ASN will recognize the wide-ranging contributions of Susan E. Quaggin, MD, FASN, with the presentation of the John P. Peters Award on Friday, October 25. This award is given for outstanding contributions to improving the lives of patients and furthering the understanding of the kidney in health and disease.
Dr. Quaggin is the Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where she also chairs the Department of Medicine and directs the Feinberg Cardiovascular and Renal Research Institute.
Her research focuses on the fundamental processes needed to establish and maintain the integrity of the specialized vascular beds in the kidney and eye. To understand and identify new therapeutic targets, she developed genetic mouse models that allow cell- and time-specific manipulation of functional genes. Her group's findings about the vasculature have revealed pathogenic mechanisms and have led to new therapeutic targets for a number of diseases, including diabetic kidney disease, nephrotic syndrome, and glaucoma.
Dr. Quaggin has served ASN in many roles, including as president; associate editor of JASN; chair of Kidney Week's Program Committee and of the Diabetic Kidney Disease Collaborative Task Force; and member of the Public Policy Board, Education Committee, Grants Review Committee, and more. She has also served on the councils of The American Society for Clinical Investigation and the International Society of Nephrology. She chaired the National Institutes of Health's pathobiology of kidney disease study section. She is on the scientific advisory boards of AstraZeneca and Roche and is cofounder of Mannin Research.
Among her many honors, Dr. Quaggin received the International Society of Nephrology Alfred Newton Richards Award for basic research, a Kidney Foundation of Canada medal for research excellence, an American Heart Association distinguished scientist award, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Southern Denmark. She was corecipient of the Grand Prix Scientifique from the Fondation Lefoulon-Delalande.
Dr. Quaggin received her medical degree from the University of Toronto and completed her residency at the university's St. Michael's Hospital. She completed her nephrology fellowship and additional research training at the University of Toronto and Yale University. She also trained in the developmental biology program at the University of Toronto's Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute.