Rulan Parekh, MD, MS, FRCP(C), FASN

Dr. Rulan Parekh is a clinician-scientist, and an international leader in clinical epidemiology and translational research in kidney disease. Her work has revealed novel genetic risk factors leading to kidney disease and increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality for children and adults with kidney disease. At the University of Michigan, Dr. Parekh was uniquely trained in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine with subspecialty training in both Pediatric and Adult Nephrology and research training, completing her Master’s in Biostatistics and Study Design. She subsequently went on to post-doctoral training at Johns Hopkins University and joined the faculty in 2000. She successfully competed for an NIH Career Development Research Award and the American Society of Nephrology Carl W. Gottschalk Award for young investigators, establishing successful research programs in the genetics and cardiovascular complications of kidney disease.

Dr. Parekh leads both National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) sponsored observational studies on kidney disease in Canada, the US and Africa. In 2008, Dr. Parekh discovered a novel genetic risk that accounts for an increased likelihood of chronic kidney disease among those of African ancestry. Currently, she is focused on researching the use of genetic screening for kidney disease across sub-Saharan Africa. IN 2022, Dr. Parekh became a member of the CIHR’s Standing Committee on Science.