DOM Faculty Appointments & Promotions – May 2026
Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine DOM Faculty on their recent appointment or promotion.
Professor
Weining Lu, MD, MS, Medicine/Nephrology, is a physician-scientist focused on studies of kidney and urinary tract development, disease and novel therapeutics. He has served as the lead academic PI in a highly productive collaboration with Pfizer to develop therapies targeting the SLIT/ROBO pathway. This academic–industry collaboration led to an international multicenter Phase 2 clinical trial and the first licensing agreement between Pfizer and BU/BMC. In recognition of this work, Dr. Lu was named the University’s 2019 Innovator of the Year, an award honoring faculty who translate world-class research into inventions and innovations that benefit humankind. Dr. Lu is chair of the Core Oversight Advisory Committee in the department of medicine, co-director of the BU Clinical & Translational Science Institute R01 Proposal Writing Workshop, lead director of the BU Biomedical Innovation Technologies Affinity Research Collaboratives and the B4D-ARC program, and a voting member of the BU Institutional Biosafety Committee. He is a fellow of the American Society of Nephrology and the International Society of Nephrology, a professional member of the American Heart Association, an academic editor for PLOS ONE, and a member of NIH grant review study sections.
Clinical Associate Professor
Amber Moore, MD, MPH, Medicine/GIM, has been named vice chair of clinical operations for the department of medicine. She joins BU/BMC from Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was director of inpatient medicine for the department of medicine, and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. As director, she led major operational, capacity and throughput initiatives, partnering closely with hospital and departmental leadership to implement innovative care models that enhanced both patient care and clinician experiences. Her leadership led to measurable improvements in length of stay, strengthened resident education, and fostered greater interdepartmental collaboration. Throughout her tenure at MGH, Dr. Moore also provided exceptional clinical care as a physician in the Hospital Medicine Unit.
Ivania Rizo, MD, Medicine/Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management, specializes in obesity medicine, diabetes, and cardiometabolic health equity. Her research focuses on obesity medicine, post-bariatric weight regain, cardiometabolic health equity and the social determinants of health. Following a national search, Dr. Rizo was appointed director of obesity medicine at Boston Medical Center (BMC) in 2021. In 2025, she was named co-medical director of the Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition & Weight Management Clinic. She also serves as diabetes clinical co-lead for BMC’s Health Equity Accelerator, where she develops programs to improve equity in diabetes care in high-risk populations at BMC. In addition, Dr. Rizo is the endocrinology lead for Heart of Communities, a collaboration among BMC, Mass General Brigham and Mattapan Community Health Center focused on improving cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic health in the Mattapan community.