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 The Jean Hamburger Award recognizes outstanding research in nephrology with a clinical emphasis. This year’s winner, Professor Vivekanand Jha, is Executive Director of The George Institute for Global Health, India, and Chair of Global Kidney Health at Imperial College London. He is also a former president of the International Society of Nephrology.

Professor Jha’s research has contributed to the understanding and management of kidney diseases, both acute and chronic, especially in resource-limited settings. He leads and designs multidisciplinary studies and clinical trials to improve healthcare delivery for kidney disorders and non-communicable diseases, with emphasis on equity, affordability, and health systems innovation.

Professor Jha’s work has had a major impact by expanding access to sustainable kidney care, training future leaders, supporting impactful, people-relevant research, and shifting global kidney disease policy from treatment to prevention and health system strengthening. His key research contributions have been in helping develop better data and information systems to measure the burden of kidney diseases and the global capacity to address it, shaping policy and practice by highlighting global disparities in kidney care and influencing World Health Organization (WHO) priorities. He has pioneered mHealth and workforce reengineering strategies for rural and urban slums, improving CKD prevention and early identification, and developed widely adopted primary and secondary prevention tools for kidney disease, supported by cohort studies and multi-country clinical trials. He has advanced global capacity-building by launching nephrologist and health worker training hubs, and national and global mentorship and leadership programs. His work is reflected in the prolific output with over 600 publications and 50+ book chapters, widely cited for policy and guideline development.

Professor Jha comments, “I’m deeply honored to join the list of distinguished recipients of the Jean Hamburger Award, all of whom are my personal heroes. This recognition affirms our collective mission of addressing kidney disease inequities globally and is a testament to the collaborative efforts of countless mentors, colleagues, and patients who have shaped my research journey. This award strengthens my resolve to continue advancing kidney care for underserved populations worldwide.”

Professor Jha will receive his award during the Opening Ceremony/Plenary Session #1 on Saturday, March 28, 2026, taking place from 2-3:30 p.m.  

The Bywaters Award recognizes outstanding contributions made to the understanding of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). The award was established in honor of Eric Bywaters, who described crush syndrome in the 1940s. This year’s winner, John A. Kellum, is Distinguished Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Medicine, Bioengineering and Clinical and Translational Science and holds an Endowed Chair in Critical Care Research from the University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, USA.

Dr. Kellum is currently on leave and serving as the Chief Medical Officer for Spectral Medical, a late-stage medical device company developing diagnostics and therapeutics for sepsis. He received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio in 1988. His postgraduate training includes an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Rochester, New York, and a Fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests span various aspects of Critical Care Medicine, but center in critical care nephrology, sepsis, and acute kidney injury. He has authored more than 750 publications and has won several awards for teaching. He lectures widely and has given more than 500 seminars and invited lectures worldwide.

Dr. Kellum states, “I am grateful and humbled to be selected as the recipient of the 2026 ISN Bywaters Award for excellence in the field of AKI. Previous award winners are among the most accomplished and respected investigators in our field. I am truly honored to be counted among them.”

The Lillian Jean Kaplan Prize recognizes individuals for excellence and leadership in PKD clinical or basic research whose seminal scientific work has advanced PKD knowledge and treatment. This year’s winner, Ron T. Gansevoort, is professor of medicine and a nephrologist at the University Medical Center (UMC) Groningen, the Netherlands.  He is a former board member of the Dutch and European Renal Association and recipient of the UK Kidney Foundation Distinguished International Medal. 

Professor Gansevoort’s work has been instrumental in drafting the definition and classification of chronic kidney disease (CKD), the development of novel endpoints for clinical trials in nephrology, and establishing treatments for polycystic kidney disease (PKD). He is committed to getting more attention for screening for early CKD and prevention of progressive kidney function loss on a general population level, and specifically also in patients with ADPKD. At his institution, he established a PKD Expertise Center that has now been acknowledged by the Dutch and European Union authorities and that is known for its protocolled approach to treat chronic, intractable pain in patients with PKD, of which many have benefitted. His research group focuses furthermore on translational research trying to develop treatments for PKD, as well as novel biomarkers to help predict prognosis in patients with PKD. Most of these studies are investigator driven.

Professor Gansevoort has co-authored over 800 peer reviewed manuscripts (h-index 107), supervised more than 40 PhD theses, and helped establish several large consortia (e.g., the DIPAK Consortium for PKD Research, the ERACODA & RECOVAC Consortia for COVID-19 Research, and the CKD-Prognosis Consortium). He serves as a steering committee member of several clinical trials for CKD/ADPKD research such as TEMPO 3:4, REPRISE, DIPAK-1, STAGED-PKD, MANGROVE, AGAINST-PLD, HYDRO-PROTECT, and STOP-PKD.

Professor Gansevoort comments, “I am truly honored to be awarded ISN’s 2026 Lillian Jean Kaplan Prize for PKD. Let it be clear that I see it as a recognition of a team effort. I am privileged to work with so many highly motivated and skilled people in our PKD Expert Center, as well as (inter)nationally. It is thanks to the commitment of these colleagues that I am able to receive this prize. I look forward to continuing our work together and to contribute further to the advancement of our field with the goal to improve prognosis and quality of life of patients with PKD.”