Name: Seolhyun Lee, MD

Institution: Stanford Hospital

Grant: 2020 Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship

Project Title: Improving Clearance of Protein-Bound Uremic Solutes with Sorbent Technologies

How would you sum up your research in one sentence?

• We hope to improve clearance of protein-bound uremic solutes by incorporating sorbent materials into the hemodialysis procedure and eventually test whether this can improve outcomes in hemodialysis patients.

Provide a brief overview of the research you will conduct with help from the grant.

• The study will first test the abilities and capacities of different sorbents to remove protein-bound uremic solutes.  It will then assess the extent to which these sorbents too can increase the clearance of protein-bound uremic solutes during in-vitro dialysis experiments.

What impact do you hope your research will have on patients?

• I hope my research contributes to innovations in dialysis which will lessen uremic symptoms in hemodialysis patients

What are your career goals at the end of the grant period? Five years out? Ten years out?

• I wish to continue my career as a researcher and a clinician in an academic center after the grant period and continue to work on improving dialysis and treatment for ESRD patients. Ten years out, my goal is to become an independent researcher, enthusiastic educator, and competent clinician.

What inspired you to focus your research in this area?

• During my nephrology fellowship, I have come to appreciate how little I understand about dialysis and dialysis is underemphasize in both education and research. As I learned more about dialysis and behaviors of different uremic solutes with my mentors, I was fascinated by the science behind them.

What are the major challenges to beginning a career in nephrology research today?

• You need great mentors, dedicated time, institutional support, and salary support while overcoming the temptation to get a permanent position with greater financial compensation earlier in your career.

In one sentence, please describe the importance of having grant funding available through KidneyCure.

• The grant funding from KidneyCure is crucial to nephrology fellows like me who want to improve treatment for patients with kidney disease and pursue a career as a clinician-scientist. It allows us to continue to dream.

What advice would you give to others to encourage them to apply for this grant funding?

• I was neither confident nor expecting the grant before the announcement. I strongly encourage anybody to apply without hesitation if they have passion in their project with great mentors. 

Something you may not know about me is…

• Charles Barkley is my role model for his basketball skills and jokes.

In my free time I like to…

• Bike with my family and cook