Elaine Ku

Elaine Ku, MD, MAS, is Professor of Medicine in the UCSF School of Medicine, where she holds joint appointments in adult and pediatric nephrology. She directs the Training in Clinical Research Program in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and maintains a prolific, federally funded research portfolio focused on hypertension, cardiovascular risk, and transplantation equity in chronic kidney disease.

Education & Training:

• BA/BS English & Biology, UCLA – 2003
• MD, UC San Diego – 2007
• Residency in Medicine & Pediatrics, LAC-USC Medical Center – 2011
• MAS Clinical & Epidemiologic Research, UCSF – 2015
• Fellowship in Nephrology & Pediatric Nephrology, UCSF – 2015

Research Interests:

Dr Ku’s work centers on three interlocking themes: (1) cardiovascular risk reduction across the lifespan of CKD/ESRD patients, (2) racial, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities in access to kidney transplantation and re-transplantation, and (3) optimal transitional care from pediatric to adult nephrology. She leverages large national registries, pragmatic clinical trials, and community-based interventions to generate evidence that directly informs policy and practice.

Publication Trends:

Across >180 peer-reviewed papers (2009-2025), her scholarship maps a clear trajectory from early mechanistic studies on RAAS inhibition and BP control to recent high-impact trials and population-wide analyses examining dialysis facility staffing, transplant center practices, and social determinants of kidney disease. The work is strongly trans-disciplinary, spanning nephrology, cardiology, pediatrics, epidemiology, and health services research.

Scientific Awards & Honors:

• Clinical Scientist in Nephrology Award (2013–2014)
• American Kidney Fund Young Investigator Award (2016–2018)
• UCSF Inquiry Mentor Award for Outstanding Mentorship (2019)
• UCSF Long-Term Mentor Award (2024)
• ASN Distinguished Researcher Award (2025)

Grants & Mentorship:

Dr Ku currently serves as PI on multiple NIH R01 and K24 awards (> $10 M direct) addressing BP control in youth with CKD, racial equity in transplantation, and workforce diversity in benign urology/nephrology. She mentors faculty, fellows, residents, and UCSF students through structured T32 and K programs, with emphasis on under-represented minorities in nephrology research.

Labs & Teams:

She leads the Ku Research Group within the UCSF Division of Nephrology, co-directs the REACH-TRANSPLANT consortium, and is an active member of the USRDS Scientific Data Committee, the ASN Workforce & Transplant Communities of Practice, and the KDIGO BP Guideline Work Group.