Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment
C. John Sperati, MD, Chair
Dr. Sperati is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he also serves as Director of the Nephrology Fellowship Program and the Glomerular Diseases Fellowship Program.
Dr. Sperati served as an examination beta-tester for the ABIM Nephrology Self-Assessment Exam from 2008 to 2015 and later on the Nephrology Self-Assessment Committee and Item-Writing Task Force. He joined the Nephrology Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®) Approval Committee in 2020 and has chaired the committee since January 2024. He is a fellow of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and serves as a member of the NKF Education Committee. Dr. Sperati was on the program committee for the NKF Spring Clinical Meetings from 2010 to 2012, and he serves as principal investigator on industry and National Institutes of Health-funded trials in glomerular disease. He was a member of the American Heart Association working group that drafted management guidelines and scientific priorities for fibromuscular dysplasia, and he maintains an active clinical practice in conditions such as thrombotic microangiopathy, glomerular disease, genetic diseases of the kidney and resistant hypertension.
Dr. Sperati is on the editorial board of Advances in Kidney Disease and Health, and he is a section editor of Current Hypertension Reports. He was the 2020 recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award from the American Society of Nephrology.
Dr. Sperati received his medical degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. He served as an Assistant Chief of Service at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and completed a fellowship in nephrology there. He holds a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
As of July 2023, Dr. Sperati reported the following external relationships:
Funding for clinical trial expenses and staff, paid to Johns Hopkins University, from the following companies:
- Novartis
Service on data and safety monitoring boards for the following companies, with honoraria:
- Alexion
- Alpine Immune Sciences
- Neurogene, Inc.
- Omeros Corporation
Consulting on design of new drugs or devices, clinical trials, the use of specific agents or other research-related activities for the following companies, with honoraria:
- Alnylam
Dr. Sperati serves in significant roles with the following organizations, receiving reimbursement or compensation as listed:
- The National Kidney Foundation, Education Committee, member, without compensation
Gretchen Brandt, MD
Dr. Brandt is a nephrologist with the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group in Washington, D.C., where she leads the Peritoneal Dialysis program at the Capitol Hill hub. Previously, Dr. Brandt worked with the Washington Hospital Center internal medicine and nephrology fellowship programs. More recently, she has been leading the advance care planning work with end-stage kidney disease patients and pursuing the use of point-of-care ultrasound in renal patient care. Dr. Brandt has also participated in nephrology teaching programs for physicians working in resource-limited locations.
Dr. Brandt previously served on the American Society of Nephrology Committees for Publication and Communication.
Dr. Brandt received her medical degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, and completed an internal medicine residency and a nephrology fellowship at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology.
As of March 2024, Dr. Brandt reported no ongoing external relationships.
Diane Cibrik, MD, MS
Dr. Cibrik is the Medical Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation and a Profession of Transplant Nephrology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She is a board certified transplant nephrologist, and previously served at the University of Michigan (UM) as Professor of Internal Medicine in the division of nephrology. She also served as medical director of clinical trial transplant research and pancreas transplantation, and as a member on the Institutional Review Board. In addition, she served as the transplant nephrology fellowship director.
Dr. Cibrik has served on the program committee for the American Transplant Congress (ATC) as well as chair for multiple transplant sessions and served on the ATC education committee. She was a reviewer for The American Journal of Transplantation, Clinical Transplantation and The Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. In addition, Dr. Cibrik has served as principal investigator on numerous clinical trials and as scientific advisor for Novartis, Astellas and Pfizer in the past.
Dr. Cibrik received a bachelor of science in chemistry from John Carroll University and a medical degree from Case Western Reserve University. She completed her internal medicine residency, and nephrology and transplant fellowships at University Hospitals of Cleveland. She received a master’s degree in clinical research design and statistical analysis from the University of Michigan in 2001.
As of July 2023, Dr. Cibrik reported the following external relationships:
Service on a research-related advisory board or expert panel for the following companies with honoraria:
- CareDx
- Eledon
Dr. Cibrik serves in significant roles with the following organizations, receiving reimbursement or compensation as listed:
- The United Network for Organ Sharing, Pancreas Treatment Committee, member, without compensation
Talat Ikizler, MD, FASN
Dr. Ikizler is the Director of Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and Professor of Medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) in Nashville, Tennessee. He currently serves as a Nephrology Longitudinal Approval Committee member at the American Board of Internal Medicine. He also holds the Catherine McLaughlin Hakim Chair in Vascular Biology. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, Association of American Physicians, and Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Board of Directors. He has significant research and clinical interest in nutritional and metabolic aspects of acute and chronic disease states.
Dr. Ikizler was the Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Outpatient Dialysis unit between 2000 and 2012. He is currently an Associate Editor for Kidney International, and he was the past President of International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism 2010 – 2012 and National Kidney Foundation of Middle Tennessee 2002 – 2004, an Associate Editor for Journal of American Society of Nephrology 2006-2012, Director of the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation Program at VUSM 2005 - 2017 and Member and Chair of American Board of Internal Medicine Nephrology Test Writing Committee 2008 - 2018. He is the recipient of National Kidney Foundation Joel Kopple Award, International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism Thomas Addis Award and VUSM Excellence in Mentoring Translational Scientist Award. He has published over 250 original articles, 50 editorial reviews and 20 book chapters. He is the co-Editor of Handbook of Nutrition in Kidney Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease, Dialysis, and Transplantation.
Dr. Ikizler earned his medical degree and completed his internships in surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry and obstetrics/gynecology at Istanbul University. He completed his residency at Sisli Etfal Hospital, also in Istanbul, Turkey. He completed his nephrology fellowship at VUMC.
As of July 2023, Dr. Ikizler reported the following external relationships:
Service on a research-related expert panel or advisory board for the following companies, with compensation for travel expenses and honoraria:
- Frensius, for nutrition-related research, receiving reimbursement for travel expenses and honoraria
Work as an author or editor for the following companies, with compensation as listed:
- Elsevier, receiving compensation as an editor
Dr. Ikizler serves in significant roles with the following organizations, receiving reimbursement or compensation as listed:
- The International Society of Nephrology, associate editor, receiving honoraria and reimbursement for travel expenses
Helbert Rondon Berrios, MD
Dr. Rondon Berrios is a Board Certified internist and nephrologist. He is a Professor of Medicine in the Renal-Electrolyte Division at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine where he also serves as the Program Director of the Nephrology Fellowship Training Program.
Dr. Rondon Berrios has an accomplished publication record in the field of hyponatremia. His ongoing research is concentrated on the utilization of desmopressin to prevent rapid correction of severe hyponatremia, and the examination of neurological outcomes associated with profound hyponatremia.
Dr. Rondon Berrios obtained his medical degree from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru. Subsequently, he pursued internal medicine residency training at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, followed by a nephrology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. During this time, he also achieved a Master of Science degree in medical education.
As of May 2024, Dr. Rondon Berrios reported no ongoing external relationships.
Traditional, 10-Year MOC Exam
Bernard G. Jaar, MD, Chair
Dr. Jaar is an Associate Professor and Clinical Director of the Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine with a joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is also an Associate Faculty Member of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. He has more than 18 years of experience in private practice in the Baltimore area.
Dr. Jaar holds a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Nephrology and the National Kidney Foundation. He serves on the editorial board of several scientific journals, and has authored or coauthored more than 230 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters. He is a past chair of the State of Maryland Commission on Kidney Disease. He is also a past chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland, and current Vice-Chair for Education of the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative Guidelines of the National Kidney Foundation.
As of February 2024, Dr. Jaar reported the following external relationships:
Work as an author or editor for the following companies, with compensation as listed:
- BioMed Central Nephrology, section editor, without compensation
- Elsevier, receiving compensation for authorship
- UpToDate, receiving compensation for co-authorship of a chapter on lead-related nephrotoxicity
Dr. Jaar serves in significant roles with the following organizations, receiving reimbursement or compensation as listed:
- The National Kidney Foundation, Education Committee, member, KDOQI Guidelines Committee, member, without compensation
Phyllis August, MD
Dr. August is the Ralph A. Baer MD Professor of Research in Medicine, and a Professor of Medicine, Public Health, and Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine. She is an Attending Physician at New York Presbyterian (NYP) Hospital-Weill Cornell, the Director of the NYP-Weill Cornell Hypertension Center, the Program Director for the Nephrology Fellowship training program at NYP Weill Cornell and the Director of the Theresa and Eugene Lang Center for Research and Education at New York Presbyterian Queens. She is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Nephrology.
Dr. August has been involved in clinical practice and clinical investigation related to hypertension, particularly in the context of pregnancy and/or kidney disease for over 30 years. She has been a member of several committees that have developed guidelines for the treatment of these conditions including The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist's Task Force, The National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on Hypertension and Pregnancy, and the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure V and VI. Dr. August is an Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. She is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine Nephrology Board Exam Committee and the Medical Board of the Preeclampsia Foundation, and a former member of the Post-Graduate Education Committee for the American Society of Nephrology.
Dr. August received a bachelor's degree in biology from Harvard College, her medical degree from Yale University, and her master of public health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed house staff training at Yale New Haven Hospital and the New York Hospital, and a fellowship in nephrology and hypertension at the New York Hospital/Weill Cornell.
As of August 2023, Dr. August reported the following external relationships:
Service on data and safety monitoring boards for the following companies, with compensation as listed below:
- Medtronic, for renal denervation study in patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, receiving honoraria
Consulting on design of new drugs or devices, clinical trials, the use of specific agents or other research-related activities for the following companies, with honoraria:
- Intercept, member of event adjudication committee for a clinical trial
Work as an author or editor for the following companies, with compensation as listed below:
- UpToDate, for compensation as an author
Dr. August serves in significant roles with the following organizations, receiving reimbursement or compensation as listed:
- The Preeclampsia Foundation, Medical Advisory Board, member, without compensation
Fernando C. Fervenza, MD, Ph.D
Dr. Fervenza is a Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota. He graduated with a degree in Medicine from the Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil and underwent his clinical nephrology and research training at Oxford University and Oxford Renal Unit, England, from 1985 to 1991. Subsequent training included Post-doctoral Fellowship at Stanford University. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology and the American College of Physicians and is the UpToDate® Section Editor for Glomerular Disease. His area of interest is in pursuing patient-oriented research projects with the goal of developing new bench research discoveries to the bedside treatment of patients with glomerular diseases.
As of September 2023, Dr. Fervenza reported the following external relationships:
Funding for clinical trial expenses and staff, paid to the Mayo Clinic, from the following companies:
- BioCrys
- Genentech
- Janssen
- Morphosys AG
- Travere
Service on a research-related advisory board for the following companies, with honoraria:
- BioCryst
- Equillium
- Galapagos
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Morphosys
- Novartis
- Otsuka
- Takeda
Work as an author or editor for the following companies, with compensation as listed:
- UpToDate, receiving compensation for authorship and associate editor role
Edgar V. Lerma, MD
Dr. Lerma, who is board certified in Nephrology, is Clinical Professor of Medicine with the University of Illinois College (UIC) of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. He is also the Educational Coordinator for Nephrology at the UIC/Advocate Christ Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency Training Program in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
He is a member of Associates in Nephrology, S.C., which is a 30+ group of practicing clinical nephrologists serving the suburbs of Chicago and northwest Indiana and has an active and very busy clinical practice. Having previously served as Chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Nephrology Self-Assessment Committee, he has been an inaugural member of the ABIM Item Writing Development Task Force for Nephrology and continues to serve in this role at present. He also serves as the Education Committee Chair of the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology (2018-20). Recently, he was appointed as the KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) Knowledge Translation Chair.
He is a previous member of the American Society of Nephrology's (ASN) Committee on Education and also participated in the development of several self-assessment projects, including the National Lipid Association's NLA-SAP, ASN's KSAP and as a peer reviewer for ASN's NephSAP. He previously served as Director of Research for the UIC/Advocate Christ Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency Training Program.
A frequently requested speaker, Dr. Lerma serves on a number of editorial boards, as Associate Editor for Journal of Clinical Lipidology and Clinical Reviews in Bone and Mineral Metabolism, and as Section Editor for Geriatric Nephrology for International Urology and Nephrology. In addition, he has authored several peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. He has also edited several books. Dr. Lerma received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) College of Science and medical degree from the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in Manila, Philippines. He did his internal medicine residency training at UIC/Mercy Hospital and Medical Center and fellowship training in nephrology and hypertension at Northwestern University/Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois.
As of July 2023, Dr. Lerma reported the following external relationships:
Service on a research-related expert panel or advisory board for the following companies, with honoraria:
- Bayer
- Baxter
- Boehringer Ingelheim
- Calliditas
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Novartis
- Otsuka
- Vertex
- Vifor
Teaching in satellite symposia funded by the following companies, with compensation for travel expenses and honoraria:
- AcademicCME
- AstraZeneca
- Bayer
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Novartis
Work as an author or editor for the following companies, with compensation as listed:
- Elsevier, receiving compensation as an editor
- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, receiving compensation as an editor
- McGraw Hill, receiving compensation as an editor
- Springer, receiving compensation as an editor
- UpToDate®, receiving compensation for authorship
Dr. Lerma serves in significant roles with the following organizations, receiving reimbursement or compensation as listed:
- Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes, Knowledge Translation Lead, without compensation
- The National Kidney Foundation, Program Planning Committee, receiving reimbursement for travel expenses
- The American Society of Nephrology, Kidney360 and The Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology Visual Abstract Editor, receiving honoraria
- The Renal Physicians Association, Program Committee, receiving reimbursement for travel expenses and honoraria
The International Society of Nephrology, KI Reports Visual Abstract Editor, receiving honoraria
Michal L. Melamed, MD
Dr. Melamed is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology & Population Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center. She is also the Nephrology Fellowship Training Program Director and is a Principal Investigator on the NIH Nephrology Training Grant. She is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Nephrology.
Dr. Melamed is currently a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine Nephrology Board Exam Committee. She is also the Program Chair for the New York Society of Nephrology. She has served on the Program Committees of both the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology annual meetings. She works as a clinical investigator studying risk factors for the progression of kidney disease. Dr. Melamed has published more than 80 original scientific communications in the scientific literature. She serves on the Editorial board of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Dr. Melamed received a bachelor’s degree from New York University’s College of Arts and Sciences where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude. She received her medical degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. She received her master’s in health sciences degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed her house staff and nephrology fellowship training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
As of November 2023, Dr. Melamed reported no ongoing external relationships.
Silas Norman, MD
Dr. Norman is the current Co-Medical Director of Kidney and Pancreas transplantation at the University of Michigan. He is board certified in Nephrology. Since 2003 he has worked as a transplant nephrologist at the University of Michigan Transplant Center.
Dr. Norman is the Director of the Transplant Multi-Specialty Clinic and Kidney Transplant Outreach Clinics. He is also a long-standing member on the medical school Admissions Executive Committee.
Dr. Norman is a member of the Michigan Medicine Clinical Excellence Society. He is on the Board of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan and the Board of Trustees for the American Kidney Fund. He currently serves as a member of the Nephrology Board Exam Committee at the American Board of Internal Medicine. He previously served for more than a decade on a number of committees for the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) including the Minority Affairs, Policy Oversight and Kidney Transplantation Committees and the UNOS Board of Directors. He has served as a reviewer for the American Journal of Transplantation, the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology and Clinical Transplantation.
Dr. Norman received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from The University of Michigan and his medical degree from Wayne State University. He completed his residency training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He completed his nephrology; transplant nephrology and Master of Public Health degree at the University of Michigan.
As of July 2023, Dr. Norman reported the following ongoing external relationships:
Funding for salary support, clinical trial expenses and staff, paid to the University of Michigan, from the following companies:
- AlloVir, for a study of ALVR10 to prevent life-threatening infections and diseases post-transplantation
- Astellas, for a study of bleselumab for prevention of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
- Natera, for a study of a transplant rejection test that uses a blood draw to assess the risk of rejection of a transplanted kidney
Service on a research-related expert panel or advisory board for the following companies, with honoraria:
- Pfizer, for service on a paxlovid virtual advisory board
Dr. Norman serves in significant roles with the following organizations, receiving reimbursement or compensation as listed:
- The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, member, without compensation
- The American Kidney Fund, member, receiving reimbursement for travel expenses
- The Detroit Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program, Foundation Board, member, without compensation
- The American Society of Transplantation, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (to Life) (IDEAL) Taskforce, member, without compensation