David Rush
David Rush is a motivational speaker, Patient/Doctor consultant,and kidney dialysisadvocate & patient. David f irst started dialysis in 2006 and In 2010 received a transplant from his brother Dwaine, which, unfortunately he lost and returned back to home dialysis in 2018.
David has been serving on the Executive Committee of the Northwestern Kidney Core Center Nu-GoKIDNEY for the past 9, also serves on Kidney x, and patient co-investigator on the National Advisory group/ Co-Chair of patient advisory group with the ExPAND team and serves on the KHI (Kidney Health Initiative) board.David also
has been consulting for different major companies such as AstraZeneca and Outset Medical. In November 2022 he was awarded the president’s medal by ASN for his
continuous advocacy work in kidney health and Dialysis modality. David Rush is also a platinum selling recording artist/ producer & songwriter. And FOUNDER OF WINSONLYLIFESTYLE LLC. As a former in-center and now current home Hemo patient, the one time transplant recipient Rush truly knows what it means to live life with a Chronic Kidney disease. This point was truly proven when he took his home HemoDialysis machine on a 42 city world tour in 2009 with multi platinum artist Pitbull as an opening act. Now as a husband and father of 2 ,David dedicates his life to putting positive energy into the world and hoping his story will help others through their struggles. Adapting the mantra “Wins Only” he feels this is a lifestyle he wants the world to adopt so that no matter the circumstance you’re a winner!
Jonathan Barratt, MD
Dr. Barratt leads the Renal Research Group within the College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester. His research is focused on a bench to bedside approach to improving our understanding of the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy.
He serves as the IgA Nephropathy Rare Disease Group lead for the UK National Registry of Rare Kidney Diseases (RaDaR) and a member of the steering committee for the International IgA Nephropathy Network. He works closely with pharmaceutical companies on new treatments for IgA nephropathy and is a chief investigator for a number of international randomized controlled trials in IgA nephropathy.
Lauren Levy, MS, RDN, CSR
Lauren is a renal dietitian who has been working with people with kidney disease for over 10 years. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition/Dietetics and completed her Dietetic Internship at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.
Lauren completed her master’s degree at the University of California, Davis. In 2013, Lauren earned her Specialization in Renal Nutrition (CSR). Lauren is the owner of Happy Health Nutrition LLC, a private practice focused on helping people with chronic kidney disease. She is also the Director at Cukebook, a non-profit whose mission is to make a kidney-friendly diet attainable for all people through nutrition and culinary education.
Emma Ryan
Emma Ryan is a plant-based chef, integrative nutrition health coach, and the founder & owner of Plant, a plant-based restaurant concept in Oklahoma. While she specializes in working with people with auto-immune diseases, she has years of experience working with individuals of all backgrounds and dietary needs.
After living through cancer, multiple auto-immune diseases, eating disorders, and a long list of ailments, she realized that this life was meant to be lived, and it was her choice how she was going to live it. Working with clients
means she gets to share her love of health and wellness with other people while being their accountability partner and being the coach she wished she had when she needed it most. She is living proof that changing the way we eat and live changes everything, and she’s here to help you find comfort in eating plant-based foods that fuel you for your adventures ahead.
Jared R. Hassler, MD
Dr. Hassler was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy in 2001. His diagnosis cemented his decision to pursue a career in medicine. He obtained his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Tennessee followed by his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
During his third year of medical school, his kidneys failed and he was started on hemodialysis and then quickly switched over to peritoneal dialysis. He graduated medical school in 2012 after his wife donated one of her kidneys. Dr. Hassler currently serves as a pathologist at the Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia where he works closely with other nephrologists, transplant surgeons and other departments to help patients with kidney disease continue to survive and thrive.
Ken Sutha, MD, PhD
Ken Sutha, MD, PhD is a board certified pediatric nephrologist and instructor at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford (LPCH) and Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, CA. He completed his undergraduate degree at Yale University and MD/PhD training in Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology before pursing residency in pediatrics at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital. He then moved to Stanford for his pediatric nephrology fellowship, where he has remained as faculty and now devotes his time to a combination of patient care, advocacy, and research. He performs research developing new techniques for modeling kidney disease in lab using patient-derived kidney organoids. In addition to his research and clinical duties at LPCH, which has performed the largest volume of pediatric kidney transplants in the US over the past 5 years, he serves on the LPCH Ethics Committee, the National Kidney Foundation Transplant Advisory Committee, the American Society of Nephrology Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, on the boards of the American Living Organ Donor Fund, as co-chair of the Stanford Medicine Alliance for Disability Inclusion and Equity, and as a Donate Life Ambassador for Donor Network West. Additionally, he has been recognized nationally for his advocacy as the 2019 American Kidney Fund Hero of Hope and for his research as an American Society of Nephrology Jared J. Grantham Research Scholar and an NIH K08 Clinician Scientist Development Awardee.
Whitney Simmons, MSN, APRN-CNP
Whitney was first diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy in 2012 during her first semester of nursing school. She was placed on steroids and immunotherapy at that time, which she continues to this day.
Throughout the ups and downs that IgA Nephropathy brings, she was able to complete her nursing degree through Oklahoma City Community College. She then proceeded to earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with University of Phoenix and finally a Master of Science in Nursing and Adult Gerontological Primary Nurse Practitioner degrees from Maryville University. Whitney has dedicated her career and spare time to helping those with autoimmune and immunodeficiency disorders, administering an array of biological therapies. It is her passion to ensure that each patient has knowledge and efficiency in being their own advocate.
Aileen Axtmayer
Aileen Axtmayer is a Wellness Speaker and Career Coach. In her practice, Aspire with Aileen, she helps exhausted professionals restore their energy, feel their best, and do what they love. Over the past 15+ years she’s helped thousands of people manage their stress and has presented to global groups of up to 300 people.
Aileen earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Villanova University and master’s degree in counseling from Northeastern University. She complemented these studies with an Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching certification, and 200-hour yoga teacher, Meditation and Breath Coach trainings.
Areefa Alladin-Karan
Dr. Areefa Alladin-Karan is a pediatric nephrologist and a PhD candidate at the University of Calgary. She is specializing in epidemiology and her research focuses on IgA nephropathy in children. She wants to understand how IgA nephropathy progresses in children and if treatment with steroids reduces kidney failure. Dr. Alladin has a degree in Pharmacy and she understands that medications that supress the immune system can cause side effects, especially in children. Her goal is to indentify treatments that can reduce or prevent kidney failure that are not detrimental to children. Dr. Alladin is actively involved in patient advocacy as the chair of the Kidney Foundation of Guyana.
Brad H. Rovin, MD, FACP, FASN
Dr. Brad H. Rovin is the Lee A. Hebert Professor of Nephrology. Dr. Rovin received his Bachelor of Science in
Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois and his Doctor of Medicine from the
University of Illinois Medical School in Chicago, Illinois. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis Missouri, and a Fellowship in Nephrology at Washington University School of
Medicine, St. Louis. He joined the College of Medicine Faculty in 1990, became Director of the Division of
Nephrology in 2004, and served as Vice Chairman of Medicine for Research from 2009-2019. In 2019 he
became the Medical Director of the Ohio State University Clinical Research Management Institute.
Dr. Rovin has had several leadership roles in the American Society of Nephrology, including running the Glomerular Diseases Pre-Course and Co-Editing NephSAP Glomerular Diseases, a continuing education program of the Society. Most recently he was appointed Deputy Editor of Kidney International, the flagship journal of the International Society of Nephrology. He also is Co-Chair for glomerular disease guideline development for the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes effort.
Dr. Rovin studies the immunopathogenesis of glomerular and autoimmune diseases. He is heavily involved in
clinical trial development and design for investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored trials. He is a founding
member of NephroNet, a grass-roots nephrology community clinical trial organization, and the Lupus
Nephritis Clinical Trials Network. He is and has been the Principal Investigator on several trials of novel
therapeutics for glomerular diseases.
Anupkumar Shetty, MD, FASN
Dr. Anupkumar Shetty is a Nephrologist with Dallas Nephrology Associates in Dallas, Texas since 2002. His patient care specialties include chronic kidney disease and endstage renal disease as well as rounding at area dialysis centers and hospitals. He is an expert in the field of Peritoneal Dialysis. He is the Associate Director of the
Nephrology Fellowship Program at Methodist Dallas Medical Center and has authored many articles in peer-reviewed medical journals. Dr. Shetty is board certified in Nephrology by the American Board of Internal
Medicine since 1999 and is a Diplomate in National Board of Examiners in Nephrology, India. Dr. Shetty graduated from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India in 1985. He
completed his residency training in Internal Medical from Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, Mangalore University, India in 1989 and then completed a Clinical Fellowship in Nephrology from K.E.M. Hospital, Bombay, India in 1992 and a Clinical Fellowship in Nephrology focusing on Peritoneal Dialysis from The Toronto Hospital –
University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada in 1995. He also completed an Internship in Internal Medicine at the Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan in 1996 and
completed residency training at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan in 1998. Dr. Shetty is a member of the American Society of Nephrology, Dallas County
Medical Society, International Society of Nephrology, International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis, Indian Society of Organ Transplantation, Indian Society of Peritoneal Dialysis, Renal Physicians Association, and Texas Medical Association. He is fluent in English, Tulu, Kannada and Hindi and has working knowledge of Malayalam and Marathi. He is married and has two children. Dr. Shetty is active in the local community and is frequently a public speaker. In 2022, he authored and published a book, ‘The Power of Infinity: Health, Wellbeing and An Anticancer Lifestyle’, which explores the science and logistics of living a cancer-free life.