Nephrology Research
The Division of Pediatric Nephrology is committed to performing research in an effort to improve treatment and outcomes in children with kidney disease. Faculty members have diverse research interests, and are leading several important multicenter studies focused on improving care for children with kidney disorders.
In addition, members of our division are engaged in important studies to define risk factors for and optimize identification and treatment of cardiovascular disease in children with obesity and with kidney disease.
Current Faculty Research Activities
Alicia Neu, M.D.
Alicia Neu’s research is focused on clinical care and outcomes in children with chronic kidney disease. Neu leads several national and international multicenter collaborative projects, including the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies (NAPRTCS) and the Standardizing Care to Improve Outcomes in Pediatric Endstage Kidney Disease (SCOPE) collaborative.
Jeffrey Fadrowski, M.D.
Jeffrey Fadrowski’s research is focused on the impact of toxicants on kidney disease and acute kidney injury. Dr. Fadrowski leads the Nephrotoxic Injury Negated by Just-in-time Action (NINJA) program at Johns Hopkins, part of a national collaborative focused on the prevention of acute kidney injury in hospitalized patients. This program has expanded to all patients hospitalized in the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
Meredith Atkinson, M.D.
Meredith Atkinson’s research is focused on clinical outcomes in children with chronic and end-stage kidney disease, with an emphasis on clinical trials. Atkinson leads the multicenter Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy (RAFT) trial, and is the site principal investigator for the multicenter Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) Study.
Atkinson is the recipient of a P50 pilot award for the generation of computable phenotypes for lupus and lupus nephritis, with the goal of using electronic medical record data to facilitate clinical trial design.
Tammy Brady, M.D., Ph.D.
Tammy Brady’s research is focused on promoting cardiovascular health across the patient lifespan. She has National Institutes of Health funding to determine the impact of dietary intake, mood disorders and adverse childhood experiences on cardiovascular disease risk factors in youth.
Brady is part of a multidisciplinary team working on Resolve to Save Lives, an international campaign to decrease cardiovascular disease mortality worldwide. As part of this team, she has led two impactful clinical trials to study the effect of cuff size and resting on blood pressure measurement.
Brady directs a multidisciplinary obesity hypertension clinic called the Reversing the Negative cardiovascular Effects of Weight (ReNew) clinic. Many children in this clinic are enrolled in a longitudinal registry, which has formed the basis of several clinical investigations on how to better care for children with multiple risk factors for heart disease. In addition to her personal research efforts, Brady serves as vice chair for clinical research in the Department of Pediatrics.
Cozumel Pruette, M.D., M.H.S., M.S.
Cozumel Pruette’s research is focused on improving self-management, patient engagement, transition of care and medication adherence in patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. She leads the pediatric/young adult transition of care program for the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center.
The principal investigator in the development and implementation of a peer-mentoring program for adolescents with kidney transplant, Pruette has established national patient and family advisory councils for the NAPRTCS and for the CKiD study.
Rebecca Ruebner, M.D., M.S.C.E.
Rebecca Ruebner’s research is focused on clinical care and outcomes of children with chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease. Ruebner participates in multiple national research collaboratives including the SCOPE collaborative, NAPRTCS, the CKiD study, and Preserving Kidney Function in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease (PRESERVE).
Olga Charnaya, M.D.
Olga Charnaya’s primary research focus is pediatric kidney transplantation. Charnaya has several ongoing research endeavors, including exploring how to implement eplet mismatch analysis in pediatric kidney transplantation, reducing racial and ethnic disparities in pediatric kidney transplantation, and studying the response of pediatric transplant recipients to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Charnaya leads one of the division quality improvement initiatives to optimize care of children with nephrotic syndrome, which is a collaborative effort with eight other children’s hospitals. In 2020, she received the KL2 Clinical Research Scholars Award to support her research and allow her to complete a doctorate in clinical investigation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
