KRESCENT Awardees

Supervisor(s): Dr. Shaifali Sandal
Institution: McGill University
Year: 2026
Project Title: Understanding How Living Kidney Donors Are Evaluated Across Canada: A National Review of Pre-Donation Psychosocial Assessment Practices

Supervisor(s): Dr. Ana Konvalinka 
Institution: University Health Network
Year: 2026
Project Title: A Step Toward Earlier Detection and Better Treatments

Supervisor(s): Dr. Jagbir Gill
Institution: University of British Columbia
Year: 2026
Project Title: Evaluating the BRIDGE to Transplantation Initiative to Improve Kidney Transplant Access for Indigenous Patients in BC

Supervisor(s): Dr. Istvan Mucsi
Institution: University Health Network
Year: 2026
Project Title: Graft function and physical function: the association between eGFR and PROMIS Physical Function after kidney transplantation

Supervisor(s): Dr. Kara Schick-Makaroff
Institution: University of Alberta
Year: 2026
Project Title: Engagement by people receiving dialysis with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depressive symptoms

Supervisor(s): Dr. Istvan Mucsi
Institution: University Health Network
Year: 2026
Project Title: Understanding Physical Functioning After Kidney Transplantation

Supervisor(s): Dr. Menna Clatworthy
Institution: University of Cambridge, UK
Year: 2026-2029
Project title: Understanding the roles of tertiary lymphoid structures in CKD progression
Topic(s): Chronic Kidney Disease

Institution: Laval University 
Year: 2026-2029
Project title: Supporting active living with Chronic kidney disease
Topic(s): Chronic Kidney Disease

Supervisor(s): Dr. Joseph Kim
Institution: University Health Network
Year: 2026-2029
Project title: The changing landscape of people with kidney disease: What does this mean for patients and our health system?
Topic(s): Transplantation

Supervisor(s): Dr. David Cherney
Institution: University Health Network
Year: 2026-2029
Project title: Protecting Kidneys in Type 2 Diabetes: Exploring an Affordable New Option with Acetazolamide
Topic(s): Chronic Kidney Disease

Supervisor(s): Dr. Alexandra Cambier and Dr. Isabelle Sirois
Institution: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine
Year: 2026-2028
Project title: Unraveling Complement Activation in Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
Topic(s): Glomerulonephritis

Institution: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute
Year: 2026-2029
Project title: Urinary EVs in Nephrotic Syndrome: Biomarkers and Causal Drivers?
Topic(s): Glomerulonephritis

Supervisor(s): Dr. Navdeep Tangri
Institution: Chronic Disease Innovation Centre
Year: 2026-2028
Project title: Can we put chronic kidney disease into remission?
Topic(s): Chronic Kidney Disease

Institution: University of British Columbia
Year: 2026-2029
Project title: Protecting the Heart and Kidneys After a Transplant
Topic(s): Transplantation

Supervisor(s): Dr. Matthew Sampson
Institution: Queen's University
Year: 2026-2028
Project title: Are Carriers Truly Unaffected? Monoallelic Kidney Variants and CKD Risk
Topic(s): Genetics

Supervisor(s): Dr. David Cherney and Dr. Adeera Levin
Institution: University Health Network
Year: 2026-2028
Project title: The gfR Effects and DEcline in albuminuria with FINErenone in stage 4 CKD
Topic(s): Chronic Kidney Disease

Supervisor(s): Dr. Istvan Mucsi
Institution: University Health Network
Year: 2025
Project Title: Attachment style and symptom burden in adults with kidney failure: A multi-centre, cross-sectional study

Supervisor(s): Dr. Gregory Hundemer
Institution: University of Ottawa / The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Year: 2025
Project Title: Investigating the prevalence of white coat hypertension and masked hypertension: a systematic review

Supervisor(s): Dr. Dylan Burger
Institution: University of Ottawa / The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Year: 2025
Project Title: Investigating the Impact of Infant Formula on Podocyte Health

Supervisor(s): Dr. Chris Kennedy
Institution: University of Ottawa / The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Year: 2025
Project Title: Role of Proximal Tubule NOX5 in Angiotensin II–Induced Hypertensive Renal Injury

Institution: The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, QC
Year: 2025-2028
Project Title: Multi-omics in childhood nephrotic syndrome: toward targeted therapies
Topic(s):  Genetics

Institution: University Health Network, ON
Year: 2025-2028
Project Title: Evaluating Cardiovascular Therapies in Patients Living with Kidney Disease
Topic(s): Chronic kidney disease

Supervisor(s): Dr. Matthew Sampson
Institution: Boston Children's Hospital, MA
Year: 2025-2028
Project Title: Transcriptome aided diagnosis of nephrotic syndromes
Topic(s): Genetics, Clinical research

Supervisor(s): Sofia Ahmed, Lesley Inker
Institution: Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA
Year: 2025-2027
Project Title: Revisiting GFR Equations: Role of Sex and Sex Hormones in Kidney Function
Topic(s): Chronic kidney disease, Clinical research

Supervisor(s): Dr. Michael Zappitelli
Institution: The Hospital for Sick Children
Year: 2024
Project Title: KIdney aNd blooD prESsure ouTcomes in Childhood Cancer Survivors (KINDEST CCS)

Supervisor(s): Aminu Bello
Institution: University of Alberta
Year: 2024
Project Title: Risk and trend in the burden of stroke among patients on chronic maintenance dialysis

Supervisor(s): Aminu Bello
Institution: University of Alberta
Year: 2024
Project Title: Can Treatment with Lipid-lowering Medications Attenuate the Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke in patients undergoing chronic dialysis

Institution: McMaster University
Year: 2024-2027
Study title: Can we protect the kidneys of people with diabetes or receiving a kidney transplant by modifying their metabolism?
Topic(s): Kidney biology

Institution: St Michael's Hospital
Year: 2024-2027
Study title: KidneyCare Outreach: Strengthening care delivery for patients at high risk
Topics(s): Chronic kidney disease

Supervisor(s): Dr. William Stanford
Institution: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Year: 2024-2027
Study title:  Mechanism of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) kidney disease pathogenesis
Topics(s): Genetics

Supervisor(s):  Benjamin Humphreys, Kory Lavine
Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Year: 2024-2027
Project Title: The macrophage niche and its role in repair after ischemic AKI
Topic(s): Acute kidney injury

Supervisor(s): Rulan Parekh, Anna Heath
Institution: The Hospital for Sick Children
Year: 2024-2027
Project Title:  Improving nephrotic syndrome treatment using novel clinical trial methods
Topic(s): Glomerulonephritis

Supervisor(s): Daniel Drucker
Institution: Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mout Sinai Hospital
Year: 2023-2026
Study title: Role of the vascular smooth muscle GLP-1 receptor in renoprotection (Understanding the role of the GLP-1 system in the development and treatment of kidney disease in people with Diabetes)
Topic(s): Diabetes

Institution: University of Calgary
Year: 2023-2026
Study title: Promoting shared decision-making for people with advanced CK
Topic(s): Chronic kidney disease

Institution: University of Calgary
Year: 2023-2026
Study title: Improving perioperative risk prediction for people with kidney disease
Topic(s): Kidney disease, Dialysis, Population health

Supervisor(s): Joseph Kim
Institution: University of Toronto
Year: 2023-2026
Study title: Better Decisions for Better Outcomes from Deceased Donor Kidneys
Topic(s): Transplantation

Supervisor(s): Jag Gill & Fuchsia Howard
Institution: University of British Columbia
Year: 2023-2026
Study title: Factors influencing a woman’s decision to become a living kidney donor: How to mitigate potential coercion
Topic(s): Organ donation

Supervisor(s): Dr. Ron Wald
Institution: St-Michael’s Hospital
Year: 2020-2023
Study title: eVisits for the Management of Chronic Kidney Disease