2026 Inaugural IgA Nephropathy Conference

Anjay Rastogi, MD PhD

Dr. Anjay Rastogi, MD PhD is Professor and Clinical Chief of Nephrology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California. Dr. Rastogi is board certified in Nephrology and has a doctoral degree (PhD) in Pharmacology. He did his Internal Medicine residency and Nephrology fellowship at UCLA; he completed his graduate training under the mentorship of Nobel Laureate Professor, Louis Ignarro also at UCLA. Dr. Rastogi founded and is the Director of the UCLA CORE Kidney Health Program. This Program is based on our CORE values of Clinical excellence, Outreach, Research, and Education. He is heavily involved in research and serves as the Director of Nephrology Clinical Research Program and other multiple programs at UCLA. These programs are dedicated to providing the best comprehensive and integrated care to patients and their families. He founded the Bruin Beans Health Club at UCLA, an undergraduate club with the mission of mentoring our future leaders in healthcare. Dr. Rastogi received an award for the UCLA Exceptional MD of the Year Award in 2014 for his demonstration of the UCLA values of Compassion, Respect, Excellence, Discovery, Integrity, and Teamwork.

Ali Poyan Mehr, MD 

Founding President | GlomCon Foundation 
Assistant Professor, Department of Health Systems Science | Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
National Kidney Care Service Quality Lead
Director of Glomerular Disease Program | KPNC
Lecturer | Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Dr. Ali Poyan Mehr completed his medical degree at Charité Universitätsmedizin in Berlin and postdoctoral research training at Yale University. Dr. Poyan Mehr completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in nephrology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and joined the faculty, serving as the Medical Director of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety in Nephrology, where he led population health efforts for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). His work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Chief Academic Officer’s Pilot Grants Program and the ASN Carl W. Gottschalk Research Scholar Grant, and he has published in high-impact journal

Andenet Emiru, MBA

Director, External Partnerships and Projects | UC Health Center for Data Driven Insights and Innovation
UC Real World Insights Program Lead | University of California Office of the President

Andenet Emiru is Director of External Partnerships and Projects at UC Health’s Center for Data driven Insights and Innovation. He leads strategic partnerships that use UC’s health data and clinical expertise to advance research using real world evidence. Andenet holds an MBA and is pursuing a Doctor of Public Health at George Washington University.

Christopher Carlos, MD MAS

Connie Rhee, MD MSc

HS Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine | UCLA Health

Dr. Rhee is a nephrologist and physician-scientist who leads a robust research program centered on the intersection of kidney disease, endocrinology/metabolism, and nutrition. Prior to joining UCLA and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Dr. Rhee served as a faculty member and in multiple leadership positions at the University of California Irvine (UCI), including interim chief, director of clinical and translational research, medical director of dialysis, and associate fellowship program director in the division of nephrology, hypertension, and kidney transplantation. She also served as the Department of Medicine’s Vice-Chair of Clinical Research at UCI. Her contributions to the field have been recognized with several major professional society awards, including the National Kidney Foundation—Council of Renal Nutrition Dr. Joel D. Kopple Award (2020) and the American Society of Nephrology Midcareer Distinguished Mentor Award (2023).

Hellen Jumo

Hellen Jumo is an M.D. Candidate at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She completed her undergraduate education at the College of Saint Rose. She has an interest in research and has been involved in several scientific publications. 

Igor Kagan, MD

Physician Informaticist | UCLA Health

Dr. Igor Kagan is a nephrologist who practices in Westlake Village. His clinical interests include general nephrology, chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, dialysis, hypertension and proteinuria. He is board certified in internal medicine and nephrology.

 Dr. Kagan is also a physician informaticist working to optimize the electronic medical record. Additionally in 2021 he was elected to the executive board of the Department of Medicine Professional Group for a 3 year term. He is also the associate program director for the general nephrology fellowship training program. 

Dr. Kagan grew up in Los Angeles and received his medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He then completed his internal medicine training at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center, and completed his nephrology fellowship at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in business-economics from UCLA, and was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board National Honor Society.

John Sim, MD FASN

Director of Graduate Medical Education, Simulation Center, and Research | Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
KPSC Regional Lead for Chronic Kidney Disease, Quality and Analysis
Director, Internal Medicine Research Track Professor, Clinical Science | Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine

With more than 20 years of experience in population-based kidney research, Dr. John J. Sim leads one of the largest biopsy-confirmed glomerular disease databases in the United States. His research focuses on the epidemiology, progression, and outcomes of glomerular diseases. Dr. Sim has authored over 130 peer-reviewed publications and is engaged in clinical trial design, real-world evidence generation, and the implementation of population-based strategies to improve care and outcomes for patients.

Jonathan Zuckerman, MD PhD

HS Associate Clinical Professor | UCLA Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Kristine Sarmosyan, MD

HS Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine | UCLA Health

Dr. Kristine Sarmosyan is a board certified nephrologist who practices at UCLA Health in Simi Valley. She practices general nephrology and treats full spectrum kidney diseases, including hypertension, glomerulonephritis, kidney stones, proteinuria and dialysis.

Dr. Sarmosyan earned her medical degree at Yerevan State Medical University. She completed her internal medicine residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital. She completed her nephrology fellowship at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Lewis Simon, PhD MPH

Dr. Lewis Simon is an epidemiologist serving as clinical research lead in the UCLA CORE Kidney Program and as an NIH-funded postdoctoral research fellow at The Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA. He holds a PhD in epidemiology from UC Irvine and an MPH in Applied Epidemiology from CSU Northridge. His postdoctoral research examines CKD burden within the LA County Municipal Health System, and he has prior research experience in rare kidney diseases, including IgAN, Alport Syndrome, C3 Glomerulopathy, Membranous Nephropathy, and ADPKD. 

Michelle Hwang, MD

HS Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine | UCLA Health
Associate Director | CORE Kidney Program

Dr. Michelle Hwang is a nephrologist who practices in Torrance. She enjoys practicing all aspects of general nephrology, with special interest in hypertension, chronic kidney disease, kidney transplant and preventive nephrology. In addition to her outpatient activity, she also sees patients at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Little Company of Mary in Torrance and Little Company of Mary in San Pedro. She is fluent in Korean and Japanese. 

Dr. Hwang received her medical degree from Chicago Medical School. She completed her internal medicine residency at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, and then completed her nephrology fellowship at UCLA, where she served as a Chief Fellow. She also serves as the Associate Director of CORE Kidney.

Nasim Wiegley, MD FASN

Associate Professor of Medicine | University of California Davis School of Medicine
Director | Nephrology Fellowship Program
Director | Glomerular Disease Clinic
Editor and Faculty | GlomCon foundation

Dr. Nasim Wiegley is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Nephrology Fellowship Program Director at University of California Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Wiegley is the founder and director of the Glomerular Disease clinic at UC Davis. Dr. Wiegley completed her Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, followed by a Nephrology Fellowship at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. She further specialized in glomerular diseases by completing the Glomerular Disease Fellowship at GlomCon, where she now serves as an editor and faculty. Her passions lie in clinical education and advancing care in glomerular diseases, serving as the site Principal Investigator for multiple clinical trials in this field at UC Davis.

Ramy M. Hanna, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Glomerular Disease Clinic | UC Irvine School of Medicine
American Society of Nephrology | National Kidney Foundation

Ramy M. Hanna is a nephrologist with clinical expertise in glomerular disease, CKD, and transplantation. His research interests include glomerulonephritis, podocytopathies, atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome/thrombotic micro‑angiopathy, hyponatremia management and theoretical modeling, and medical informatics. He is actively engaged in clinical research and has authored and coauthored numerous peer‑reviewed publications across these areas. He serves as a principal investigator on multiple clinical trials focused on rare and complement‑mediated kidney diseases. Dr. Hanna received his medical degree from UCSD School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency and nephrology fellowship at Olive View–UCLA Medical Center.

Rachana Srivastava, MD

HS Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Pediatric Nephrology | UCLA Health

Dr. Rachana Srivastava received her medical school degree from the University of Delhi in India in 2002. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn New York and completed her Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children Hospital in Houston in 2013. Before coming to UCLA, Dr Srivastava was Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine/ Children's Hospital of San Antonio where she served as Medical Director of Pediatric Dialysis Unit as well as Nephrology Rotation Director for Pediatric Residency Program.

Her clinical interests include caring for patients with End Stage Kidney Disease; Hypertension and critical illness who require renal replacement therapy. Dr Srivastava provides outpatient clinical care at the Children's Health Center (200 Medical Plaza, Westwood) as well as UCLA Olive View Medical Center. Dr Srivastava currently serves as Associate Medical Director of pediatric dialysis at UCLA. Dr. Srivastava is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Nephrology.

Ray Goshtaseb, MD FASN

HS Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine | UCLA Health

Dr. Ray Reza Goshtaseb, MD, FASN is Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine and the Medical director of UCLA Kidney Stone Center, as well as a board certified nephrologist. Dr. Goshtaseb diagnoses and treats patients with kidney disease, including kidney stones, polycystic kidney disease, diabetes with kidney disease, hypertension, electrolyte abnormalities, and glomerulonephritis, among other conditions. He also helps manage the care of patients undergoing hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. He has participated in numerous clinical research trials related to these conditions, and is also board certified in internal medicine.

Dr. Goshtaseb completed his nephrology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine and his internal medicine residency at San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp. Prior to his residency and fellowship training, Dr. Goshtaseb worked as a research assistant in the nephrology division of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Sayna Norouzi, MD FASN

Associate Professor of Medicine | Loma Linda University Medical Center
Director | Glomerular Disease Clinic, GlomCon Fellowship Program, Polycystic Kidney Disease Clinic 
Founder and Director | Chinese American Rare Kidney Disease Clinic

Dr. Sayna Norouzi is an associate professor of Medicine and clinical nephrologist at Loma Linda University Medical Center and completed her fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. She is the founder and director of the glomerular diseases clinics at Loma Linda and serves as the director of the online GlomCon Glomerular Diseases fellowship program. She is also the founder and director of Polycystic Kidney Disease clinic. She has been recognized as the educator of the year for two consecutive years, and is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Dr. Norouzi focuses on glomerular diseases and polycystic kidney disease, actively participating in various research projects and clinical trials.

Sean Lei, MD

HS Clinical Instructor, Department of Medicine | UCLA Health
Assistant Director | CORE Kidney Program

Dr. Sean Lei is a board-certified nephrologist practicing in Burbank. He cares for patients with a wide range of kidney conditions, including hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and transplant-related care. His practice includes both outpatient clinic visits and dialysis care. Dr. Lei is committed to delivering high-quality, individualized, and compassionate care to every patient.

Dr. Lei completed medical school at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, followed by internal medicine residency training at the University of California - Irvine, then nephrology fellowship training at UCLA. Before joining UCLA, Dr. Lei had experience in teaching and mentoring and participated in research and academic activities within the field of nephrology. He also serves as the Assistant Director of CORE Kidney.

Supreet Sethi, MD 

HS Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology | UCLA Health

Dr. Supreet Sethi is a transplant nephrologist and manages the entire continuum of transplant journey of patients navigating end stage kidney disease - from rigorous pre-transplant evaluation and donor matching to complex post-operative management and long-term graft optimization. She is dedicated to improving patient quality of life by balancing advanced immunosuppressive therapies with personalized care to ensure long term transplant success. 

Yasir Qazi, MD

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine | USC Keck School of Medicine

Yasir Qazi completed his internal medicine residency and a nephrology fellowship at the SUNY School of Medicine at Buffalo, NY. He followed this with a transplant fellowship at SUNY Downstate School of Medicine in Brooklyn, New York, and pancreas transplant fellowship at St. Barnabas in Livingston, New Jersey. He helped establish the first pancreas transplant program at Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York as well as Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California. He also established the first transplant nephrology fellowship at Keck Medical Center at USC. Dr. Qazi is extensively involved in clinical research and has been the lead and principal investigator for several clinical trials

Yongen Chang, MD PhD FASN

Associate Professor, Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Kidney Transplant | UC Irvine
Co-Director | Center for Glomerular Diseases

Dr. Chang completed nephrology fellowship training at the University of California, San Francisco, and PhD studies at Cornell University. Dr. Chang has conducted translational research in kidney fibrosis and integrin biology for which she was awarded the prestigious Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship from the American Society of Nephrology and Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Health.  She is particularly interested in glomerular and rare kidney diseases and serves as co-director of UCI’s Center for Glomerular Diseases. Dr. Chang has led multiple clinical trials and research studies in glomerular diseases and kidney fibrosis. She has published in many high impact, peer-reviewed journals and has written several book chapters based on her work. Passionate about patient education, she regularly participates in workshops and outreach activities in underserved communities to improve understanding of kidney diseases.

Christina Lopez, B.Acc. MBA

Manager | CORE Kidney Program

Jennifer Nottoli

Jennifer has substantial experience in the business and marketing industry, serving in diverse roles throughout her career. Within CORE Kidney, she is dedicated to advancing CORE Kidney's mission through digital initiatives. Her work helps bring together large outreach and education events, which form an intersection between healthcare providers and patients.

Simran Ovalekar

Simran Ovalekar graduated at UCLA with a degree in Psychobiology and now works as an associate for CORE Kidney. She was a member of the Bruin Bean Health Club during her time at UCLA and served as the club's president for the '25/'26 academic year. Simran is passionate about kidney health education, leading outreach events, seminars, and advocacy efforts. With experience in nephrology research and community service, Simran aims to raise awareness and promote wellness across campus. She plans to pursue a career as a physician.

Elida Martinez

Admin Assistant | CORE Kidney Program

Elida Martinez provides essential operational and administrative support. Known for her organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage complex scheduling, she ensures smooth day-to-day functioning. She coordinates operations that bridge clinical care, research, and community engagement. 

With a commitment to professionalism and collaboration, Elida improves healthcare delivery by implementing CORE values within UCLA Health’s vision to heal humankind, one patient at a time!

James Cunningham, LMFT, PsyD

Psychotherapist
Ambassador | Circle of CORE

Dr. James Cunningham plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between clinical nephrology and holistic wellness. His practice is dedicated to providing specialized mental health support for patients navigating the complexities of kidney disease, ensuring that their emotional well-being is prioritized alongside their physical health. By emphasizing CORE Kidney’s signature collaborative and multidisciplinary approach, James works to empower patients, helping them build resilience and maintain a high quality of life through integrated, compassionate care.

Nanette Zumwalt, CADC II-CS, CCJP, CIP, CRS

President | Hired Power
Director | Circle of CORE

Nanette Zumwalt is currently recognized as one of the top interventionists and an industry expert, both nationally and internationally. Nanette began working in the field of mental health and addiction treatment nearly three decades ago as a direct care technician at inpatient acute psychiatric hospitals. She also serves as a director of the Circle of CORE. Due to her own personal history with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), Nanette is a motivated patient advocate and leads events that bring together patients and healthcare providers. Her unyielding fight for the well-being of others has ignited a transformative journey to reshape kidney health for all. 

Ravi Bhojwani

CEO and Creator | Nest Evolution Labs, LLC
Director | Circle of CORE

Graduating with high distinctions from the University of Toronto, Ravi Bhojwani embarked on a successful career in market research and management consulting. Over the course of his career, Ravi’s visionary mindset led him to co-found and found a total of seven companies, leaving a lasting impact on various industries. Diagnosed with kidney disease at a young age, he faced health struggles throughout his life. At 41, he needed a life-saving kidney transplant, leading to a remarkable encounter with an altruistic donor named Sara. This life-changing experience not only restored Ravi’s health but also inspired him to devote himself to philanthropy, advocating for kidney disease awareness and organ donation. 

Shima Fazelimanesh, RN, Registered Clinical Dietitian

Clinical Dietitian
Ambassador | Circle of CORE

Meet Shima Fazelimanesh, a dedicated Registered Clinical Dietitian specializing in Kidney Disease, Diabetes, and Weight Management. Passionate about empowering individuals to embrace healthier lifestyles, Shima uses evidence-based research to assess and optimize nutrition tailored to each patient’s unique needs. With experience at the esteemed UCLA CORE Kidney Program, she educates and supports patients in making informed, nutritionally sound choices for accelerated recovery. Shima’s empathetic approach inspires positive transformations, aiming to help individuals achieve their health goals through personalized nutrition guidance and support. 

Ashley Kuo

Special Projects Director | Psychobiology Major | Class of 2027

Ashley Kuo is advocating for kidney health awareness through informational social media content, educational shorts, and event promotion. She uses digital platforms to keep individuals engaged in their healthcare journeys, and is interested in exploring a career in primary care, neurology, or surgery.

Alisha Chowdhary

Co-President | Neuroscience Major and Disability Studies Minor | Class of 2027

Alisha Chowdhary leads initiatives, such as her reels project, to improve patient outreach through social media and inclusive health education. She’s passionate about addressing healthcare inequities for underserved communities. Alisha hopes to be a pediatric nephrologist.

Ariv Tandon

Co-President | Pychobiology | Class of 2027

Ariv oversees research projects (SRP), clinical case studies, abstract and poster creations, manuscript writing, and other research-related initiatives. He plans to pursue a career in medicine as a physician.