Scientific Advisory Panel
Made up of 13 prestigious PKD physicians and scientists, the Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) oversees our research and medical programs aimed at discovering and delivering treatments for PKD. The SAP meets throughout the year to discuss relevant medical issues, provide guidance to our staff and review and approve research applications for grants and fellowships in the field of PKD science. All our materials are approved by SAP members, who possess the highest level of experience and knowledge in PKD clinical and scientific work.
Officers

MICHAL MRUG, M.D.
Chair
University of Alabama at Birmingham – Department of Medicine/Division of Nephrology
Biography

VISHAL PATEL, M.D.
Vice Chair
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Biography
Dr. Patel runs a pre-clinical polycystic kidney disease research laboratory at UT Southwestern. His research is focused on understanding the role of microRNAs in PKD progression and developing microRNA-based drugs for PKD. His laboratory is funded by grants from the NIH and the PKD foundation. In addition to research, Dr. Patel also sees patients at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. He is planning to launch a new multidisciplinary clinic in the coming months with the goal of providing comprehensive clinical care for PKD patients at UT Southwestern.
Members

ALESSANDRA BOLETTA, PH.D.
San Raffaele Scientific Institute – Milan, Italy
Biography

NEERA DAHL, M.D.
Mayo Clinic
Biography

BERENICE GITOMER, PH.D.
Vice Chair
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center
Biography

ERUM HARTUNG, M.D.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Biography

JINGHUA HU, PH.D.
Mayo Clinic
Biography
Dr. Hu’s research systematically explores cilia-related human diseases, or collectively termed ciliopathies, by using various disease models from the inexpensive and efficient nematode C. elegans, to cultured mammalian cells and genetically-engineered rodent models. His lab has developed numerous ciliopathy models of ciliopathies, including ADPKD and other syndromic renal disorders such as nephronophthisis, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, Meckel-Gruber syndrome, and Joubert syndrome, with the goal of understanding the pathogenesis of cystogenesis and testing the potential for diagnostic/therapeutic purposes. Dr. Hu administered numerous extramural funding, and presently holds two R01 grants from NIDDK, and Co-PI on another two R01s with his Mayo colleagues. Dr. Hu also serves as a Co-director of the Model Organism Core in NIH-funded P30 Mayo Translational PKD Center.

MAX CHRISTOPH LIEBAU, M.D.
University Hospital Cologne
Biography

GREGORY PAZOUR, PH.D.
University of Massachusetts
Biography

FENG QIAN, PH.D.
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Biography
Dr. Qian joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor and moved to University of Maryland School of Medicine as an Associate Professor in 2012. He studies the function of proteins encoded by genes whose mutations cause human polycystic kidney disease to establish a firm mechanistic understanding of the disease process. His laboratory has discovered cis-autoproteolytic cleavage of polycystin-1 at the juxtamembrane GPCR proteolysis site (GPS) motif and has established this post-translational modification as a key regulatory mechanism of the protein. His laboratory is currently focusing on investigating molecular mechanisms of biogenesis, ciliary trafficking, ion channel function of polycystins for proper renal morphology and function.

FREDERIC RAHBARI-OSKOUI, M.D.
Emory University School of Medicine
Biography
Dr. Rahbari completed a second internal medicine residency program at St. Vincent’s Medical Center-Columbia University in 2002 and enrolled in a 3-year academic track fellowship in Nephrology and cystic kidney diseases under Dr. Arlene Chapman’s mentorship at Emory University. He joined the Faculty at Emory University in 2006 as an instructor in medicine and was promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor of Medicine in 2008 and Associate Professor of Medicine in 2014.
Dr. Rahbari’s research expertise is in the fields of renal cystic diseases and particularly polycystic kidney disease. He has been an investigator in several landmark trials in ADPKD including: HALT-PKD, TEMPO, REPRISE, and the CRISP observational cohort. His other areas of interest are hypertension, imaging studies of the kidneys and acute kidney injury.
Dr. Rahbari has coauthored more than 40 original articles, review articles, UpToDate chapters, communication letters, and about 40 abstracts and poster presentations at local and national meetings.
Dr. Rahbari firmly supports the fantastic effort of the PKD Foundation and has been a regular participant in the Walk for PKD, fundraising and patient information sessions in GA, NC, and TN.

RICHARD SANDFORD, M.D., PH.D., FRCP
University of Cambridge, Cambridge Institute of Medical Research
Biography
Since then he has specialized in renal genetics and is part of the Cambridge Renal Genetics and Tubular Disorders Clinic in The Addenbrookes Treatment Centre. Many individuals and families living with ADPKD are seen in this clinic which combined nephrology, genetics, urology and clinical biochemistry in a multidisciplinary setting.
His research interests include the clinical epidemiology of ADPKD, genetic testing, and methods of predicting disease progression.

ROBERT H. WEISS, M.D.
University of California Davis, Sacramento VA Medical Center
Biography

ALAN YU, M.B., B.CHIR
University of Kansas Medical Center
Biography
Dr. Yu is a general nephrologist who sees the full spectrum of kidney diseases. He has a special interest in fluid, electrolyte and acid-base disorders, including hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hypokalemia, hyperkalemia, hypomagnesemia, renal tubular acidosis, and inherited tubulopathies, particularly Barrter’s and Gitelman’s syndrome.
Page last updated November 2022