The Stuart Shankland Grants Program
The UW Nephrology Stuart Shankland Grants Program recognizes his extraordinary contributions to building the research infrastructure within the Division of Nephrology.
Building a research program
Dr. Shankland served as Division Head of UW Nephrology from 2004 to 2020. During his tenure, he helped shape the direction of our research mission by building strategic partnerships, including collaborations with Northwest Kidney Centers (NKC). Together with Joyce Jackson, former CEO of NKC, and UW Medicine, Dr. Shankland launched the Kidney Research Institute (KRI) in 2008, which is now recognized worldwide as a leader in kidney-disease-related research.
Training grants
Dr. Shankland led the division’s long-standing T32 training grant through 2020, which supported numerous trainees, including several of our current nephrology faculty members. He has trained more than 50 trainees in his laboratory, and he continues this legacy today as a mentor in the U2C/TL1 program that succeeded the T32, the Northwest Comprehensive Research Training in Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Sciences (NCOR-KUH).
The future of the program
The UW Nephrology Stuart Shankland Grants Program will continue to foster innovation, support early-stage research ideas, and strengthen our community of kidney investigators—values that reflect Dr. Shankland’s longstanding leadership.
Awards
2026 Recipients
Josh Earl, MD
Mentor: Yue Harn Ng, MD, MPH
Title: Examining the Impact of Washington State Apple Health Expansion on Kidney Transplant Access
Sarah Haeger, MD, PhD
Mentor: Stuart Shankland, MD, MBA
Title: Study of Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms by which Heart Failure Causes Kidney Injury
Liz Kiernan, MD
Mentor: Ian de Boer, MD, MS, and Pavan Bhatraju, MD, MSc
Title: Applications of Genomics and Proteomics for Sub-phenotyping Acute Kidney Injury
2025 Recipients
Mahlet Assefa, MD
Mentor: Nisha Bansal, MD, MAS
Title: Burden of heart failure and outcomes among adult patients with end-stage kidney disease on renal replacement therapy
Lily Jeong, MD
Mentor: Sarah Sanghavi, MD
Title: A novel tool for evaluating clinical reasoning of water disorders among internal medicine residents
Giulia Spennati, PhD
Mentor: Beno Freedman, PhD
Title: Investigating the role of metabolism in glucose-induced damage in diabetic kidney organoids
2024 Recipients
Justin Bullock, MD, MPH
Mentor: Ann O’Hare, MD
Title: Identifying Opportunities to Make Nephrology Care More Patient-Centered
Anna Morenz, MD
Mentor: Yue-Harn Ng, MD, MPH
Title: Using Neighborhood Indices to Identify High Social Risk Kidney Candidates for Intervention
Anna Zemke, MD
Mentor: Nisha Bansal, MD, MAS
Title: Application of 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Heart Failure Staging Guidelines in a CKD Population
2023 Recipients
Justin Bullock, MD, MPH
Mentor: Pim Teunissen, MD, PhD
Title: A Longitudinal Qualitative Exploration of Identity Safety and
Identity Formation Among Subspecialty Fellows
Simon Hsu, MD
Mentor: Ian de Boer, MD, MS
Title: Evaluating effectiveness of the Vitamin D Metabolite Ratio (VDMR) for patients with CKD
Benjamin Lidgard, MD
Mentor: Nisha Bansal, MD, MAS
Title: Defining HDL Surface Lipid Alterations and Their Impact on
Cardiovascular Risk and Mortality in Chronic Kidney Disease
Ms. Regina Tsay
Mentor: Christopher Blosser, MD
Title: Identifying prevalence of plasma cell dyscrasias in patients referred to UW for kidney transplant from 2011 to 2021
Program Leadership
Professor of Medicine
Arthur Stach Family Endowed Professor
Director, Nephrology Clinical and Research Education
Director, Kidney Heart Service, University of Washington
Director, Physician Scientist Learning Pathway, IM Residency
Assistant Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Department of Medicine
