Connie Rhee, MD, MSc Appointed Section Chief of Nephrology, VA Greater Los Angeles
It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Connie Rhee, MD, MSc as the incoming section chief of nephrology at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.
Dr, Rhee is a professor in-residence in the Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is a nephrologist and physician-scientist who leads a robust research program centered on the intersection of kidney disease, endocrinology/metabolism, and nutrition. She completed her undergraduate tenure at Northwestern University and her medical school training at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine as part of the Honors Program in Medical Education. She subsequently completed her residency and chief residency at the Oregon Health and Science University and Portland VA Medical Center, where she also provided care to veterans at the Roseburg VA Medical Center in her home state of Oregon.
Dr. Rhee pursued her clinical nephrology fellowship and postdoctoral research training at the combined Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital Nephrology Fellowship Program, while concurrently providing care at the West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain VA Medical Centers. She completed her Master of Science in Epidemiology degree at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Prior to joining UCLA and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Dr. Rhee served as a faculty member and in multiple leadership positions at the University of California Irvine (UCI), including interim chief, director of clinical and translational research, medical director of dialysis, and associate fellowship program director in the division of nephrology, hypertension, and kidney transplantation. She also served as the Department of Medicine’s Vice-Chair of Clinical Research at UCI.
Dr. Rhee’s research program has been supported by multiple NIH grants, including four active NIH R01 grants, the National Kidney Foundation, American Thyroid Association, and industry grants in which she has served as the principal investigator. She also serves as the data coordinating center chair for a multi-center VA Merit trial; as a core co-investigator of various NIH, Department of Defense, and PCORI grants; and is a standing member of the NIH “Kidney and Urological Systems Function and Dysfunction” study section. Dr. Rhee has mentored a wide range of trainees in the areas of nephrology, nutrition science, endocrinology/metabolism, public health, biostatistics, and related disciplines. Her contributions to the field have been recognized with several major professional society awards, including the National Kidney Foundation—Council of Renal Nutrition Dr. Joel D. Kopple Award (2020) and the American Society of Nephrology Midcareer Distinguished Mentor Award (2023).
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Rhee to UCLA and the department of medicine.
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