An International Nod

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An International Nod | Dr. Russell Chesney, MD, International Pediatric Nephrology Association, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Ira Greifer Award.

Memphis Pediatric Nephrology Specialist Receives Global Honor

Earlier this month, Russell Chesney, MD, traveled to New York City to receive the highest honor bestowed by the International Pediatric Nephrology Association (IPNA).

Chesney, chair of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), received the Ira Greifer Award, which the IPNA recognizes roughly three times every decade to a pediatric nephrology expert for outstanding research and clinic care that supports children with kidney disorders. He received the prestigious award during the 15th Congress of the IPNA.

Chesney, an endowed professor who holds the Second Le Bonheur Chair of Excellence in Pediatrics, was acknowledged for the remarkable research he leads to improve the care of children with kidney disorders worldwide, and for his vision and leadership in educating and training future pediatric nephrologists. The IPNA, an alliance of the global community of pediatric nephrologists, selects recipients for this top honor every three years. The award is named for Ira Greifer, MD, an internationally recognized leader in pediatric nephrology who also serves as pediatrics professor at Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY.

“Dr. Chesney’s record of research, clinical care and instruction has a tremendous impact on the prevention and treatment of kidney disease in children around the globe,” said UTHSC chancellor Steve Schwab, MD.

Chesney, a pediatric nephrology specialist for 38 years, has served as chair of the UTHSC Department of Pediatrics for more than two decades. In this capacity, he leads a national pediatric nephrology research network, and is involved in teaching and patient care at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and the Regional Medical Center (The MED) at Memphis. He has built collaborations between basic and translational scientists for nearly every division within the Department of Pediatrics, which includes research activities at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He has also been fundamental in the recruitment, mentoring and retention of more than 100 faculty members in the Department of Pediatrics.

“(Dr. Chesney) has always cared about his patients, his students and his faculty,” said Lacey Smith, interim dean for the UTHSC College of Medicine in Memphis, who called him “a remarkable man with an extraordinary record of accomplishments over a long and distinguished career, demonstrating great clinical and academic leadership.”

“As far as his contributions to the field of nephrology,” she said, “I’m extremely pleased to acknowledge this prestigious, international and well-deserved award.”

Chesney specializes in acute kidney failure, growth disorders, kidney disease, kidney transplant, Vitamin D deficiency, hypocalcemia, hypoparathyroidism, nephrotic syndrome, osteomalacia, rickets and renal osteodystrophy in children. Among his studies, he chairs a national clinical trial examining pediatric vesicoureteral reflux, a condition involving the abnormal movement of urine from the bladder into the kidneys. The study, Randomized Intervention for Children with Vesicoureteral Reflux, involves pediatric nephrologists, urologists and general pediatricians from 22 children’s hospitals across the United States. The clinical trial is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (a section of the National Institutes of Health).

Also, Chesney has published more than 320 original peer-reviewed articles and 200 chapters and is a preferred visiting professor at medical schools across the nation. He has received countless honors and was recently bestowed the Founders Award by the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology. He has served as editor of numerous scientific publications, including the IPNA journal Pediatric Nephrology. He is an active member of several boards focused on the work of pediatric nephrologists, and has served as vice chair of the Future of Pediatric Education Task Force. He is currently a diplomat and member of the American Board of Pediatrics, serving on its sub-board in nephrology.

A graduate of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Chesney is married to P. Joan Chesney, MD, a distinguished expert in pediatric infectious disease. Even though he has announced plans to step down from his role as chair of UTHSC Pediatrics, he will remain in that capacity until a new chair is selected and will then continue his role as a UTHSC professor by teaching, providing patient care and performing research at Le Bonheur.