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Carla M. Nester, MD, MSA, FASN

Professor of Pediatrics-Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation

Current Positions

  • Professor of Pediatrics
  • Professor of Internal Medicine
  • Jean E. Robillard Chair in Pediatric Nephrology
  • Division Director, Division of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation
  • Associate Director of Molecular Otolaryngology and Renal Research Laboratory
  • Fellowship Director, Division of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation
  • Director, Pediatric Glomerular Disease Clinic

Education

  • BS in Biology, Austin Peay State University
  • MSA in Health Services Administration, Central Michigan University
  • MD, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
  • Resident in Internal Medicine & Pediatrics, University of North Carolina Hospitals
  • Fellow in Adult & Pediatric Nephrology, University of North Carolina Hospitals

Research Interests

  • I was trained as an adult and pediatric nephrologist in a center that specialized in glomerular disease (Chapel Hill, North Carolina under Ron Falk) and I am currently an Assistant Professor in the Carver College of Medicine (tenure-track July 2011) and the Director of the Pediatric Glomerular Disease Clinic at the University of Iowa. I am also the Co-Director of the University of Iowa’s Rare Renal Disease Clinic and as such, see all ages of patients with complement mediated renal disease (primarily C3 Glomerulopathy – C3G - and Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome - aHUS). I have a special expertise in the diagnosis, clinical management and transplant of these diseases. Because of my expertise in this ultra-rare set of diseases, I receive clinical consults from physicians practicing throughout the United States, Europe and the East - on the proper diagnosis and treatment of complement mediated disease. I was the author of the first and currently most used protocol in North America for the successful renal transplant of aHUS patients using the only available anticomplement drug and as a result also receive referrals from both in and out of state to facilitate renal transplant in this setting (we currently have 2 patients that are moving through this process with us now – neither of which are residents of Iowa). My expertise in this difficult set of diseases has facilitated a very robust diagnosis, treatment and transplant program here at Iowa and has been instrumental in my being invited to act as the sole nephrology consultant to the Oklahoma TTP-HUS Registry and invitations to speak on these diseases in such venues as the Glomerular Diseases Collaborative Network Annual Meeting, the American Society of Hematology International Meeting, the Pediatric Academic Society and the American Society of Nephrology Renal Week. In addition as a member of the ASN’s Glomerular Diseases Advisory Group – I have an opportunity to play a pivotal role in advancing glomerular disease research and education of nephrologists worldwide. My basic science program involves a research platform using unique complement functional assays to better define the complement dysregulation in patients with complement mediated renal disease. I have had 9 Publications since my last review: 2 Basic Science (both co first author) and 7 others which include 1 invited review for the NEJM, 1 international collaborative guideline, 1 invited commentary for CJASN, and 1 invited review for Clinical Nephrology. In addition, I have written 2 chapters both in leading Pediatric Nephrology texts (one US based - the other International) and the invitation was extended to me as a recognition of one of the few Pediatric Nephrologists that could address the requested topic.

Licenses & Certifications

  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Adult Nephrology
  • Iowa Medical License
  • Internal Medicine
  • Pediatrics

Selected Publications

  • Zhang, Y., Kremsdorf, R., Sperati, C. J., Henriksen, K. J., Mori, M., Goodfellow, R. X., Pitcher, G. R., Benson, C., Borsa, N. G., Taylor, R. P., Nester, C. M. & Smith, R. J. (2020). Mutation of complement factor B causing massive fluid-phase dysregulation of the alternative complement pathway can result in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. Kidney international. DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2020.05.028. PMID: 32540405.
  • Delbarba, E., Marasa, M., Canetta, P. A., Piva, S. E., Chatterjee, D., Kil, B. H., Mu, X., Gibson, K. L., Hladunewich, M. A., Hogan, J. J., Julian, B. A., Kidd, J. M., Laurin, L. P., Nachman, P. H., Rheault, M. N., Rizk, D. V., Sanghani, N. S., Trachtman, H., Wenderfer, S. E., Gharavi, A. G. & Bomback, A. S. (2020). Persistent Disease Activity in Patients With Long-Standing Glomerular Disease. Kidney international reports 5 (6) 860-871. DOI: 10.1016/j.ekir.2020.03.017. PMID: 32518868. PMCID: PMC7270998.
  • Shin, H. S., Nester, C. M. & Dixon, B. P. (2019). Comorbidity of inflammatory bowel disease with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome in pediatric patients. (Vols. 7). pp. 35-40. Clinical nephrology. Case studies. DOI: 10.5414/CNCS109511. PMID: 31312592. PMCID: PMC6595396.
  • Canetta, P. A., Troost, J. P., Mahoney, S., Kogon, A. J., Carlozzi, N., Bartosh, S. M., Cai, Y., Davis, T. K., Fernandez, H., Fornoni, A., Gbadegesin, R. A., Herreshoff, E., Mahan, J. D., Nachman, P. H., Selewski, D. T., Sethna, C. B., Srivastava, T., Tuttle, K. R., Wang, C. S., Falk, R. J., Gharavi, A. G., Gillespie, B. W., Greenbaum, L. A., Holzman, L. B., Kretzler, M., Robinson, B. M., Smoyer, W. E., Guay-Woodford, L. M., Reeve, B. & Gipson, D. S. (2019). Health-related quality of life in glomerular disease. Kidney international 95 (5) 1209-1224. DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2018.12.018. PMID: 30898342. PMCID: PMC6743723.
  • Hauer, J. J., Shao, D., Zhang, Y., Nester, C. M. & Smith RJH (2019). Factor B and C4b2a Autoantibodies in C3 Glomerulopathy. Frontiers in immunology 10 668. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00668. PMID: 31024533. PMCID: PMC6460050.
  • Smith RJH, Appel, G. B., Blom, A. M., Cook, H. T., D'Agati, V. D., Fakhouri, F., Fremeaux-Bacchi, V., Józsi, M., Kavanagh, D., Lambris, J. D., Noris, M., Pickering, M. C., Remuzzi, G., de Córdoba, S. R., Sethi, S., Van der Vlag, J., Zipfel, P. F. & Nester, C. M. (2019). C3 glomerulopathy - understanding a rare complement-driven renal disease. Nature reviews. Nephrology 15 (3) 129-143. DOI: 10.1038/s41581-018-0107-2. PMID: 30692664. PMCID: PMC6876298.
  • Hendren, E. M., Reynolds, M. L., Mariani, L. H., Zee, J., O'Shaughnessy, M. M., Oliverio, A. L., Moore, N. W., Hill-Callahan, P., Rizk, D. V., Almanni, S., Twombley, K. E., Herreshoff, E., Nester, C. M. & Hladunewich, M. A. (2019). Confidence in Women's Health: A Cross Border Survey of Adult Nephrologists. Journal of clinical medicine 8 (2). DOI: 10.3390/jcm8020176. PMID: 30717445. PMCID: PMC6406323.
  • Floege, J., Barbour, S. J., Cattran, D. C., Hogan, J. J., Nachman, P. H., Tang SCW, Wetzels JFM, Cheung, M., Wheeler, D. C., Winkelmayer, W. C. & Rovin, B. H. (2019). Management and treatment of glomerular diseases (part 1): conclusions from a Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Controversies Conference. Kidney international 95 (2) 268-280. DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2018.10.018. PMID: 30665568.
  • Rovin, B. H., Caster, D. J., Cattran, D. C., Gibson, K. L., Hogan, J. J., Moeller, M. J., Roccatello, D., Cheung, M., Wheeler, D. C., Winkelmayer, W. C. & Floege, J. (2019). Management and treatment of glomerular diseases (part 2): conclusions from a Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Controversies Conference. Kidney international 95 (2) 281-295. DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2018.11.008. PMID: 30665569.
  • Mariani, L. H., Bomback, A. S., Canetta, P. A., Flessner, M. F., Helmuth, M., Hladunewich, M. A., Hogan, J. J., Kiryluk, K., Nachman, P. H., Nast, C. C., Rheault, M. N., Rizk, D. V., Trachtman, H., Wenderfer, S. E., Bowers, C., Hill-Callahan, P., Marasa, M., Poulton, C. J., Revell, A., Vento, S., Barisoni, L., Cattran, D., D'Agati, V., Jennette, J. C., Klein, J. B., Laurin, L. P., Twombley, K., Falk, R. J., Gharavi, A. G., Gillespie, B. W., Gipson, D. S., Greenbaum, L. A., Holzman, L. B., Kretzler, M., Robinson, B., Smoyer, W. E. & Guay-Woodford, L. M. (2019). CureGN Study Rationale, Design, and Methods: Establishing a Large Prospective Observational Study of Glomerular Disease. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 73 (2) 218-229. DOI: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2018.07.020. PMID: 30420158. PMCID: PMC6348011.