Dr. Pranav Garimella

As a physician-leader and academic clinician-scientist, I’ve built a career at the intersection of clinical excellence, research innovation, healthcare policy, and public health advocacy. I am an Associate Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego and also currently serve as the inaugural Chief Medical Officer of the American Kidney Fund, leading national initiatives to improve kidney care equity, expand rare disease education, and shape patient-centered health policy. My research has been supported by over $4.5M in external funding, and focuses on novel biomarkers and care delivery in kidney disease—particularly polycystic kidney disease (PKD)—with over 125 peer-reviewed publications and NIH grants as principal investigator. At UC San Diego, I founded and direct the PKD Center of Excellence, developing it into a nationally recognized site for comprehensive care and clinical trials. I’ve helped implement value-based care models, advised on national nephrology quality metrics as part of the ASN Quality Committee, and co-chair the PKD Centers of Excellence Advisory Board. Throughout, I remain deeply committed to mentorship and medical education—guiding fellows, creating CME programming, and launching national training programs in PKD. Whether through clinical innovation, cross-sector collaborations, or equitable policy design, my goal is simple: to improve the lives of people living with kidney disease. I thrive in spaces where science, advocacy, and systems thinking converge—and where impact extends from the lab bench to the bedside to Capitol Hill.

Board certifications