NephMadness 2026 starts in just over a month!  Sixteen teams will battle it out for the title, and a new champion will be crowned.  But who actually chooses the winners and losers in each matchup? Behold, the NephMadness 2026 Blue Ribbon Panel:

Prabir Roy-Chaudhury

@proychaudhuryMD – @roy-chaudhury.bsky.social

Prabir Roy-Chaudhury is the Drs. Ronald and Katherine Falk Eminent Professor and Co-Director of the University of North Carolina (UNC) Kidney Center and also a Staff Nephrologist at the Salisbury VA Medical Center. He is a clinical transplant nephrologist with a strong research interest in technology development for CKD and ESKD. Dr Roy-Chaudhury was previously the founding ASN Co-Chair of the Kidney Health Initiative and so is very focused on helping to create an innovation substrate for novel therapies for kidney diseases. He is also currently the Immediate Past President of the American Society of Nephrology and is delighted to be a part of the NephMadness 2026 Blue Ribbon Panel!

Kirk Campbell

@kirkcampbell

Kirk Campbell is the Chief of the Renal Division at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a physician-scientist with an interest in glomerular disease. Dr. Campbell is the President of the National Kidney Foundation, and a member of the Board of Directors of the NephCure Foundation.

Meredith Atkinson

Meredith Atkinson is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she also serves as Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical & Translational Research Predoctoral Clinical Research Training Program. She is the current president of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology. Her research focuses on outcomes after prenatal interventions for fetal renal failure, and identifying modifiable risk factors for CKD progression in children.

Lori-Ann Fisher

Lori-Ann Fisher is a nephrologist and Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. She is the current Chair of the International Society of Nephrologists (ISN) North America and Caribbean Regional board.  Her interests include lupus nephritis, APOL1 disease, and sickle nephropathy. She is happy to join the Blue Ribbon Panel for NephMadness!

William Whittier

Bill Whittier is a Professor of Medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He currently serves as the ASN Board Review Co-director and is a member of the ASN Continuous Professional Development Committee. He primarily focuses on trying to improve his golf game but also likes to sprinkle in some Nephrology.

Yara Mouawad

Yara Mouawad is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Nephrology at McGovern Medical School in Houston, Texas, where she also completed her training. Her professional interests include obstetric nephrology and medical education. She won the top overall score in NephMadness 2025 and authored the winning region CAR-T for Kidney Disease.

Christel Wekon-Kemeni

@therealdrdub – @therealdrdub.bsky.social

Christel Wekon-Kemeni is a third-year Pediatric Nephrology Fellow at Emory University/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He is a member of the ASPN’s Public Policy Committee and is currently a JELF Advocacy Scholar. He was the highest scoring fellow in NephMadness 2025 and is SUPER excited to serve on the Blue Ribbon Panel this year!

Giftay Kingston

Giftay Kingston received her BSc in Computer Studies from Pace University. She is an author, a 2016 kidney transplant recipient, and a member of the Community Advisory Council for the APOL1 Long-Term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes (APOLLO) study and the P&P Committee.

Don’t forget to scheduled a time to complete your group bracket!

Curious about the people planning NephMadness 2026? Meet the Gamemakers!

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