Cleveland Clinic Names Crystal Gadegbeku, M.D., Chair of Nephrology for Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute

Crystal Gadegbeku, M.D., has been named chair of nephrology for Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute. She succeeds Robert Heyka, M.D., who served as nephrology chair since June 2014.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Gadegbeku to Cleveland Clinic and to the institute,” said Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute Chair Eric Klein, M.D. “She brings great depth of knowledge and experience to her new role.”

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Gadegbeku served as a professor of medicine and section chief of nephrology, hypertension and kidney transplantation at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. While there, she expanded the clinical, research and fellowship programs, was active in National Institutes of Health-funded clinical and translational studies, ranging from epidemiologic studies to clinical trials in kidney disease and hypertension, and led multi-institutional research collaborations.

She served two terms as chair of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) policy and advocacy committee and is currently an ASN councilor, as well as a member of the National Kidney Foundation-ASN Task Force on Reassessing the Inclusion of Race in the Diagnosis of Kidney Diseases. In her leadership roles in the ASN, she has had the opportunity to work with various stakeholders to inform elected officials and engage in the development of new kidney health policy.

Dr. Gadegbeku’s early career focused on clinical investigation in vascular biology in kidney disease. Notably, she collaborated with Cleveland Clinic colleagues on landmark trials that have helped advance the current management of hypertension, including the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) and the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK). Her research experience has led her to explore research engagement among diverse populations, particularly among racial and ethnic groups with a higher prevalence of kidney disease.

During her career, Dr. Gadegbeku has expanded her research involvement to multidisciplinary studies fundamental to developing precision, or personalized, kidney medicine. She will be leading the department of nephrology which is already engaged in multi-disciplinary NIH-funded research in kidney transplantation (Apol1 Long Term Kidney Transplant Outcomes Consortium, APOLLO), nephrotic syndrome (Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network, NEPTUNE), chronic kidney disease (Kidney Precision Medicine Project, KPMP) and acute kidney injury (Caring for Outpatients after Acute Kidney Injury, COPE-AKI).

“Nephrology is emerging from being an under-recognized specialty with minimal innovation in care over the last decades to a field with novel discoveries on the horizon, emerging patient-centered management approaches and new opportunities to best treat and prevent kidney diseases,” said Dr. Gadegbeku.

“I believe the department of nephrology, with its regional to global presence and long history of excellence in kidney care and medical education, is well-positioned to drive transformation in the field. The unique environment of the Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute, positioning medical and surgical expertise in kidney care under one roof, provides a host of opportunities to impact the knowledge base, training and care of patients.”

Dr. Gadegbeku earned her medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and completed both her internal medicine residency and fellowship training in nephrology at the University of Virginia.