About the Division of Nephrology
Overview
The Division of Nephrology at UI Health treats patients with conditions and diseases of the kidney, including end-stage renal disease (ESRD), kidney transplantation, acute kidney failure, kidney stones, and immunological kidney diseases. Our kidney transplant outcomes are among the best in Chicago.
The Division of Nephrology has grown out of a long history of excellence in the field of kidney treatment and research. In the early 1950s, UI Health nephrologists refined and developed the percutaneous kidney biopsy as a clinical tool. UI Health was the first institution in Illinois to perform a living-donor kidney/pancreas transplant and the first in the world to perform a robotic donor nephrectomy (kidney removal) for a living-donor transplant.
History Heading link
The Division of Nephrology at the University of Illinois Chicago has a long history of excellence in the field. In the early 1950’s, the Division of Nephrology at University of Illinois Research and Education Hospital was combined with Presbyterian Hospital and the first Chief of the Division was Dr. Robert Kark. Dr. Kark was the first to develop percutaneous kidney biopsy as a clinical tool in the United States. His group published seminal papers describing biopsy findings of several kidney diseases including preeclampsia, various forms of glomerulonephritis, lupus, and diabetes.
By the late 1960’s, the University of Illinois and Presbyterian Hospital ended their affiliation and Dr. Clarence Gant became the Division Chief until 1971, at which time Dr. Neil Kurtzman became the Chief. In 1981, Dr. Jose Arruda became Division Chief and led the Division for four decades and made seminal contributions in the area of acid base physiology, including a deeper understanding of mechanisms of renal tubular acidosis. For the past 20 years, faculty in the Division have made important contributions in the area of chronic kidney disease and have had a successful track record of participation in the major NIDDK kidney health initiatives including the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study and the Kidney Precision Medicine Project (KPMP).
The Division has also made cutting edge contributions in the area of kidney transplantation. In 1969, Dr. Olga Jonasson performed the first kidney transplant in the state of Illinois. More recently, UI Health was the first institution in Illinois to perform a living-donor kidney/pancreas transplant and the first in the world to perform a robotic donor nephrectomy for a living-donor transplant.