Outstanding Kidney Care Professionals to Be Honored at NKF SCM25

Healthcare professionals who have made significant contributions to the field of kidney disease will be honored at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) 2025 Spring Clinical Meetings (SCM25).

Bradley A. Warady, MD, is this year’s recipient of the David M. Hume Memorial Award, the highest honor given to a distinguished scientist-clinician in the field of kidney and urologic diseases. Dr. Warady is the McLaughlin Family Endowed Chair in Nephrology and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine and serves as the director of the nephrology division and director of dialysis and transplantation at Children’s Mercy Kansas City. He focuses on pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease, with an academic emphasis on collaborative research. 

Jeffrey Perl, MD, SM, FRCP (C), will receive the J. Michael Lazarus Distinguished Award, a lectureship recognizing those whose research has yielded novel insights related to renal replacement therapy. Dr. Perl is a staff nephrologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. His clinical practice, research, and teaching focus on enhancing universal access to and improving clinical outcomes in home dialysis. He is editor-in-chief of Peritoneal Dialysis International.

The 2025 Donald W. Seldin Award will go to Roger Rodby, MD, FACP, FASN, in recognition of excellence in clinical nephrology. Dr. Rodby is a professor of medicine in the Division of Nephrology at Rush University Medical Center. His research has focused on lupus nephritis and diabetic nephropathy through the Collaborative Study Group. A proponent of internet-based education, Dr. Rodby is active on social media, is a participant in the Channel Your Enthusiasm podcast, and leads an American Society of Nephrology’s “open community” online.

Sankar Dass Navaneethan, MD, MS, MPH, will receive the Garabed Eknoyan Award for exceptional contributions to key NKF initiatives. Dr. Navaneethan is the Garabed Eknoyan, MD, Endowed Professor of Medicine, associate chief of nephrology, chief of the renal section at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, and clinical trials lead for the Institute of Clinical and Translational Research at Baylor College of Medicine. His interests include clinical trials in diabetic kidney disease, obesity and intentional weight loss in CKD, cardiovascular disease in kidney disease, health services research, and systematic reviews in nephrology.

Kathleen Liu, MD, PhD, MAS, will be recognized with the Shaul G. Massry Distinguished Lecture, named to honor Dr. Massry’s scientific achievements and his contributions to the kidney healthcare community and to the NKF. Dr. Liu is a professor of medicine and anesthesia in the divisions of nephrology and critical care medicine and the medical director of the medical intensive care unit and the apheresis/hemodialysis unit at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research focus is acute kidney injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome, with an emphasis on biomarkers and clinical trials.

The Joel D. Kopple Award, honoring an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of renal nutrition, will go to Brandon Kistler, PhD, RD. Dr. Kistler is a registered dietitian, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition Science, and codirector of the Clinical and Translational Nutrition Research Lab at Purdue University. His research focuses on utilizing lifestyle, primarily diet and exercise, to improve the quality of life and outcomes for people with CKD.

Jayme Locke, MD, MPH, FACS, FAST, will receive the Excellence in Kidney Transplantation Award. Dr. Locke is an abdominal transplant surgeon specializing in innovative strategies for the transplantation of incompatible organs, disparities in access to and outcomes after transplantation and living donation, transplantation of HIV-infected patients with end-stage renal disease, and xenotransplantation. She is the Arnold G. Diethelm, MD, Endowed Chair in Transplantation Surgery, a tenured professor of surgery, and director for the Division of Transplantation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine.

Dinushika Mohottige, MD, MPH, will receive the Medical Advisory Board Distinguished Service Award, recognizing educational activities and community service in promoting the mission of the NKF on a local level. Dr. Mohottige is an assistant professor at the Institute for Health Equity Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Barbara T. Murphy Division of Nephrology and provides nephrology care at the James J. Peters VA in the Bronx. Her research focuses on the impact of sociostructural factors and racialized medicine on kidney health and kidney transplantation.

The Carol Mattix Award, named for a home dialysis training nurse who worked tirelessly to improve patients’ lives, will be given to Jennifer Kortyna, MSN, RN, CNN. A nephrology nurse at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin, she helped launch an urgent peritoneal dialysis program and create educational classes focused on this treatment option. She is a clinical educator and clinical nurse specialist and has served as president, president-elect, and treasurer of the local chapter of the American Nephrology Nurses Association.

The Celeste Lee Award, the highest honor given by the NKF to a distinguished patient with kidney disease and named for a longtime advocate of patient-centered care, will go to Patrick Gee, PhD, JLC. Dr. Gee is a healthcare consultant, professional patient activist, and founder of iAdvocate, Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes health and wellness in underserved communities. He has a background in criminal justice and holds a doctorate in justice, law, and criminology.