Susanne B. Nicholas, MD, MPH, PhD Selected for Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program
The UCLA Department of Medicine is pleased to announce that Susanne B. Nicholas, MD, MPH, PhD has been selected for the prestigious the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program. The ELAM Program is dedicated to expanding the national pool of qualified women candidates for leadership positions in academic medicine. Through an intensive one-year fellowship, participants gain extensive coaching, networking and mentorship that will prepare them for leadership opportunities that inform decision making, curriculum, and policy at an academic medical center.
Dr. Nicholas is a tenured professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, in the divisions of nephrology; general internal medicine; and endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. She is a NIH-funded investigator with her translational research focused on preventing the development and progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Her studies involve the development of novel therapies and identification of risk factors that contribute to DKD progression, particularly in racial and ethnic minority populations and the use of machine learning to identify targetable risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression.
She shared her vision for the ELAM program, stating, “I envision that the knowledge and experiences gained from the ELAM program will fuel my desire to be a change-maker within my division, department and school. Currently, there are 35.5 million adults in our country with chronic kidney disease; as a translational science investigator and clinician, I would like to create a successful, sustainable outreach program for local communities to improve kidney care and to create a blueprint for equitable kidney health that will extend across, and beyond UCLA.”
She has made immense contributions to the field of nephrology, serving as senior author of the National Kidney Foundation KDOQI US Commentary on the KDIGO 2020 and KDIGO 2022 Clinical Practice Guideline for Diabetes Management in CKD. She chairs the UCLA Nephrology Racial Health Equity Committee and serves as vice chair of the University of California Systemwide Council on Research Policy. She is a member of the American Society of Nephrology Health Care Justice Committee and served on the Steering Committee Kidney Health Initiative for the APOL1 Roadmap. She directs and co-directs several NIH-funded fellowship training programs, has published over 120 original research papers, reviews and book chapters on DKD, hypertension and health disparities, and has presented over 130 abstracts at scientific meetings.
Her numerous accolades include the National Kidney Foundation Medical Advisory Board Distinguished Service Award and the Minority Access, Inc. National Role Model Faculty Researcher Award.
In addition to her research and academic roles, Dr. Nicholas has held various leadership positions, including serving as a member on the Board of Directors of the NKF California, Nevada & Pacific Northwest; a grant-reviewer for several NIH and private organizations; chairing an NIH study section; and serving on the editorial board of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases and is associate editor for the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Dr. Nicholas is currently president of Women in Nephrology, a position she has held since January 2023.
Dr. Nicholas received her MD from the University of California, San Diego; her MPH from San Diego State University; and PhD in Physiology through the UCLA STAR Program. Dr. Nicholas is also a graduate of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-Harold Amos Faculty Development Program.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Nicholas as she begins her journey with the ELAM Program.
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