2018 M. Irené Ferrer Awardee, Columbia University
Dr. Hilda Fernandez is a Transplant Nephrologist who is board certified in Pediatric and Adult Nephrology. She is the Medical Director of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Dr. Fernandez is a native Californian who trained at UCLA for Internal Medicine-Pediatric Combined Residency, followed by Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship. She then completed an adult Nephrology Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by completion of her Masters of Science in Clinical Epidemiology. Dr. Fernandez subsequently moved to New York City to complete her Transplant Fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital-Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and she has been a member of the faculty since 2015. Dr. Fernandez has research interests in kidney transplant outcomes. She is also an expert on the transition of care from pediatric to adult care practices.
What is Dr. Hilda Fernandez studying?
Dr. Fernandez is conducting research on chronic renal disease, a long-term condition characterized by the gradual loss of kidney function over time. Her recent focus explores the potential genetic connection between this disease and disorders of brain function. She is particularly interested in understanding why young individuals with chronic kidney disease often experience cognitive difficulties. Dr. Fernandez hypothesizes that a defective gene may be responsible for impairments in both the brain and the kidneys, suggesting a shared genetic basis for these conditions.
Why study Chronic Kidney Disease?
About 10% of the world’s population has chronic kidney disease. The rates are higher in low and middle-income countries. In the United States, 14% of adults have chronic renal disease with over 90% of patients unaware of their condition. By 2030, 5.4 million people may require kidney replacement therapy
What did Dr. Fernandez find?
Doctor Fernandez studied the treatment of kidney transplant patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as kidney failure is the leading cause of death in these individuals. The frequency of lupus is a concern: it affects 30.9 people per 100,000 in the United States and 10-30% of those progress to end stage kidney disease. Suppression of the immune system with Belatacept, a new agent, proved more effective than the usual chemicals that are used to treat end-stage renal disease in that it improved survival in kidney transplant recipients. She also showed the usefulness of small changes in blood constituents, specifically serum creatinine, in alerting the physician to the presence of kidney disease. Dr. Wilson also studied Epstein-Barr involvement in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) in renal transplant patients, reporting the cure of refractory PTLD in a 23-year-old patient in whom a novel new agent cured this disorder.
How did The Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine’s grant help Dr. Fernandez research on Chronic Renal Disease and disorders of brain function?
She has continued her work, focusing—among other manifestations of chronic renal disease—on the possibility that a genetic cause underlies the cognitive difficulties observed in young people with this condition.
What is Dr. Hilda Fernandez’s current status?
She continues her work in the Department of Nephrology at Columbia and has published four important papers in peer reviewed publications over the past 6 years. Her publications can be found on The Research Gate website.