Josephine P. Briggs, MD

NKF Research Fund Recipient, Director of an NIH Center

Nephrologist Josie Briggs, MD, distinctly remembers one of the first moments when she felt a sense of real achievement. It was the day she was awarded a National Kidney Foundation research grant in 1978.

"The grant at that juncture in my career was confirmation that my research in kidney physiology was making a valuable contribution to the field," she recalls. It also helped her choose her career path. In the end, she pursued the somewhat uncommon course of combining both laboratory research and clinic work.

Today, Dr. Briggs is Director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, an office under the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She maintains a research lab at the NIH and studies diabetic nephropathy and the role of antioxidants in kidney disease. Thanks to the diversity of her professional experience, she is able to see the latest developments in her field while still having the opportunity to interact with patients.

She and her husband, who is also a fellow researcher, live in Washington, DC.