Ellie Kelepouris, MD, FAHA, FACP
Professor and Vice Chief for Clinical Affairs, Nephrology Division, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
This award has been established to recognize an individual for their educational activities and community service in promoting the mission of the National Kidney Foundation on a local level.
Ellie Kelepouris, MD, FACP, FAHA is Vice Chief for Clinical Affairs and Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Medical Director of Outpatient Dialysis programs for the Penn Health System and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Heart Association Medicine. She is a principal investigator in numerous clinical studies in nephrology including leading a National Registry of Glomerular Diseases 2018-2022. Her prolific list of publications includes many original research papers, reviews, and abstracts, as well as book chapters in nephrology. Dr. Kelepouris also serves as a reviewer for several journals, including The Journal of Clinical Investigation, CJASN, Kidney International, and the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.
Dr. Kelepouris is a nationally recognized leader in the field of nephrology specifically Glomerular Diseases, Hypertension, and Diabetic CKD. She serves as the Chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the National Kidney Foundation/Mid-Atlantic Region and is a member of the Leadership Committee of the American Heart Association’s National Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease. As a strong patient advocate, she spearheaded many Community Engagement and Kidney Health Screening programs in Philadelphia. For these efforts, she was Honored by the National Kidney Foundation as Physician of the Year 2020, 2022 and received the Changemaker Award in 2026. In addition, she is actively involved in many professional organizations, including the American College of Physicians, the American Heart Association, and the American Society of Nephrology. Dr. Kelepouris is also the recipient of many awards in medicine and teaching, which include The Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, Outstanding Physician of the Year and Outstanding Leadership Award from the National Kidney Foundation, as well as the Teaching and Mentoring Award by Drexel University College of Medicine. In 20018, Dr. Kelepouris was elected to a 3-year term as President of Women In Nephrology, a Mentoring and Leadership Society for Young Professionals in the Nephrology Field and is currently on the Advisory Council of WIN.
