Caroline R. Sussman

Caroline R. Sussman, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Physiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Her research is centered in nephrology, particularly polycystic kidney disease (PKD), with affiliations to the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics and the Mayo Clinic Robert M. and Billie Kelley Pirnie Translational Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Center. She leads the Regenerative Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and has held key administrative roles including Associate Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Zebrafish Facility.

Dr. Sussman's research focuses on the molecular and cellular biology of kidney development, injury response, and disease progression. Her work emphasizes:

• The role of extracellular matrix interactions in kidney tubule cells
• Unbiased screening for early tissue changes in PKD
• Kidney regeneration using zebrafish models
• Genetic and cellular mechanisms underlying cyst formation in PKD

She utilizes zebrafish, mouse models, and cell cultures to explore these areas, leveraging the high genetic conservation between zebrafish and humans.

Dr. Sussman has been actively involved in the scientific community, serving on the editorial board of the American Journal of Physiology — Renal Physiology since 2013 and as an invited speaker at major conferences such as the FASEB Polycystic Kidney Disease Scientific Research Conference in 2017. Her research contributes to identifying new biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and prognostic indicators for PKD.

Her scientific honors include:

• Travel award, Jared J. Grantham Symposium, University of Kansas Medical Center (2014)
• Travel award, PKD Early Program, American Society of Nephrology (2013)

Dr. Sussman is deeply engaged in training and mentorship through her role as Coordinator of the Regenerative Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and her past leadership in postdoctoral affairs. She has not received named grants in the provided text, but her work is embedded within major translational research centers at Mayo Clinic, indicating institutional support and collaborative funding environments.

She conducts her research primarily through the Kidney Disease Discovery: Peter C. Harris Model Systems Core, part of the Mayo Clinic Pirnie Translational PKD Center, where she utilizes advanced model systems and core facilities to drive discovery in renal pathophysiology.