• 

  Kevin William Finkel, MD, FACP, FASN, FCCM

  Professor and Vice-Chair of Medicine
  Director, Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension
  Chief, Critical Care Nephrology
  Chief of Nephrology, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center
  Kevin.W.Finkel@uth.tmc.edu

  Board Certification

  Internal Medicine: American Board of Internal Medicine—Internal Medicine 1990, 2000, 2010
  Nephrology: American Board of Internal Medicine—Nephrology 1994, 2004

  Residency

  Northwestern University—Internal Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, 1987–1991

  Fellowship:

  Barnes Hospital/Wash. Univ. School of Medicine—Nephrology, St. Louis, Missouri, 1991–1994

  Clinical Specialties

  Acute Kidney Injury, Intensive Care Nephrology, Renal Disease in Cancer Patients

  Research Interests

  Critical care nephrology, Acute kidney injury, Extracorporeal treatment of sepsis

• 

  Akinsansoye Kayode Dosekun, BS (hons), MB.BS (MD)

  Associate Professor
  Chief of Nephrology, Lyndon Baines Johnson General Hospital
  Akinsan.K.Dosekun@uth.tmc.edu

  Board Certification

  Internal Medicine: No
  Nephrology: No

  Residency

  University of Lagos Nigeria—Internal Medicine, Lagos, Nigeria, 1975–1976

  Fellowship:

  The Moffitt Hospital-University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, 1980; University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1981–1983

  Clinical Specialties

  General Nephrology, ESRD, CKD, Peritoneal Dialysis, Hypertension, Glomerulonephritis

• 

  John R. Foringer, MD

  Associate Professor
  Program Director
  Chief of Medicine, HCHD
  Vice-Chair of Internal Medicine, HCHD
  John.R.Foringer@uth.tmc.edu

  Board Certification

  Internal Medicine: American Board of Internal Medicine—Internal Medicine 2000
  Nephrology: American Board of Internal Medicine—Nephrology 2003

  Residency

  The University of Texas Medical School at Houston—Internal Medicine, Houston, Texas, 1996–2000

  Fellowship:

  The University of Texas Medical School at Houston—Renal Diseases and Hypertension, Houston, Texas, 2000–2002

  Clinical Specialties

  Critical Care Nephrology, Renal Diseases in Cancer Patients, Transplantation, ADPKD

• 

  Andrew Mark Kahn, MD

  Professor of Medicine
  Andrew.M.Kahn@uth.tmc.edu

  Board Certification

  Internal Medicine: American Board of Internal Medicine—Internal Medicine 1978
  Nephrology: American Board of Internal Medicine—Nephrology 1981

  Residency

  Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, 1975–1978

  Fellowship:

  Yale University School of Medicine—Nephrology, New Haven, Connecticut, 1978–1981

  Clinical Specialties

  Pre-ESRD, ESRD, Dialysis, Hemo, Acid-Base/Electrolytes

  Research Interests

  His laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms of hypertension in insulin-resistant states. He equips trainees with expertise in insulin signaling and vascular biology. Insulin can inhibit vascular smooth muscle cell migration, and insulin’s failure to do so in insulin-resistant states might contribute to enhanced atherosclerosis. His group is testing the overall hypothesis that insulin acts synergistically with nitric oxide to stimulate cyclic GMP production, which inhibits VSMC migration in-vitro, and testing whether insulin inhibits VSMC migration in-vivo after balloon catheter injury of carotid arteries in normal and insulin resistant obese dogs. The effects of insulin on cultured VSMC aerobic glycolysis, redox potential, cyclic GMP levels, Cai2+, CaM kinase II and MAPK phosphorylation and activities and MKP-1 expression are being assessed. VSMC migration is measured via Boyden Chamber and wound migration assays. The role of MKP-1 and potential cross talk between CaM kinase II and MAPK is being studied using antisense oligonucleotides and/or transfections with dominant negative or constitutively active mutants. Migration of VSMCs following balloon injury of dog carotid artery is being assessed by measuring the progression of BrdU, smooth muscle ?-actin and iNOS labeled VSMCs from the media to the neointima. These studies will determine the mechanism for insulin’s inhibition of VSMC migration and may help explain the link between enhanced atherosclerosis/restenosis and insulin resistance.

• 

  Bruce C. Kone, MD, FACP, FCP, FAHA, FASN, FAAAS

  Professor of Medicine
  Bruce.C.Kone@uth.tmc.edu

  Board Certification

  Internal Medicine: American Board of Internal Medicine—Internal Medicine 1986
  Nephrology: American Board of Internal Medicine—Nephrology 2004–2014

  Residency

  The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland

  Fellowship:

  Brigham and Women's Hospital-Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

  Clinical Specialties

  Acute and chronic kidney disease, hypertension

  Research Interests

  Acute kidney injury, epigenetics, gene regulation

• 

  Donald Andrew Molony, MD

  Professor of Medicine
  Donald.A.Molony@uth.tmc.edu

  Board Certification

  Internal Medicine: American Board of Internal Medicine—Internal Medicine 1982
  Nephrology: American Board of Internal Medicine—Nephrology 1986

  Residency

  Parkland Memorial Hospital-Southwestern Medical School—Internal Medicine, Dallas, Texas, 1979–1981

  Fellowship:

  Southwestern Medical School—Nephrology, Dallas, Texas, 1981–1984

  Clinical Specialties

  CKD, Glomerulonephritis, ESRD, Metebolic Bone Disease, Anemia, Toxic Renal Injury

  Research Interests

  Dr. Molony’s research interests include an investigation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of distal nephron injury and repair, including renal tubular cell apoptosis. These investigations are conducted in parallel with an examination of the clinical syndromes of toxicant-related acute and chronic renal failure. He has previously found that chlorinated hydrocarbons and other environmental toxicants injure MTAL cells via their interaction with GABA-like Cl- channels in the basolateral membrane resulting in apoptosis. Electrophysiology, biochemical, and molecular biological approaches are used to address these basic research questions as well as in the development of biomarkers for the epidemiological studies. His laboratory has developed biomarkers panels that have allowed for the recognition of specific distal nephron injury from site-selective nephrotoxicants. Dr. Molony, in collaboration with researchers at the UT-School of Public Health and at the University of New Mexico, is conducting case-control and cohort studies in human populations exposed to potential distal-nephron nephrotoxicants to determine the burden of the environmental toxicant or drug induced renal injury and its clinical manifestations. Most recently, in collaboration with UNM and the Navajo Health Board, he has been conducting epidemiologic and biomarker studies to determine the relationship between uranium and other metal exposures and CKD in this population.

 

Aleksandra De Golovine, M.D.

Assistant Professor

Aleksandra.M.DeGolovine@uth.tmc.edu

Board Certification

INTERNAL MEDICINE: American Board of Internal Medicine – Internal Medicine 2008
NEPHROLOGY: American Board of Internal Medicine – Nephrology 2011

Residency

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 2005-2008

Fellowship

The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas, 2009-2011

Clinical Specialties

Transplant Nephrology, Chronic Kidney Disease, Hemodialysis

Research Interests

Chronic Allograft Failure

 

Amber S. Podoll, MD

Assistant Professor
Associate Program Director
Amber.S.Podoll@uth.tmc.edu

Board Certification

Internal Medicine: American Board of Internal Medicine—Internal Medicine 2006
Nephrology: American Board of Internal Medicine—Nephrology 2008
Pediatrics: American Board of Pediatrics—Pediatrics 2008

Residency

Baylor College of Medicine—Combined Training Program Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, Houston, Texas, 2002–2006

Fellowship

The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas, 2006–2008

Clinical Specialties

Acute Kidney Injury, Intensive Care Nephrology, Transplantation Medicine, Renal Disease Cancer Patients

Research Interests

AKI in the ICU, Biomarkers in AKI, Role of dialysis in ICU

Brett W. Stephens, MD

Assistant Professor
Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Brett.W.Stephens@uth.tmc.edu

Board Certification

Internal Medicine: American Board of Internal Medicine—Internal Medicine 2007
Nephrology: American Board of Internal Medicine—Nephrology 2009

Residency

The University of Texas Medical School at Houston—Internal Medicine, Houston, Texas, 2003–2007

Fellowship:

The University of Texas Medical School at Houston—Renal Diseases and Hypertension, Houston, Texas, 2007–2009

Clinical Specialties

Peritoneal Dialysis, Glomerulonephritis

Research Interests

Glomerulonephritis, Measurements of Renal Function, Hypertension

Zhi-Yuan Yu, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor
Zhi-Yuan.Yu@uth.tmc.edu

Education

MD: Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China, 1980–1985
MS: Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai, China, 1989–1992
PhD: Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai, China, 1992–1995

Post Doctoral Training

Residency: Internal Medicine, Huainan City, Anhui, China, 1985–1989
Renal Division: Renji Hospital, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai, China, 1995–2000
Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension: The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas, 2000–2007
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Transplantation: University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, 2007–2009

Research Interests

Dr. Yu is interested in chromatin-mediated gene regulation in the kidney and vasculature, particularly in the molecular mechanisms of renal fibrosis, renal growth and development.

Wengzheng Zhang, PhD

Assistant Professor
Wengzheng.Zhang@uth.tmc.edu

Education

PhD: The University of Texas Health Science Center at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center 1998
Post Doctoral Training: Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Baylor College of Medicine

Research Interests

Dr. Zhang is interested in chromatin-mediated gene regulation in the kidney and vasculature. In the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, DNA is coiled around the histone octamer to form the nucleosome, which is the building block for higher-order chromatin structures. Dynamic changes in chromatin structure play important roles in many biological processes, such as DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription. One of the mechanisms by which cells modulate their chromatin structure is the covalent modification of histones. These modifications include acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation and ubiquitination. Dr. Zhang’s current research is focused on the following two genes:

1. H+/K+ ATPase ?2 subunit gene (HK?2) HK?2 is a member of H+/K+ ATPase gene family and participates in the control of body K+ balance. Deletion of HK?2 gene in mice causes profound hypokelemia. In kidney and colon, HK?2 may also participate in bicarbonate absorption. Dr. Zhang uses tissue cultured cells and transgenic mice to define the promoter fragments that confer HK?2 tissue-specific expression pattern and to identify transcription factors controlling its expression.
2. mDot1-like gene Recently, Dr. Zhang cloned a new mouse histone methyltransferase gene (mDOT1-like). This gene has been highly conserved from yeast, C. elegans, mouse, to human, suggesting it plays a very important role in cell growth and development. Preliminary data indicate that the protein encoded by the mDot1-like gene, like those encoded by its homologue in other organisms, methylates histone H3 lysine 79. Dr. Zhang’s long-term goal is to define mDOT1 signaling cascades and to determine their importance in normal renal cell growth and development.

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