Titilayo Ilori MD, MSc
Assistant Professor, Nephrology
650 Albany St | (617) 638-7307Titilayo.Ilori@bmc.org
tilori1@bu.edu

Sections
Nephrology
Biography
My various experiences and training have resulted in a strong desire to improve outcomes and survival of individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), particularly in disadvantaged populations. I am interested in the effect of diet and lifestyle in the development and progression of CKD and ApolipoproteinL1 Nephropathy. I started in research as a research assistant in the United Kingdom where I learned the fundamentals of population-based research in nutritional epidemiology in the department of Public Health at the University of Manchester.
I then formal training in basic science during my nephrology fellowship at Emory University. There, I worked on a translational project looking at the role of calcineurin inhibitors in the phosphorylation of the urea transporter. I decided to pursue a clinical research career after my fellowship training and completed the Master of Science in Clinical Research degree at Emory in 2015. I am a co-investigator in the H3Africa Kidney Disease Research Network and this has equipped me with on-ground training of staff in Africa, protocol development and execution, and data management and analysis with the Bioinformatics Core. I was also a co-investigator in the All of Us Research Program (AoURP), a part of the NIH-supported Precision Medicine Initiative. I gained hands-on experience in building clinical research infrastructure and high-volume recruitment and enrollment in a large clinical research enterprise. I was the Associate Director of Clinical Research and Global Health Initiatives and played an integral role in recruiting >30,000 research participants for the AoURP recorded in a recent article in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science (PMID: 32004412).
I was awarded a K23 grant from the NIDDK in 2020 to study Diet, CKD and ApolipoproteinL1 Nephropathy (DK119542). I am looking at diet and CKD progression as well as gene x environment interactions in APOL1 nephropathy in sub-Saharan Africa. I have a commitment to mentoring and training in research. I have mentored three fellows one who is an Assistant Professor at Emory University and multiple masters’ level students.
Education
MBBS, University of Lagos
Clinical Research, MSc, Emory University
Publications
Gbadegesin RA, Ulasi I, Ajayi S, Raji Y, Olanrewaju T, Osafo C, Ademola AD, Asinobi A, Winkler CA, Burke D, Arogundade F, Ekem I, Plange-Rhule J, Mamven M, Matekole M, Amodu O, Cooper R, Antwi S, Adeyemo AA, Ilori TO, Adabayeri V, Nyarko A, Ghansah A, Amira T, Solarin A, Awobusuyi O, Kimmel PL, Brosius FC, Makusidi M, Odenigbo U, Kretzler M, Hodgin JB, Pollak MR, Boima V, Freedman BI, Palmer ND, Collins B, Phadnis M, Smith J, Agwai CI, Okoye O, Abdu A, Wilson J, Williams W, Salako BL, Parekh RS, Tayo B, Adu D, Ojo A. APOL1 Bi- and Monoallelic Variants and Chronic Kidney Disease in West Africans. N Engl J Med. 2025 Jan 16; 392(3):228-238. PMID: 39465900.
Published on 11/10/2023Hong X, Rosenberg AZ, Heymann J, Yoshida T, Waikar SS, Ilori TO, Wang G, Rebuck H, Pearson C, Wang MC, Winkler CA, Kopp JB, Wang X. Joint Associations of Pregnancy Complications and Postpartum Maternal Renal Biomarkers With Severe Cardiovascular Morbidities: A US Racially and Ethnically Diverse Prospective Birth Cohort Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Nov 21; 12(22):e029311. PMID: 37947096.
Published on 10/20/2023Chen DC, Scherzer R, Ix JH, Kramer HJ, Crews DC, Nadkarni G, Gutierrez O, Bullen AL, Ilori T, Garimella PS, Shlipak MG, Estrella MM. Modification of Association of Cystatin C With Kidney and Cardiovascular Outcomes by Obesity. Am J Kidney Dis. 2024 Apr; 83(4):489-496.e1. PMID: 37866793.
Published on 3/31/2023Obembe TA, Akinyemi OO, Adeyanju OA, Ilori T, Okunade IE. Socioeconomic Parameters and Well Being of Sickle Cell Anaemic Patients in Southwestern Nigeria. West Afr J Med. 2023 Mar 31; 40(3):284-291. PMID: 37017604.
Published on 3/15/2023Hong X, Rosenberg AZ, Heymann J, Yoshida T, Waikar SS, Ilori TO, Wang G, Rebuck H, Pearson C, Wang MC, Winkler CA, Kopp JB, Wang X. Joint associations of pregnancy complications and postpartum maternal renal biomarkers with severe cardiovascular morbidities: A US racially diverse prospective birth cohort study. medRxiv. 2023 Mar 15. PMID: 36993418.
Published on 3/9/2023Ilori TO, Zhen A, Velani RN, Zhao R, Echouffo-Tcheugui J, Anderson CAM, Waikar SS, Kengne AP. The impact of dietary and lifestyle interventions on blood pressure management in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and metanalysis. J Hypertens. 2023 Jun 01; 41(6):918-925. PMID: 36928004.
Published on 3/6/2023Ilori TO, Brooks MS, Desai PN, Cheung KL, Judd SE, Crews DC, Cushman M, Winkler CA, Shlipak MG, Kopp JB, Naik RP, Estrella MM, Gutiérrez OM, Kramer H. Dietary Patterns, Apolipoprotein L1 Risk Genotypes, and CKD Outcomes Among Black Adults in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Cohort Study. Kidney Med. 2023 May; 5(5):100621. PMID: 37229446.
Published on 2/22/2023Schmidt IM, Shohet M, Serrano M, Yadati P, Menn-Josephy H, Ilori T, Eneanya ND, Cleveland Manchanda EC, Waikar SS. Patients' Perspectives on Race and the Use of Race-Based Algorithms in Clinical Decision-Making: a Qualitative Study. J Gen Intern Med. 2023 Jul; 38(9):2045-2051. PMID: 36811702.
Published on 2/17/2023Ilori T, Watanabe A, Ng KH, Solarin A, Sinha A, Gbadegesin R. Genetics of Chronic Kidney Disease in Low-Resource Settings. Semin Nephrol. 2022 Sep; 42(5):151314. PMID: 36801667.
Published on 1/24/2023Ilori TO, Solarin A, Manmak M, Raji YR, Braimoh R, Kwakyi E, Umeizudike T, Ajepe T, Bolanle O, Ripiye N, Eduful E, Adebile T, Ijeoma C, Mumuni AA, Chern J, Akinpelu M, Ulasi I, Arogundade F, Salako BL, Gbadegesin R, Parekh RS, Dupuis J, Amira CO, Adu D, Anderson CAM, Ojo A, Waikar SS. Rationale and Design of the Diet, CKD, and Apolipoprotein L1 Study in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries. Kidney Int Rep. 2023 Apr; 8(4):764-774. PMID: 37069986.
Media Mentions
Published on 3/10/2023
Following Southern dietary pattern correlates with increased risk of CKD progression
Published on 1/31/2021
Excessive salt, sugar, protein increase risk of kidney stones — Expert
View full list of 2 media mentions.