Mentored research in the intersection of kidney and cardiovascular disease

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ABSTRACT I am a mid-career nephrologist, a newly promoted Professor, the holder of Arthur Stach Endowed Professorship and the Director of Nephrology Clinical and Research Education in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Washington (UW). I have been a NIDDK-funded physician-scientist since the completion of my fellowship in 2010; and have an active patient-oriented research program that focuses on the intersection of kidney and cardiovascular disease. My work encompasses epidemiological studies, mechanistic studies, and clinical trials all focused on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment of hypertension, heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias in patients with chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury and kidney failure (treated with dialysis or kidney transplant). I am currently the PI of three NIH R01s, the co- Director of the UW Nephrology NIDDK T32, co-I on two NIH U01s and the PI of two NIH administrative supplements. One of the greatest joys and privileges of my career to date has been the opportunity to serve as mentor. My success as a mentor is measured by my mentee’s success. My current and previous grants have provided numerous rich opportunities for training for post-doctoral students, residents and fellows. I have been a mentor for 24 talented individuals since 2010, including 63% women, 50% Asian American persons, 30% persons underrepresented in medicine or science by race, ethnicity, gender identify and family educational status. Of these, 63% of my mentees remain in academia and continue in scholarship or research. The work of these mentees has been productive, yielding >40 first author publications and ten NIH or foundation grants. There is a critical need to increase mentorship for individuals from diverse backgrounds. It is well known that advances in NIDDK-focused diseases are in crisis as fewer physician and scientists choose to pursue research careers. In particular, diverse research teams are needed to address racism and disparities in medicine and science. Mentorship is a critical factor cited by students for inspiring their interest in scientific careers. Locally, the UW, located in Seattle, WA, is unique in its mission to attract trainees from across a five-state region of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, who are diverse by race (including American Indian and Pacific Islander), ethnicity, sex, gender, geography (many from rural areas), ability, LGBTQ+ and socioeconomic status. Coupled with established outreach programs at UW and the sizable pool of post- doctoral trainees from these diverse backgrounds, there is tremendous opportunity to cultivate the next generation of NIDDK diverse scientists in this region. I am committed to mentoring persons from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine and science to increase the diversity of the future NIDDK biomedical scientific workforce. This award will provide key resources, training and professional development that will enhance my ability to serve as an effective mentor for post-doctoral trainees from diverse backgrounds.