Kam Kalantar-Zadeh, MD, MPH, PhD
Chief, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Vice Chair for Research & Innovation, Department of Medicine
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA
Professor of Medicine and Academic Senate, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
Chair, Kidney Health Workgroup, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Email: KKalantar-Zadeh@dhs.lacounty.gov
.
Dr. Kam Kalantar-Zadeh is a triple board-certified & recertified physician, who studied medicine at the Universities of Bochum, Bonn and Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, and received additional MPH (1999) and PhD degrees (2004) in Nutritional Epidemiology from University of California Berkeley School of Public Health. He underwent medical specialty training in Nuremberg, Germany (1991-93), followed by State University of New York in Brooklyn (SUNY, Med/Peds, 1993-97) and University of California San Francisco (UCSF, Nephrology, 1997-2000). From 2000 to 2012 Dr Kalantar served as a faculty at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, followed by his leadership roles as tenured professor and chief of Nephrology at University of California Irvine (UCI) from 2012 to 2022. Since 2023 Dr. Kalantar has returned to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center as Chief of the Division of Nephrology & Hypertension and Vice Chair for Research and Innovation in Department of Medicine. He also serves as Kidney Health Workgroup Chair for Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Dr Kalantar runs the Harold Simmons Center for Kidney Disease Research and Epidemiology at The Lundquist Institute. He has been recognized by several prestigious top/best physician directories in the USA including SUPER DOCTORS™ and TOP PHYSICIANS™ Castle-Connelly. Since 2014 he has been ranked among top 10 experts in Kidney Disease and dialysis by Expertscape™ www.ExpertScape.com . He serves as the past President of the International Society of Renal Nutrition & Metabolism (ISRNM), past President of the International Federation of Kidney Foundations – World Kidney Alliance (IFKF-WKA), past co-chair of the Steering Committee of the World Kidney Day, and President-elect and Board of Directors of the National Forum of ESRD Networks www.ESRDnetworks.org as well as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Renal Nutrition (impact factor 4.354). Prof. Kalantar-Zadeh has authored more than 1,000 scientific articles indexed in PubMed as well as many chapters, and has edited 4 textbooks. He has presented numerous grand rounds and invited lectures in national and international conferences on chronic kidney disease, dialysis therapies and nutritional and preservative management of kidney disease, among others. He has been a principal investigator of many NIH and VA funded studies including related to nutrition and diet in CKD, incremental dialysis, and disparities in kidney health.
Publications/Bibliography
Social Media
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook

 

Sharon G. Adler, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Former Division Chief (2007-2023), Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Email: sadler@lundquist.org
Publications/Bibliography

Dr. Adler’s work involves both clinical and basic science research, with an emphasis on the pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy and glomerular disease. This has included work in the genetics of diabetic nephropathy, and the identification of kidney disease biomarkers and glomerular disease pathophysiology. Her affiliation with NEPTUNE has afforded her the opportunity to contribute to the accumulating evidence-based approach to understanding the pathogenesis of glomerular diseases, with the ultimate goal of re-classifying them according to pathophysiology, and treating them based on specific knowledge of pathogenesis and progression. Her affiliation with NEPTUNE and CureGN enhances her capacity to contribute to new knowledge about the pathophysiology, natural history, and treatment of FSGS, IgA nephropathy, minimal change, and membranous nephropathy. She has also worked with Dr. Dai in the lead on a similar approach to the pathogenesis of peritoneal dialysis membrane change. Dr. Adler has been a mentor to a number of successful academicians.
.
Dr Adler is the founding editor in chief of a first-in-class, online, open-access Karger journal Glomerular Diseases (GDZ)

 

Joel D. Kopple, M.D.
Professor emeritus of Medicine and Public Health
Chief emeritus (1982-2007), Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Email: jkopple@lundquist.org

Adapted from Wikipedia:
Joel D. Kopple is an American professor, physician, and clinical investigator in medicine, nephrology, nutrition, and public health. He is professor at David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. He served from 1982 to 2007 as the chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He is also known as the father of the field of Renal Nutrition. To recognize the contributions of Kopple to advancing the field of Renal Nutrition, the National Kidney Foundation and its Council on Renal Nutrition designated the ‘Joel D Kopple Award in Renal Nutrition, which is annually granted to a distinguished individual for his/her efforts to advance the field of renal nutrition. The International Federation of Kidney Foundations has created a separate Joel D. Kopple Award which is given to a person or group that has made a major contribution to the health or well-being of people with or at risk for kidney disease. Kopple’s research focus has been in amino acid and protein metabolism and nutritional disorders and their management in kidney disease and kidney failure. He has authored or co-authored many hundreds of peer-reviewed manuscripts, invited papers and chapters. He is an editor of many proceedings and symposia and an editor of the textbook entitled, Nutritional Management of Renal Disease. He founded the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism, the International Federation of Kidney Foundations, and World Kidney Day, served a central role in founding other institutions, and served as president of the National Kidney Foundation and several professional and scientific societies.
Awards and honors
Publications/Bibliography

 

Lilly Barba, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Medical Director, Renal Transplant Program
Email: lbarba@ucla.edu

Dr. Lilly Barba, MD, is Professor of Medicine and a board certified internist and Nephrology Specialist in Torrance, CA, and has over 40 years of experience in the medical field. She attended and completed Yale College, New Haven, CT, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and graduated from STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO in 1983 with an MD degree. She serves as the medical director of kidney transplant program at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and is known as one of the most dedicated physicians for community cause given her passion for kidney transplant options for persons with kidney failure residing in Los Angeles County including socially disadvantaged patients under the nation’s second largest municipal health care system.
Publications/Bibliography

 

Ibrahim Elali, M.D.
Director of Living Kidney Donor Program, Harbor-UCLA Transplant Center
Email: ibrahim.elali@lundquist.org

Dr Elali received his medical degree from Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Elali completed an internship in pediatrics at Howard University Hospital.  He completed an Internal Medicine internship and residency at Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine/St Vincent’s Medical Center.  He then completed his Nephrology Fellowship at the University of Connecticut, and a kidney-Pancreas transplant fellowship at Mayo Clinic.  He also completed a one-year Rural Faculty Development Fellowship at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Throughout his medical journey, Dr Elali was always engaged in teaching medical students, residents, and later nephrology fellows. Dr. Elali assumed numerous leadership roles, he was appointed as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix, teaching medical students. He was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine where he served on numerous Nephrology fellowship subcommittees. He was appointed as the Chapter Treasurer of American college of physician, Arizona chapter. He was also elected as the president of the UCHC-AAUP, representing the faculty body at the University of Connecticut Health center. Dr Elali has also passion in promoting healthier lifestyle to kidney disease patients, he designed and executed with a group of developers a medical application software “DecideDiet” to improve dietary compliance and reporting in patients with chronic renal disease. Dr Elali’s main research focus was in plasmapheresis, and membrane-based technology, he published numerous studies addressing the technical aspects of membrane-based plasmapheresis. Dr Elali served as the director of the inpatient renal replacement therapy and apheresis services unit at the University of Connecticut Health Center prior to joining Harbor UCLA. Dr Elali has a special interest in Kidney diseases in pregnancy with specific focus on the kidney transplant subpopulation, he has done some clinical work during his training at Mayo Clinic, implementing a protocol addressing, “Renal Transplant and Pregnancy Planning” a step by step guidance to the caring practitioner.

 

Ramanath Dukkipati, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Interventional Nephrology
Email: rdukkipati@lundquist.org
After two years of basic science research in acid-base studies, Dr. Ram Dukkipati completed his internship and residency at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, followed by nephrology fellowship at Harbor-UCLA. Additionally He completed training in interventional Nephrology (IN) including IN training at vascular center affiliated with Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Dukkipati has published more than 50 manuscripts and textbook chapters including related to Vascular Access in hemodialysis, nutrition and metabolism including intradialytic parenteral nutrition (IDPN), and glomerular disease. Prof. Dukkipati presents lectures and Grand Rounds on different aspect of Nephrology and has been presented with teaching awards.
Dr Dukkipati’s PubMed Indexed Publications

Anuja Shah, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Fellowship Training Program
Email: ashah@lundquist.org
Dr. Anuja Shah graduated from Northwestern School of Medicine in Chicago in 2004 and continued her post-graduate training in internal medicine and nephrology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center including chief residency year prior to Nephrology fellowship at this institution. She has contributed significantly to education and training of medical students and house staff and served as associate fellowship training program director for Nephrology at Harbor-UCLA until 2022. Dr. Shah is an expert in home dialysis therapies. Additionally, she oversees the large volume operation of inpatient dialysis program including critical care nephrology with frequent use of CRRT technology given Level 1 Trauma center status of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She has contributed to many important publications and textbook chapters in kidney care. As of February 2023 Dr Shah has been promoted to the position of interim Nephrology Fellowship Training Program Director given her dedication to excellence in teaching and patient care. She also serves as an appointed member of the Los Angeles County Dept. Health Services Nephrology Workgroup overseeing kidney care for the 2nd largest municipal health system in the nation.
Dr Anuja Shah’s PubMed Indexed Publications

 

Tiane Dai, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Email: tdai@lundquist.org

Dr. Dai is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine. She is also the Medical Director of Harbor Vermont Home Training Center, and the Associate Medical Director of in-hospital dialysis at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Dai is involved in basic science and clinical research. Her research interests include the study of diabetic kidney disease, other glomerular diseases, and peritoneal dialysis, with a particular focus on finding strategies to prevent peritoneal membrane functional decline in end-stage renal disease patients receiving peritoneal dialysis. Dr. Tiane Dai’s experimental and clinical research focuses on all aspects of diabetic kidney disease, glomerulonephritis and peritoneal dialysis. She has discovered molecules in the urine that facilitate the identification of kidney disease early on. Her most recent research interest converges on treatment strategies for preventing peritoneal membrane functional decline in patients receiving peritoneal dialysis for their end stage renal disease.

 

Jenny Shen, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Email: jshen@lundquist.org
Publications/Bibliography

Dr. Shen is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCLA. She received her M.D. from Columbia University, completed her internal medicine training at UCLA, and completed her nephrology fellowship and earned a Master’s degree in Epidemiology from Stanford University. Dr. Shen’s research focuses on assessing and improving the outcomes of patients on chronic dialysis, with a particular emphasis on health disparities and medication safety and effectiveness. Her expertise is in analyzing administrative databases (“big data”) using advanced statistical methods that minimize the bias and confounding common in observational studies. She also has an interest in qualitative research, which uncovers patient’s beliefs and perspectives that could be influencing outcomes but that are not currently captured in existing databases.

 

Richard J. Glassock, M.D., M.A.C.P., F.R.C.P. (UK), F.A.S.N.,
Professor emeritus of Medicine
Chief emeritus (1967-1980), Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Publications/Bibliography

Richard J. Glassock, M.D., M.A.C.P., F.R.C.P. (UK), F.A.S.N., is one of the most eminent physicians in the field of nephrology and Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles. Glassock received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (summa cum laude) in 1956 at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He then attended Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, NC, in 1956–57. Glassock received his M.D. with highest honors from UCLA in 1960. After interning at UCLA, he held a fellowship in nephrology at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston as well as research fellowships at Harvard and Scripps Clinic. Glassock is certified in internal medicine and nephrology as a physician and surgeon. He has received numerous honors and awards and has published over 750 original papers in peer reviewed Journal, Books, Monograph, Book Chapter. He served as Chief, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, 1967-1980 and Chair, Department of Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, 1980–1992. He is Editor-in-Chief, NephSAP, American Society of Nephrology, 1999–present.

 

Anne-Lorrane Ugalde, RN, NP
Nurse Practitioner
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension

Anne Ugalde is a nurse practitioner who primarily supports the nephrology consult service as well as the outpatient clinics. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Advanced Practice Nurse – NP at UCLA School of Nursing and Bachelor’s degree at California State University, Long Beach. She is skilled in placing straight femoral hemodialysis catheter and marking peritoneal dialysis catheter prior to surgery.

 

Kharen Acevedo-Robles, FNP-C, MSN, RN
Nurse Practitioner
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension

Kharen Robles-Acevedo is a nurse practitioner working with the nephrology consult service since 2023. She also provide care to patients in the Hypertension clinic under Nephrology. She obtained Bachelor’s degree as Registered Nursing and Master’s degree in Nursing Education from Western Governors University, and her Post-Master certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, She has experience as a hemodialysis nurse in DaVita.

Neil Ocampo, FNP-C, RN

Neil Ocampo is a nurse practitioner working with the Renal Transplant service. He completed his Master’s Degree in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner  at Azusa Pacific University. Prior to his career as an NP, Neil worked as an RN at Harbor UCLA and has an experience in med-surg, tele and surgical trauma ICU.