May 13, 2025, New York, New York – The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has awarded Sylvia E. Rosas, MD, MSCE, Associate Professor of Medicine, Joslin Diabetes Center/Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital/Harvard Medical School with the Garabed Eknoyan Award.
Each year NKF considers the work of hundreds of specialists in the field of nephrology and selects among them those who most exemplify the relentless efforts of the NKF to enhance the lives of patients through action, education and accelerating change.
The Garabed Eknoyan Award was created to recognize an individual who has promoted the mission of the National Kidney Foundation in Making Lives Better for people with kidney disease through exceptional contributions to key initiatives of NKF such as the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI®) or clinical research in the field of kidney disease.
Dr. Rosas is a nationally recognized nephrologist, researcher, and leader in kidney health equity, who serves as Director of the Latino Kidney Clinic.
Having had the opportunity to meet Dr. Garabed Eknoyan, makes this honor even more special for Dr. Rosas. “I am humbled and honored by this recognition,” said Dr. Rosas. “I have dedicated my research career to performing clinical research and clinical trials in diabetic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease in patients living with kidney disease.”
“This award celebrates more than achievement—it recognizes meaningful progress in the fight against kidney disease,” said Dr. Kirk Campbell, President of the National Kidney Foundation. “Dr. Rosas’ exceptional contributions to clinical research have helped shape better outcomes for patients nationwide and advance our mission.”
Dr. Rosas’s primary research is on chronic kidney disease epidemiology, particularly diabetic kidney disease. She is the principal investigator for the Kidney Precision Medicine Program (KPMP) Chronic Kidney Disease recruitment site at Joslin Diabetes Center. KPMP aims to ethically obtain and evaluate human kidney biopsies to create a kidney tissue atlas, define disease subgroups, and identify critical cells, pathways, and targets for novel therapies.
In addition, she is the clinical center principal investigator in the NIDDK-funded multicenter APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO) that evaluates the role of the APOL1 gene in kidney transplant outcomes.
“I work in a collaborative environment both at my institution and in several NIH funded consortium,” said Dr. Rosas. “I would like to also recognize my many multidisciplinary research collaborators without whom clinical research could not be performed.”
She has received numerous awards including the National Kidney Foundation of New England Physician of the Year in 2017, National Hispanic Medical Association Fellow of the Year Award and the 2021 American Society of Nephrology Midcareer Distinguished Leader Award. She is also the Immediate Past President of the National Kidney Foundation and is the founding chair of the NKF Health Equity Advisory Committee.
“The NKF is a unique organization given its patient-centered focus across all health care professionals that interact with an individual living with kidney disease,” said Dr. Rosas. “They literally created the definition of kidney disease and generated the outcomes that are used in kidney clinical trials. It is because of this type of groundbreaking research and implementation by the NKF staff and volunteers that the kidney field has advanced so much over the last two decades.”
NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
For more than 30 years, nephrology healthcare professionals from across the country have come to the NKF Spring Clinical Meetings to learn about the newest developments related to all aspects of nephrology practice; network with colleagues; and present their research findings. The NKF Spring Clinical Meetings are designed for meaningful change in the multidisciplinary and interprofessional healthcare teams’ skills, performance, and patient health outcomes. It is the only conference of its kind that focuses on translating science into practice for the entire healthcare team. This year’s Spring Clinical Meetings will be held in New Orleans, LA, May 6 – 10, 2026.
Kidney Disease
In the United States, more than 35 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90 percent don’t know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are about four times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanics experience kidney failure at about double the rate of White people.
NKF Professional Membership
Healthcare professionals can join NKF to receive access to tools and resources for both patients and professionals, discounts on professional education, and access to a network of thousands of individuals who treat patients with kidney disease.
Visit https://www.kidney.org/membership to learn more and join our community today. You belong here.
Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence
For 75 years, The National Kidney Foundation has been a leader in advancing kidney health, working to ensure that every person has access to high-quality, patient-centered care—from prevention and diagnosis to transplantation.
As we celebrate this milestone, NKF has launched its 75th Anniversary campaign - a bold initiative aimed at transforming kidney health and patient care by 2030. Our goal is to impact 75 million lives by raising funds to help fulfill the NKF mission, drive innovation, empower patients, and advocate for systemic change in kidney health. To make a difference in the fight against kidney disease, visit DONATE TODAY!
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about kidney disease, please visit www.kidney.org/ .
Media Contact:
Jade Rivera-McFarlin
413-537-1155
###