Sushrut Waikar, MD, MPH, Named Executive Vice Chair
Dear Colleagues,
I am delighted to announce that Dr. Sushrut Waikar will be appointed as the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine, effective October 1, 2026.
Dr. Waikar joined our Department in 2019 as the Norman G. Levinsky Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Section of Nephrology. He received his medical degree from Yale University and completed his internal medicine training at the University of California, San Francisco, where he served as Chief Medical Resident. He subsequently completed his nephrology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital and earned a Master of Public Health from Harvard University in 2006.
His research broadly focuses on improving the diagnosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). His laboratory is particularly interested in developing novel diagnostic biomarkers, investigating an enigmatic form of CKD affecting agricultural communities in Central America and India, and using kidney biopsy tissue to deepen our understanding of CKD pathogenesis.
Dr. Waikar has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and serves as Principal Investigator for several grants and research initiatives, including the Kidney Precision Medicine Project and the CKD of Unknown Etiology Consortium. As a physician-scientist, he maintains an important portfolio of clinical and translational research and is a treasured mentor to scores of faculty and trainees.
Throughout his time with the Department, Dr. Waikar has served with distinction in several leadership roles, including Section Chief of Nephrology, Interim Chair of Medicine, and, most recently, Interim Vice Chair of Research. Under his leadership — and with the support of an outstanding team — the Section of Nephrology has expanded substantially, developed several exciting clinical initiatives in population health management, and strengthened its research portfolio through the recruitment of seven investigators since 2019.
Dr. Waikar will continue to serve as Chief of the Section of Nephrology while assuming his new role as Executive Vice Chair. In this capacity, he will partner with me and our Vice Chairs to help lead the Department in several key areas, including:
- Advancing strategic planning for research
- Expanding the Department ’s use of artificial intelligence and informatics in clinical and administrative operations
- Supporting efforts to increase philanthropy across the Department
Please join me in thanking Dr. Waikar for his many contributions and congratulating him as he steps into this important new leadership position.
Warmly,
Vicki