Susanne Nicholas, MD, MPH, PhD (President)
Dr. Nicholas is a tenured Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Divisions of Nephrology; General Internal Medicine; and Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. She received her MD from the University of California, San Diego; MPH from San Diego State University; and PhD in Physiology and is a graduate of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-Harold Amos Faculty Development Program and the UCLA Scientific Training and Research program. She is NIH-funded and is involved in translational research to prevent the development and progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Her studies involve the development of novel therapies and identification of risk factors that contribute to DKD progression, particularly in racial and ethnic minority populations and the use of machine learning to identify targetable risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. She is senior author of the National Kidney Foundation KDOQI US Commentary on the KDIGO 2020 and KDIGO 2022 Clinical Practice Guideline for Diabetes Management in CKD. She chairs the UCLA Nephrology Racial Health Equity Committee and serves as Vice Chair of the University of California Systemwide Council on Research Policy. She is a member of the American Society of Nephrology Health Care Justice Committee and served on the Steering Committee Kidney Health Initiative for the APOL1 Roadmap. Her awards include the National Kidney Foundation Medical Advisory Board Distinguished Service Award and the Minority Access, Inc. National Role Model Faculty Researcher Award. She directs/co-directs several NIH-funded fellowship training programs, has published >120 original papers, reviews and book chapters on DKD, hypertension and health disparities, and has presented >130 abstracts at scientific meetings. Dr. Nicholas is a member of the Board of Directors of the NKF California, Nevada & Pacific Northwest; is a grant-reviewer for several NIH and private organizations; chairs an NIH study section; serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases and is Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Dr. Nicholas is President of Women in Nephrology, serving January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2024. During her presidency, Dr. Nicholas and Dr. Lisa Curtis, the immediate past WIN President, led the WIN Executive Council to a highly successful 2023 WIN Leadership Conference, and several WIN activities during the 2023 American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week.