Our Second Field Trip to the USC Kidney Research Center

Last week our class had the opportunity to take our second field trip to the USC Kidney Research Center (KRC). It was an amazing experience to see firsthand how scientists and physicians work together to better understand kidney disease and develop new treatments.

One of the highlights of our visit was attending the Kenneth Kleinberg Named Lectureship. Mr. Kleinberg is a patient with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and a kidney transplant recipient who, together with Dr. Vito M. Campese, helped establish the foundation of the USC Kidney Research Center. Hearing about his story and the role he played in supporting kidney research reminded us how much patient advocacy and philanthropy can help move science forward.

This year’s lecture was given by Dr. Samir Parikh, the Ruth W. and Milton P. Levy, Sr. Chair in Molecular Nephrology and the President of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN). His talk was titled “The Kidney as the Window for Mammalian Aging.” He explained how studying the kidney can help scientists understand the aging process across the body and why this research could be important for developing new therapies in the future. We also had the chance to speak with Dr. Parikh before his lecture and ask questions about academic research and careers in medicine and science. He shared why academic research is so important for discovering new therapies, how changes in research funding affect scientific progress, and why philanthropy plays such a critical role in supporting idea-driven research.

We participated in a guided poster session with 24 posters from researchers at the USC Kidney Research Center. It was exciting to see the wide range of research being done at the center. The projects covered many topics, including kidney development, endogenous kidney regeneration, cardiovascular complications of kidney disease, environmental impacts on kidney health, and health disparities that affect access to treatment. One of the best parts of the poster session was that we were able to talk directly with faculty mentors and learn about specific research projects. We would like to thank Drs. Alicia McDonough, Laura Perin, Stefano Da Sacco, Sargis Sedrakyan, and Astgik Petrosyan for taking the time and answer our questions.

This field trip helped us better understand how patients, scientists, and communities work together to advance kidney research. Seeing the research being done and meeting the people behind it was inspiring, and it reminded us why raising awareness and supporting kidney research is so important for the millions of people affected by kidney disease.

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