007.
Dr. Kimmel has made contributions to both patient care and research. In his capacity as senior advisor to the director of the Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases, Dr. Kimmel has overseen programs in opioid use in dialysis patients, kidney precision medicine, and HIV-associated kidney disease, among others.
Vicente E. Torres – John P. Peters Award
Vicente E. Torres, MD, PhD, has received the John P. Peters Award, which is given to recognize outstanding contributions to improving the lives of patients and to furthering the understanding of the kidney in health and disease.
Dr. Torres directs the Translational Polycystic Kidney Disease Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
For three decades his research has focused on polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and related diseases, as well as epidemiology, phenotypic characterization, and identification of responsible genes.
He has led clinical trials of vasopressin V2 receptor antagonists. These trials led to the approval of the first drug for the treatment of ADPKD.
Samir M. Parikh – Donald W. Seldin Young Investigator Award
Samir M. Parikh, MD, FASN, has received the Donald W. Seldin Young Investigator Award.
Dr. Parikh is associate professor of medicine and associate vice chair for research at Harvard Medical School. His research is focused on the discovery and translation of molecular mechanisms underlying acute kidney injury and sepsis, as well as examining the intersection of metabolic and vascular signaling in the kidney.
He has served as principal investigator on research grants from ASN, the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, and American Diabetes Association.
In 2018, he received the NIH/NHLBI Outstanding Investigator Award.
# # #
Since 1966, ASN has been leading the fight to prevent, treat, and cure kidney diseases throughout the world by educating health professionals and scientists, advancing research and innovation, communicating new knowledge, and advocating for the highest quality care for patients. ASN has more than 20,000 members representing 131 countries. For more information, please visit www.asn-online.org or contact the society at 202-640-4660.
RSS