Kumar Sharma, MD, FAHA, FASN

Kumar Sharma, M.D., is the chief of the Division of Nephrology and vice chair for research in the Department of Medicine.

Dr. Sharma was professor of medicine and director of the Center for Renal Translational Medicine and director of the Institute of Metabolomic Medicine at the University of California San Diego.

His research explores the mechanisms and treatment of diabetic nephropathy. Dr. Sharma has several National Institutes of Health-funded projects including a DP3: Type 1 diabetes targeted research award of $6 million to identify novel paradigms in diabetic complications, more than $3 million from the JDRF to identify novel biomarkers in an international cohort of studies in Type 1 diabetes and more than $3 million for the Animal Models of Diabetic Complications Consortium and novel clinical trials in diabetic nephropathy from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. He serves on numerous study sections and is a standing member of the NIH Pathology of Kidney Disease study section.

He plays a lead role in the NIH Kidney Precision Medicine program, and UT Health San Antonio will be the national hub for analysis of spatial metabolomic profiles of kidney tissues.

As vice chair for research, Dr. Sharma will oversee the creation of a mentoring program for young investigators, the implementation of pilot programs and the organization of research themes across the department.