Carmen Peralta

Dr. Carmen Peralta is an Associate Professor of Medicine in Residence at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. She serves as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Kidney Health Research Collaborative (KHRC), where she leads innovative research initiatives focused on kidney disease and hypertension. Dr. Peralta is a clinician investigator with expertise in epidemiology, implementation science, and digital health applications for chronic kidney disease management.

Dr. Peralta's educational background includes:

• B.A. in Biology from Rice University (1996)
• M.D. from John Hopkins University School of Medicine (2001)
• Residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital (2004)
• Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Clinical Research from UCSF (2006)
• Clinical Fellowship in Nephrology from UCSF (2008)

Dr. Peralta's research activities focus on three major areas: (1) Translational approaches to improving care of persons with kidney disease and reducing racial/ethnic disparities; (2) Hypertension, arterial stiffness and kidney disease; and (3) Novel biomarkers for detection, classification and risk stratification of early kidney disease. She is a leader in epidemiology of kidney disease and hypertension, with a particular emphasis on health disparities. Her work bridges clinical medicine, epidemiology, and implementation science, with a focus on developing practical interventions that can be integrated into healthcare systems.

Dr. Peralta has established collaborations with a multi-disciplinary team of investigators in nephrology, general internal medicine, epidemiology, data science, and human genetics both at UCSF and around the country. She is a pioneer in implementation sciences in nephrology, having led two trials to evaluate interventions embedded in the electronic health record designed to improve the early detection and management of persons with early stages of kidney disease. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on hypertension management in older adults, kidney disease disparities, and the application of digital health and mHealth technologies to improve chronic kidney disease care.

Dr. Peralta has received numerous prestigious awards and honors:

• Irene Perstein Award from UCSF (2009)
• Herbert Nickens Faculty Fellowship from the American Association of Medical Colleges (2010)
• Young Leader from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2012)
• Clinical Scientist in Nephrology from the American Kidney Fund (2007)
• Established Investigator Award from the American Heart Association (2017)
• Research Mentorship Award from the UCSF Department of Medicine (2017)

As a principal investigator, Dr. Peralta has secured significant research funding from the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Her current research portfolio includes multiple NIH-funded projects examining blood pressure management in older adults with kidney disease, electronic clinical decision support systems for chronic kidney disease management, and approaches to optimize detection of chronic kidney disease among diverse populations. Through the Kidney Health Research Collaborative, she mentors junior investigators and fosters interdisciplinary collaborations to address critical challenges in kidney health.

Dr. Peralta directs the Kidney Health Research Collaborative (KHRC), which serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research on kidney disease. The KHRC brings together investigators from nephrology, general internal medicine, epidemiology, data science, and human genetics to develop and implement innovative approaches to improve kidney disease prevention, detection, and management. The collaborative emphasizes translation of research findings into clinical practice and health policy, with particular attention to reducing disparities in kidney disease outcomes.