Katherine Rizzolo, MD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Rizzolo received her medical degree from Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, and her residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. She completed a clinical and research and chief fellowship in nephrology at the University of Colorado in 2023, and an implementation science fellowship from the BU Evans Center for Implementation and Improvement Science in 2025. Her research interests center on utilizing implementation science methodologies to improve access to kidney care for underserved communities disproportionately impacted by kidney disease, especially non English speaking populations. Her research methods center around qualitative and novel mixed methods approaches.

Currently she is supported by a K23 from the NIDDK supporting the implementation and piloting of storytelling as a kidney disease education tool for Spanish speaking patients with advanced kidney disease. She also has been supported by the renal section's INSPIRE and CTSI pilot grant in 2024 that aimed to develop digital storytelling methods. She currently serves on multiple national committees through the National Kidney Foundation and American Society of Nephrology that work to improve access to kidney care and quality kidney education for all.

Publications

  • Published 6/1/2026

    Kerns ES, Morales D, Rizzolo K. Expanding Access to Care for Immigrants with End-Stage Kidney Disease in Rhode Island. R I Med J (2013). 2026 Jun 01; 109(6):77-78. PMID: 42202099.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/20/2026

    Elansary M, Shankar DA, Rizzolo K, Gago C, Rudel RK, Burrowes SAB, Cordova-Ramos EG, Bosch NA, Jones KC, Finn K, Drainoni ML, Fantasia KL, Austad K. Making Sense of Implementation Science Planning Tools: Addressing Implementation Challenges in Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Treatment. Glob Implement Res Appl. 2026; 6(3):436-452. PMID: 42614406.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/24/2026

    Milligan M, Kimball S, Rizzolo K. Kidney Health Considerations for Patients with a Forced Migration History. J Immigr Minor Health. 2026 Apr 24. PMID: 42032386.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/28/2026

    Bavi SR, Rizzolo K. Kidney Care for Haitian Immigrants in the United States. J Immigr Minor Health. 2026 Feb 28. PMID: 41762389.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/11/2026

    Rizzolo K, Flythe JE, Camacho C, Gonzalez AM, Jaure A, Vinze S, Cervantes L. The Perspectives of Patients and Community Health Workers on the Recruitment and Retention of Latino Individuals in Research in Dialysis: A Qualitative Study. Kidney Med. 2026 Apr; 8(4):101289. PMID: 41971228.

    Read at: PubMed

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Websites

Education

  • Tufts University School of Medicine, MD
  • Tufts University, BA

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