Niloofar Nobakht, MD
About
Professional Titles
HS Clinical Professor of Medicine- Nephrology
Director, Music & Kidney Program
Dr. Niloofar Nobakht is a Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at UCLA with more than 25 years of experience in clinical medicine, medical education, and research. She has served as the principal investigator on multiple research studies spanning IgA nephropathy, lupus nephritis, ANCA-associated vasculitis, chronic kidney disease (CKD), lifestyle medicine, cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic (CKM) syndrome, hypertension, and women's health. She completed the kidney disease research fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Science Center in Denver (2003-2006) and the Internal Medicine residency training at the University of Southern California (2006-2009) followed by Clinical Nephrology Fellowship at the David Geffen School of Medicine, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (2010-2012) and serving as faculty member at UCLA since 2013.
Dr. Nobakht has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading medical journals and is a nationally and internationally recognized invited speaker. She has delivered presentations at major scientific meetings on glomerular diseases, CKM syndrome, hypertension, women's kidney health, lifestyle medicine, and innovative interdisciplinary approaches that integrate music and medicine to enhance patient well-being. In addition to her academic and research contributions, Dr. Nobakht has participated in numerous expert panels and scientific advisory boards dedicated to advancing kidney care, cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic health, and patient-centered innovation. She has been an active member of the American Society of Nephrology for more than two decades and serves as ASN faculty, contributing to educational initiatives and professional development. She also served in leadership roles within Women in Nephrology as Executive Councilor-at-Large and Lead Councilor of the WIN Speaker Bureau.
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certification
Fellowships
Residency
Internship
Degree
Recognitions
- Excellence Award from the Interdisciplinary Society for Quantitative Research in Music and Medicine (ISQRMM), 2025
- AAMC Mid-Career Women Faculty Leadership Development, 2024
- Women In Nephrology Executive Councilor at Large, 2023-2026
- See More
Locations
Nephrology
Medical Services
Areas of Focus
Videos
Research
Interests
Research Projects
2026-Present
IRB-25-2168: Music Impact on Sleep Health in Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease on Dialysis
IRB-25-2218: Music Impact for Hospitalized Patients on Dialysis
2023-2025
IRB #22-000086
- REPKID: Patient-Reported Anticipatory Guidance for Reproductive Planning in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease-Multi Disciplinary Nephrology-MFM (PI)
2022-2024
IRB #22-001681
- MUSIC_CKD Dialysis: The impact of music and visual art on adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on Dialysis (PI)
2021- 2023
IRB #21-002159
- RECOVID: Renal Outcomes and Mortality in Patients with COVID-19 Infection at UCLA (PI)
Research Topics
- Hypertension Management
- Cardiovascular Kidney Metabolic Disease- CKM
- Women's health
- Wellness-Lifestyle Medicine
Publications
- Nobakht, Niloofar, et al. "How I Treat Polycystic Kidney Disease in Pregnancy." Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2025): 10-2215.PMID: 40266690
- Nobakht, Niloofar, et al. "RECOVID: Retrospective Observational Study of Renal Outcomes and Long-Term Mortality in Patients With COVID-19 Associated AKI, A Comparison Between Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Patients." Kidney Medicine (2025): 101020. PMID: 40607207
- Nobakht N, Afshar Y, Vaseghi M, Li Z, Donangelo I, Lavretsky H, Mok T, Han CS, Nicholas SB. Hypertension Management in Women With a Multidisciplinary Approach. Mayo Clin Proc. 2024 Dec 29:S0025-6196(24)00520-2. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2024.10.005. PMID: 39736047.
- Music and Medicine: Promoting Harmony for Health (The American Journal of Medicine 2023)
- Music for Health: From Ear to Kidney.Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2022 PMID 35705509
- Advances in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: A Clinical Review. Kidney Med. 2020 Feb, PMID: 32734239
- Blood Pressure and Living Kidney Donors: A Clinical Perspective," Transplant Direct. 2019 Sep, PMID: 31723583.
- Limitations of Angiotensin Inhibition," Nat Rev Nephrol. 2011 Jun;7(6):356-9. doi: 10.1038/nrneph.2011.29. Epub 2011 Apr 19.
- Differential distribution of muscle and skin sympathetic nerve activity in patients with end-stage renal disease. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2008 Dec; 105(6):1873-6. Park J, Campese VM, Nobakht N, Middlekauff HR. PMID: 18845779; PMCID: PMC2612470.
- Relationship between urinary albumin excretion and left ventricular mass with mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2006 Nov; 1(6):1187-90.Nobakhthaghighi N, Kamgar M, Bekheirnia MR, McFann K, Estacio R, Schrier RW. PMID: 17699346.
In the News
- Inaugural CKM Symposium Engages Faculty Across Disciplines
- UCLA Health nephrologist touts ‘Seven Ws for Wellness’
- Reproductive Planning and Preconception Counseling in Kidney Disease (REPKID):A Cross-Sectional Survey
- 6 Kidney Disease Symptoms You Should Never Ignore—Especially for Women Over 50
- 11 Things Kidney Doctors Do Nephrologists share the habits they personally avoid to lower the risk of kidney disease, Sep 2024
- Strategies for Ongoing Testing and Follow-Up of Patients with Diabetes, Nov 2024
- Women in Nephrology Speakers Bureau (ASN Kidney News)
- Women In Nephrology Speaker Bureau, Lead Councilor (womeninnephrology.org)
- Women In Nephrology, Niloofar Nobakht, MD, FASN (womeninnephrology.org)
- American Society Nephrology in Loop News June 2022
- Music for Health: a feature in CJASN examines the health implications of music—both as music therapy offered by a professional as well as music for personal enjoyment. Read more > (CJASN)
- Physician and Faculty Wellness Program Newsletter
- International Association for Music and Medicine eNews Letter, News of Interest. Music for Health: From Ear to Kidney July 2022
- American Society Nephrology in Loop News June 2022. Music for Health:a feature in CJASN examines the health implications of music (CJASN)
- Mindful Music Performances Promote Wellness of Medical Center Staff, Patients (Daily Bruin News) Feb 2019
- Hypertension Management in Women With a Multidisciplinary Approach
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How to Live a Healthy Lifestyle and Protect Your Heart and Kidneys
UCLA Health News
- My UCLA Story
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UCLA Health explores benefits of music for patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
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No pain, no gain? Training too hard can have serious health consequences
- When it comes to nutrition and chronic disease, focus on the basics
- UCLA Health explores benefits of music for patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
- Jan 2020 – Physician and faculty Wellness Program Newsletter UCLA physician wellness program “Wellness Champion."
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
The list of healthcare plans above may not be comprehensive and could change.
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Recognitions
-
Excellence Award from the Interdisciplinary Society for Quantitative Research in Music and Medicine (ISQRMM), 2025
-
AAMC Mid-Career Women Faculty Leadership Development, 2024
-
Women In Nephrology Executive Councilor at Large, 2023-2026
-
Women In Nephrology Speaker Bureau, Lead Councilor, 2023-2026
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Top Doctors, Los Angeles Magazine, 2021
- Featured Wellness Champion, 2020