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The Alfred Newton Richards Award rewards outstanding basic research in fields relevant to nephrology. This year’s winner is Dr. Katalin Susztak. She comments, “I think this is a really exciting time in science. New technologies are emerging, which will really accelerate research progress, and I think we have fantastic discoveries ahead of us in biology.”

Katalin Susztak, is a Professor of Medicine/Nephrology and Genetics and the Director of the Complications Unit at the Institute of Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania (USA).

Dr. Susztak has made fundamental discoveries towards defining critical genes, cell types, and chronic kidney disease mechanisms. She was instrumental in defining genetic and epigenetic transcriptional changes in diseased human kidneys. She identified novel kidney disease genes and demonstrated the contribution of Notch signaling and metabolic dysregulation to kidney disease development.

She was the recipient of the 2011 Donald W. Seldin Young Investigator Award co-sponsored by the American Society of Nephrology and the Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease of the American Heart Association, one of the most prestigious awards given to researchers under 41 in the field of nephrology.

The Roscoe R. Robinson Award acknowledges outstanding achievements in the field of education in nephrology and medicine. This year’s winner is Dr. Tushar J. Vachharajani.

Dr. Vachharajani says, “I am so happy and, of course, surprised. Being on cloud nine is a new one (dancing with joy). Humbled, grateful, and truly honored with this recognition. I have to thank everyone who has helped me with my quest to build awareness around dialysis and the importance of vascular access. This recognition is huge for the Nephrology community, especially coming from a major global organization.”

Tushar J. Vachharajani is Clinical Professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and Director of Global Nephrology, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio (USA).

Dr. Vachharajani has held various leadership roles within ISN, focusing on education, promoting dialysis access care, and training procedural skills worldwide. He has served as chair of the Interventional Nephrology (IN) Committee, inaugural editor of the ISN Academy, councilor for North America Region, and chair for the IN hands-on workshops at the World Congress of Nephrology (WCN).

His 12-year contributions to the ISN Education Working Group have included serving as a member, deputy chair, and currently as a chair. Besides ISN, he has helped organize symposiums and hands-on workshops with several leading kidney health organizations.

He received the 2016 Gerald Beathard award from the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology for excellence in teaching and scholarly activity and the 2017 AVATAR Hero award for his contributions and service.

He currently serves on the editorial boards of Kidney International Reports, Seminars in Dialysis, Journal of Vascular Access, and Indian Journal of Nephrology.

The Lillian Jean Kaplan International Prize recognizes individuals for excellence and leadership in Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) clinical or basic research whose seminal scientific work has advanced PKD knowledge and treatment. This year’s winner is Dr. Kyongtae Ty Bae, who states he is “Hugely honored yet hugely humbled, wholeheartedly hoping for a cure soon!”

Kyongtae Ty Bae is Associate Dean Clinical Imaging Research, and Professor and former Chairman of the Department of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA).

Dr. Bae has clinical and research interests in applying quantitative and physiologic imaging and computer technology, including contrast medium pharmacokinetics, computer-aided diagnosis, and artificial intelligence to advance translational and imaging biomarker research in a wide range of diseases.

Dr. Bae investigated and applied innovative imaging techniques to the development of imaging biomarkers for PKD. Dr. Bae has published over 670 publications, including 265 peer-reviewed papers, many of which are related to PKD research. With NIH and DoD funding over 20 years, he led efforts to develop robust imaging biomarkers for PKD while serving as the PI and chief radiologist for the CRISP and TAME studies and chief radiologist for the HALT and TEMPO studies

Dr. Gnionsahe is a full professor of Nephrology at Félix Houphouet Boigny University, professor of Renal Physiology at Nangui Abrogoua University, and head of Nephrology Service, Yopougon Hospital and University Center, all in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

As a pioneer of nephrology in the Ivory Coast, Dr. Gnionsahe laid the foundations of the field in the region, initiating the first hemodialysis center there.

He is a founding member of the Ivorian Society of Nephrology and former president of both the African Association of Nephrology and the local organizing committee of the AFRAN Congress in Abidjan. He has trained 30 Ivorian nephrologists and more than 50 nephrologists from West Africa, Central Africa, and Morocco.

Emeritus Professor László Rosivall is head and founder of the International Nephrology Research and Training Center at Semmelweis University, Budapest, and the first Nephrology Ph.D. program in Hungary.

Professor Rosiall has served as president of Semmelweis University, the Doctoral School of Basic and Translational Medical Sciences, and the Worldwide Hungarian Medical Academy. He is a former ISN Council, Education Working Group, and Eastern and Central Europe Regional Board member.

Current president of the Hungarian Nephrological Society, professor Rosiavall was founder and president of the Hungarian Kidney Foundation and the Budapest Nephrology School. He has produced 205 articles, 89 chapters, five textbooks, one monograph, two patents, and has been cited more than 6000 times. He has mentored 30 Ph.Ds., many of whom are practicing professors in Hungary and elsewhere.

Dr. Pablo Ulises Massari has served as the chief of Nephrology Service, Internal Medicine Department, chief of the Internal Medicine Department and the Transplant Program at Hospital Privado, Cordoba, Argentina.

He was professor of Internal Medicine and director of the Postgraduate Degree in Nephrology at the Catholic University of Cordoba, Argentina, where he helped train fellows from several Latin American countries.

Dr. Massari is a former editor-in-chief of the Revista Argentina de Trasplantes, past-president of the Argentinian Society of Nephrology (1992-94), the Latin American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension (SLANH 1996-99), and the Argentinian Society of Transplantation (2014-2016).

Dr. Massari has contributed to ISN initiatives extensively through several ISN committees, most recently on the Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Groups and ISN Council committee.

Dr. Samir G. Mallat is a professor of medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and director, End-Stage Renal Disease Program, in the Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut. He is chair of the Organ Procurement Committee and member of the Organ Transplantation Committee at the American University of Beirut Medical Center.

He holds two American board certifications in internal medicine and nephrology and was recently recertified as a clinical hypertension specialist by the American Society of Hypertension.

Dr. Samir is a fellow of the ACP, ASN, NKF, and AHA. He co-founded the Arab Board of Nephrology, organized the Pan Arab Society, lectures at many regional medical societies, and has mentored many practicing nephrologists. He has authored and contributed to nearly 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, abstracts, and posters in nephrology and transplantation.

Professor Mykola Kolesnyk has been director of the Institute of Nephrology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine since 2001 and the chief coordinator of the National СKD Register (URDS) since 2002.

He is president of the Association of Nephrologists of the Newly Independent States (Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus) and the Ukrainian Association of Nephrologists and Kidney Transplant Specialists.

Dr. Kolesnyk initiated the Ukrainian Journal of Nephrology and Dialysis, of which he is editor-in-chief. He has published handbooks and guidance materials, authored and co-authored 485 scientific papers and 21 monographs. Many practicing Ukrainian nephrologists are his former students and residents.

Dr. Kolesnyk participated extensively in ISN’s work through several ISN committees, most recently on the NIS and Russia Regional Board and CME Committee.

Dr. Maolynne Miller, Jamaica’s first pediatric nephrologist, currently practices nephrology privately at the Ruthven Medical Centre in Kingston, Jamaica.

She founded the Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation in 2012, a charity to improve renal care in Jamaican children. Through her mentorship and local and international support, four new pediatric nephrologists were trained, significantly advancing pediatric renal care in the region.

Jamaica now has five pediatric nephrologists and three pediatric renal centers. Between 1984 and 2016, Dr. Miller served as pediatric nephrologist and lecturer to medical students and pediatric residents at the University Hospital of the West Indies and the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. She continues to work alongside her younger colleagues to shape the future

of pediatric kidney care in the country. She has published guidelines, peer-reviewed articles, and abstracts on renal disease and care in children.

Professor Nan Chen is director of the Institute of Nephrology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and professor in the Department of Nephrology at Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

She was formerly vice president of the Chinese Society of Nephrology and currently serves as vice president of Shanghai Medical Association, Rare Disease Branch, and president of Shanghai Association of Nephrologists.

Dr. Chen was elected as an Academician of the French National Academy of Medicine and an ISN Educational Ambassador. She is both a clinician and well-known physician-scientist, has received more than 30 grants and multiple scientific awards for her research projects, and leads a research team at Ruijin Hospital.

Dr. Chen is a current member of the ISN-ACT Network and past member of the CME Committee and North and East Asia Regional Board.

Emeritus Professor Norella Kong retired from the Department of Medicine at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Medical Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2013, but remains active in postgraduate training, charity work, and sits on the Disciplinary Board of the Malaysian Medical Council.

Professor Kong co-founded the Malaysian Society of Nephrology, co-pioneered the Nephrology Subspecialty Board, and founded the Malaysian SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) Association. She set up the Nephrology and Dialysis Unit at the UKM Teaching Hospital in 1997, which was awarded ISN Sister Renal Center status.

During her time at UKM, Professor Kong became inaugural head, and her unit received 66 grants and oversaw 50 postgraduate research projects. She has (co)authored three books, two book chapters, 125 scientific articles, and 213 abstracts