Satyesh K. Sinha is an assistant professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles. He’s committed to conducting in-depth, scientifically sound, meaningful research on the role of macrophage-mediated inflammation in macro and microvascular complications, more specifically in atherosclerosis and diabetic kidney disease. One of his current areas of research is to study the molecular mechanisms responsible for macrophage polarization in DKD. His interest also includes studying the role of phagocytosis in DKD and the involvement of Glycoprotein non-metastatic melanoma B (GPNMB) in this process. GPNMB, a growth factor plays a regulatory role in the phagocytic activity of macrophages.

Susanne B. Nicholas is a tenured Professor of Medicine and Clinical Hypertension Specialist in the Division of Nephrology and chairs the Nephrology Racial and Health Equity Committee. She has joint appointments in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and the Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Policy. Her translational research aims to understand and identify key factors that promote diabetic kidney disease (DKD) pathogenesis; validate novel therapeutic targets and predictive biomarkers of DKD; and perform population studies in chronic kidney disease (CKD) health disparities using a large CKD registry. Her research over the past 20+ years has led to the identification of a novel biomarker of DKD. She is NIH-funded and has >100 publications and >120 scientific abstracts. She was a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow and received the Minority Access, Inc., National Role Model Faculty Researcher Award, the National Kidney Foundation's Medical Advisory Board Distinguished Service Award for 15+ years of dedicated service and was elected to the Executive Council of Women in Nephrology.