Adrian Whelan, MD, MAS

HS Asst. Clinical Professor

Adrian Whelan is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology. His clinical work includes serving as an Attending on the Kidney Transplant Unit caring for patients prior to, around the time of, and after kidney transplantation. He has completed research evaluating barriers to kidney transplantation with the aim of removing these barriers and helping patients along the pathway to transplantation.

Education
06/2021 - Transplant Nephrology Fellowship, University of California, San Francisco
MAS, 06/2020 - Clinical Research, University of California, San Francisco
06/2020 - General Nephrology Fellowship- Clinical Research Track, University of California, San Francisco
06/2019 - Editorial Internship, American Journal of Kidney Diseases
07/2017 - Higher Specialist Training in Nephrology and General Internal Medicine, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
07/2012 - Basic Specialist Training in General Internal Medicine, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
MB BCh BAO, 06/2009 - Medicine, University College Cork
Honors and Awards
  • Andy I. Choi Memorial Scholarship, University of California, San Francisco, 2019
  • MRCP UK, Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom, 2012
  • MRCPI, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, 2011
  • Dr. H. H. Stewart Scholarship in Medicine, National University of Ireland, 2009
Websites
Publications

  1. Wagner JA, Yakubu R, Whelan AM, Hays SR, Stankiewicz Karita HC, Schwartz BS, Limaye AP. Probable reactivation from latency of multi-drug resistant cytomegalovirus in a lung transplant recipient: a case report. American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons 2025. PMID: 40850594


  2. Ku E, Adey DB, Lopez I, Lee BK, Lin F, Whelan AM, McCulloch CE, Weir MR, Chen LX, Ahearn P, Gill J, Kim SJ, Johansen KL. Variations in Center-level Practices Across US Transplant Centers Are Associated With Time to Relisting and Retransplantation in Patients With Graft Failure. Kidney Medicine 2025. PMID: 40893916


  3. Abbasi AB, Gamino G, Zambeli-Ljepovic A, Whelan AM, Roll GR, Altshuler PJ. Malakoplakia among kidney transplant recipients: case series and literature review. Frontiers in immunology 2025. PMID: 40486516


  4. Accetta-Rojas G, McCulloch CE, Copeland TP, Whelan AM, Bicki AC, Giang S, Grimes BA, Ku E. Pediatric Nephrology Workforce and Access of Children with Kidney Failure to Transplantation in the United States. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2024. PMID: 39641993


  5. Ku E, Legaspi S, Copeland TP, Adey DB, Whelan AM, Roll GR, McCulloch CE, Lee BK, Johansen KL. Living Donor Candidates' Self-reported Health and Health Perceptions and Completion of Donor Evaluation: A Cohort Study. Kidney Medicine 2024. PMID: 39534796


  6. Accetta-Rojas G, McCulloch CE, Whelan AM, Copeland TP, Grimes BA, Ku E. Rurality of patient residence and access to transplantation among children with kidney failure in the United States. Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) 2023. PMID: 37768419


  7. Whelan AM, Dinh A, Ku E. Kidney Transplantation in the Setting of Prolonged Dialysis Vintage: It's About Time. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2022. PMID: 35718661


  8. Whelan AM, Johansen KL, Copeland T, McCulloch CE, Nallapothula D, Lee BK, Roll GR, Weir MR, Adey DB, Ku E. Kidney transplant candidacy evaluation and waitlisting practices in the US and their association with access to transplantation. 2022. PMID: 35289082


  9. Caliskan Y, Lee B, Whelan A, Abualrub F, Lentine KL, Jittirat A. Evaluation of Genetic Kidney Diseases in Living Donor Kidney Transplantation: Towards Precision Genomic Medicine in Donor Risk Assessment. Current transplantation reports 2022. PMID: 35765363


  10. Whelan AM, Johansen KL, Brar S, McCulloch CE, Adey DB, Roll GR, Grimes B, Ku E. Association between Longer Travel Distance for Transplant Care and Access to Kidney Transplantation and Graft Survival in the United States. Volume 32 of Issue 5. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2021. PMID: 33712528


  11. Ku E, Whelan AM, McCulloch CE, Lee B, Niemann CU, Roll GR, Grimes BA, Johansen KL. Weighing the waitlist: Weight changes and access to kidney transplantation among obese candidates. Volume 15 of Issue 11. PloS one 2020. PMID: 33253253


  12. Whelan AM, Johansen KL, McCulloch CE, Adelmann D, Niemann CU, Roll GR, Siyahian S, Grimes B, Ku E. Longer Distance From Dialysis Facility to Transplant Center Is Associated With Lower Access to Kidney Transplantation. Volume 6 of Issue 10. Transplantation direct 2020. PMID: 33134482


  13. Gelfand SL, Khairallah P, Nair D, Whelan AM. The AJKD Editorial Internship: Insights From the Inaugural Class of Editorial Interns. Volume 74 of Issue 3. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2019. PMID: 31445567


  14. Whelan AM, Ku E. Use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in kidney transplant recipients. Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association 2019. PMID: 30838404


  15. McGarry JG, Given MF, Whelan A, O'Kelly P, Connaughton D, McGrath FP, Keeling AN, Conlon PJ, Lee MJ. A prospective comparison of the performance and survival of two different tunnelled haemodialysis catheters: SplitCath® versus DuraMax®. Volume 18 of Issue 4. The journal of vascular access 2017. PMID: 28478635