We are a diverse faculty with a wide range of clinical expertise and research experience, and our goal is to provide comprehensive training to future nephrologists in all aspects of the specialty.
Jessica Lapasia, MD
Program Director
Jessica Lapasia, MD
Program Director
MEDICAL EDUCATION
Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
RESIDENCY
California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
Fellowship
Stanford University, Stanford, CA
AREA OF INTEREST
Glomerular disease, medical education, chronic kidney disease, life care planning/palliative care
MY PASSION
I feel so grateful to work at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, surrounded by inspiring colleagues and friends. I am inspired by the innovational programs developed here and throughout KP Northern California, and very excited to embark on our Nephrology Fellowship. During my time off, I love spending time with my husband and sons in San Francisco. They love sports, so I am constantly working on my skills in tennis, soccer, and basketball and trying to keep up with them! I enjoy reading, music, and lots of outdoor time. Living in the Bay Area, we are surrounded by beautiful hikes and I love exploring these with my family. During the pandemic, we started family biking trips which have been a great way to connect with each other and stay active.
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Leonid Yankulin, MD
Associate Program Director
Leonid Yankulin, MD
Associate Program Director
MEDICAL EDUCATION
University of Tartu School of Medicine, Tartu, Estonia
RESIDENCY
St. Mary's Health Center, St. Louis, MO
FELLOWSHIP
University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
AREA OF INTEREST
Acute kidney Injury, dialysis modalities, electrolyte disturbances
MY PASSION
I enjoy reading books or watching historical movies or documentaries. I love scuba diving and enjoy diving with my friends and my wife and 2 kids. I love to spend time with my family, and fortunately my mother and my sister and her family live in San Francisco. That was the reason we moved here despite of the high cost of living and high cost of education for the children, but it totally worth it to have your family close.
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Ali Poyan Mehr, MD
Ali Poyan Mehr, MD
MEDICAL EDUCATION
Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
RESIDENCY
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
FELLOWSHIP
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
AREA OF INTEREST
Glomerular diseases, acute kidney injury, clinical research
MY PASSION
I was born in Iran and grew up in Germany, where I graduated from the Charite Medical University in Berlin. After a research fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine, I trained in internal medicine and nephrology at the Beth Israel Deconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston. I served as the Director for Patient Safety and Quality in Nephrology, and practiced nephrology on the Harvard Medical Faculty for several years prior to joining Kaiser Permanente. My clinical focus is in the area of autoimmune kidney disorders (e.g. glomerulonephritis, FSGS, minimal change disease, lupus nephritis, IgA nephropathy, among others). Part of my time I devote to researching the causes and treatment of kidney diseases. I serve as Principal Investigator or co-Investigator on several clinical trials for patients with various forms of kidney disease and acute kidney injury. Together with colleagues interested in glomerular disease, I helped create the Glomerular Disease Study & Trial Consortium (GlomCon). When I am not practicing medicine, I enjoy spending time with my family.
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Tracy Jonelis, MD
Tracy Jonelis, MD
MEDICAL EDUCATION
Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China
RESIDENCY
Kaiser Foundation Hospital, San Francisco, CA
FELLOWSHIP
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
AREA OF INTEREST
Glomerular diseases, nephrology and pregnancy, kidney transplantation, health care innovation and delivery, quality performance and improvement, servant leadership.
MY PASSION
I was drawn to nephrology for its scientific complexity and the inspiring stories I encountered of patients living with CKD, ESRD, and kidney transplants. I am fascinated by the broad spectrum of disciplines that nephrology connects with medicine and humanity. I consider myself a forever-learner who looks forward to learning alongside colleagues and fellows. We are blessed to have three adult children, and, so far, five grandchildren. I am passionate about instilling the core values of curiosity and integrity in my family. In our spare time, we read, play games, hike, rock-climb, and stargaze. We all thrive by caring for each other’s wellness.
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Jonathan Lieberman, MD
Jonathan Lieberman, MD
Medical Education
Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Residency
Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA
Fellowship
Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA
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Nelson Goes, MD
Nelson Goes, MD
Medical Education
Federal University of Bahia Medical School, Salvador, Brazil
Residency
Hahnemann University Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Fellowship
Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Area of interest
Our clinic primary focus is transplantation nephrology. The care of transplant recipients is comprehensive and include, management of immunosuppression, prevention and treatment of rejection, infections, malignancies as well as metabolic abnormalities. There is a significant interplay between kidney disease, immunosuppression, cardiovascular disease, PTDM and bone disease. We are also improving the care of our patients using population management approaches: we engaged our PHASE (Prevent Heart Attacks And Strokes Everyday) colleagues to improve diabetes care for all transplant recipients, skin cancer surveillance, vaccinations. KP has amazing resources to track patients and outcomes.
MY PASSION
I am passionate about medicine and our ability to connect and impact the lives of our patients and their families. Transplantation is unique among the different fields of medicine; it transforms our patients lives, allowing them to return to school, work, practice sports and live a longer life.
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Sumie Iwasaki, MD
Department Chief
Sumie Iwasaki, MD
Department Chief
MEDICAL EDUCATION
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY
RESIDENCY
New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia Campus, New York, NY
FELLOWSHIP
New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY
AREA OF INTEREST
Glomerulonephritis, chronic kidney disease, and transplant
MY PASSION
Cooking, listening to music, and spending time with my husband and young daughter.
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Sijie Zheng, MD, PhD, FASN
Site Director Nephrology Oakland
Sijie Zheng, MD, PhD, FASN
Site Director Nephrology Oakland
MEDICAL EDUCATION
Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
RESIDENCY
Penn State University Hospital Milton S Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA
FELLOWSHIP
Washington University Medical Center/ St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO
AREA OF INTEREST
Home dialysis, lifestyle medicine, kidney transplantation, glomerulonephritis, POCUS
MY PASSION
I love to meet nice people, to be friends with them, and to learn from them. I love animals. I love thinking of new ideas, singing, cooking, and reading Chinese poetry.
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Chitra Reddy, MD
Site Director Nephrology Santa Clara
Chitra Reddy, MD
Site Director Nephrology Santa Clara
MEDICAL EDUCATION
Bangalore University-Medicine, Bangalore, India
RESIDENCY
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Santa Clara, CA
FELLOWSHIP
Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA
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Mark Gasparini, MD
Site Director Urology South San Francisco
Mark Gasparini, MD
Site Director Urology South San Francisco
Medical Education
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Residency
UC San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Area of interest
Urology
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