Elaine Ku, MD, MAS

Associate Professor

The global context of my research program focuses on understanding differences in the epidemiology, clinical management, and outcomes of children versus adults with kidney disease and the conduct of clinical trials to test interventions (such as blood pressure control) that will improve survival of patients with kidney disease. I am especially interested in transitions of care, such as that between adolescence and young adulthood, as well as that between advanced chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease (including dialysis and transplant).

My specific areas of focus currently include 1) cardiovascular risk in patients with kidney disease; 2) disparities in access to kidney transplantation and transplant outcomes; and 3) risk factors for progression of chronic kidney disease.

I am currently Director of the Training in Clinical Research Program in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Education
2020 - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training, University of California
MAS, 06/2015 - Clinical and Epidemiologic Research, University of California
06/2015 - Nephrology and Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship, University of California
06/2011 - Medicine and Pediatrics Residency, LAC-USC Medical Center
MD, 06/2007 - Medicine, University of California
BA/BS, 06/2003 - English/Biology, University of California
Honors and Awards
  • Election to American Society of Clinical Investigation, 2024
  • Inquiry Mentor Award for Outstanding Mentorship, UCSF School of Medicine, 2019
  • National Kidney Foundation, Young Investigator Award/Satellite Clinical Investigator, 2016-2018
  • American Kidney Fund, Clinical Scientist in Nephrology Award, 2013-2014
Websites
Publications

  1. Bicki AC, Grimes B, McCulloch CE, Copeland TP, Ku E. Dialysis Facility Staffing Ratios and Kidney Transplant Access Among Adolescents and Young Adults. JAMA 2024. PMID: 39441575


  2. Ku E, Copeland TP, McCulloch CE, Seth D, Carlos CA, Cho K, Malkina A, Lo LJ, Hsu RK. Intensive Home Blood Pressure Lowering in Patients with Advanced CKD. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2024. PMID: 39427725


  3. Huang JX, Casper TC, Pitts C, Myers SR, Lynch R, Loomba L, Ramesh J, Kuppermann N, Ku E, Glaser N. Characterizing the relationship between social determinants of health and risk of albuminuria among children with type 1 diabetes. Journal of diabetes and its complications 2024. PMID: 39423463


  4. 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


  5. Jia Xin Huang, Timothy P. Copeland, Raymond K. Hsu, Charles E. McCulloch, Elaine Ku. Characterizing Risk Factors for the Need for Kidney Replacement Therapy in Children After Discontinuation of Maintenance Dialysis. Kidney international reports 2024. PMID:


  6. Zhang LY, Dinh A, Johansen KL, McCulloch CE, Grimes B, Ku E. Access to kidney transplantation from dialysis facilities affiliated with a transplant center versus free-standing dialysis facilities in the US. Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association 2024. PMID: 39215438


  7. Ku E, Copeland T, McCulloch CE, Abebe KZ, Chonchol M, Perrone RD, Rahbari-Oskoui FF, Yu ASL, Steinman T, Chapman A, Sarnak MJ. Effect of Dual RAAS Blockade and Intensive BP Lowering on Risk of End-Stage Kidney Disease and Death in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: Long-Term Follow-Up of the HALT-PKD Trials. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2024. PMID: 39154887


  8. Ku E, Jamerson K, Copeland TP, McCulloch CE, Tighiouart H, Sarnak MJ. Acute Declines in Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate in Patients Treated With Benazepril and Hydrochlorothiazide Versus Amlodipine and Risk of Cardiovascular Outcomes. Journal of the American Heart Association 2024. PMID: 39056339


  9. Ku E, Inker LA, Tighiouart H, McCulloch CE, Adingwupu OM, Greene T, Estacio RO, Woodward M, de Zeeuw D, Lewis JB, Hannedouche T, Jafar TH, Imai E, Remuzzi G, Heerspink HJL, Hou FF, Toto RD, Li PK, Sarnak MJ. Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors or Angiotensin-Receptor Blockers for Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease : A Systematic Review and Retrospective Individual Participant-Level Meta-analysis of Clinical Trials. Annals of internal medicine 2024. PMID: 38950402


  10. Ku E, Tighiouart H, McCulloch CE, Inker LA, Adingwupu O, Greene T, Estacio RO, Woodward M, de Zeeuw D, Lewis JB, Hannedouche T, Hou FF, Jafar TH, Ima E, Remuzzi G, Heerspink HJL, Toto RD, Sarnak MJ. Association between Acute Declines in Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate during Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibition and Risk of Adverse Outcomes. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2024. PMID: 38889197


  11. Huang JX, Copeland TP, Pitts CE, Myers SR, Kilberg MJ, Ku E, Glaser N. Transient albuminuria in the setting of short-term severe hyperglycemia in type 1 diabetes. Journal of diabetes and its complications 2024. PMID: 38703638


  12. Johansen KL, Gilbertson DT, Li S, Li S, Liu J, Roetker NS, Ku E, Schulman IH, Greer RC, Chan K, Abbott KC, Butler CR, O'Hare AM, Powe NR, Reddy YNV, Snyder J, St Peter W, Taylor JS, Weinhandl ED, Wetmore JB. US Renal Data System 2023 Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of Kidney Disease in the United States. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2024. PMID: 38519262


  13. Bicki AC, Seth D, McCulloch CE, Lin F, Ku E. Use of activity trackers to improve blood pressure in young people at risk for cardiovascular disease: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) 2024. PMID: 38503990


  14. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Copeland TP, Johansen KL. Authors' Reply: Prioritizing Skills for Optimal Peritoneal Dialysis Care: A Focus Beyond Specialty. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2024. PMID: 38427450


  15. Ku E, Sarnak M. Post-Trial Follow-Up of Kidney Outcomes in SPRINT: Some Reassurance, Some Unanswered Questions. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 2024. PMID: 38170478


  16. Nunez M, Gardner J, Syed S, Webber A, Shoji J, Copeland TP, McCulloch CE, Ku E, Roll GR. Diabetes Insipidus in Deceased Donors and Outcomes in Kidney Transplant Recipients. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2023. PMID: 38160701


  17. Jia Xin Huang, T. Charles Casper, Casey Pitts, Sage Myers, Rebecca Lynch, Lindsey Loomba-Albrecht, Nathan Kuppermann, Elaine Ku, Nicole Glaser. 708: SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH EFFECTS ON RISK OF MICROALBUMINURIA AMONG CHILDREN WITH T1D. Critical care medicine 2023. PMID:


  18. Ku E, Copeland T, Chen L, Weir MR, McCulloch CE, Johansen KL, Goussous N, Savant JD, Lopez I, Amaral S. Strategies to Guide Preemptive Waitlisting and Equity in Wait Time Accrual by Race/Ethnicity. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 2023. PMID: 37930674


  19. Alexandra Bicki, Charles E. Mcculloch, Barbara A. Grimes, Elaine Ku. Higher Dialysis Facility Patient-to-Nurse Staffing Ratio Is Associated with Lower Hazard of Kidney Transplantation Among Adolescents and Young Adults. Complement Activation 2023. PMID:


  20. Elaine Ku, Lesley A. Inker, Hocine Tighiouart, Charles E. Mcculloch, Ogechi M. Adingwupu, Tom Greene, Mark J. Sarnak. Initiation of ACE Inhibitor and ARBs in Patients with Advanced CKD. Complement Activation 2023. PMID:


  21. Gabriela Accetta Rojas, Charles E. Mcculloch, Adrian Whelan, Timothy P. Copeland, Alexandra Bicki, Sophia Giang, Barbara A. Grimes, Elaine Ku. Pediatric Nephrology Workforce in the United States and Access to Waitlist Registration in Children with ESKD. Complement Activation 2023. PMID:


  22. Shan J, Ye M, Ku E, McCulloch CE, Langan SM, Abuabara K. Fasting blood glucose and insulin are not associated with atopic dermatitis in a pediatric population: A longitudinal cohort study from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. JAAD international 2023. PMID: 38371671


  23. Ku E, Copeland T, McCulloch CE, Freise C, Legaspi S, Weinhandl E, Woo K, Johansen KL. Peritoneal dialysis catheter complications after insertion by surgeons, radiologists, or nephrologists. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2023. PMID: 37846202


  24. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Bicki A, Lin F, Lopez I, Furth SL, Warady BA, Grimes BA, Amaral S. Association Between Dialysis Facility Ownership and Mortality Risk in Children With Kidney Failure. JAMA pediatrics 2023. PMID: 37669042


  25. 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


  26. Emanuels D, Copeland T, Johansen KL, Brar S, McCulloch CE, Kadatz M, Gill JS, Ku E. Association Between Transplant Center Continuity and Access to a Second Kidney Transplant in Patients With Allograft Failure. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2023. PMID: 37657638


  27. Zhang L, Amaral S, McCulloch CE, Grimes B, Ku E. Risk of death among dialysis patients treated at hospital-affiliated versus free-standing facilities in the US. Kidney360 2023. PMID: 37357354


  28. Dhiraj Nallapothula, Elaine Ku. What's the Weather Like Today? Forecasting a Chance of Shower, Snow, and… Missing Dialysis. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 2023. PMID:


  29. Nallapothula D, Ku E. What's the Weather Like Today? Forecasting a Chance of Shower, Snow, and… Missing Dialysis. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 2023. PMID: 39074303


  30. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Copeland TP, Inker LA, Tighiouart H, Sarnak MJ. Acute Declines in Estimated GFR in Blood Pressure Target Trials and Risk of Adverse Outcomes. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2023. PMID: 37269972


  31. Ku E, Del Vecchio L, Eckardt KU, Haase VH, Johansen KL, Nangaku M, Tangri N, Waikar SS, Wiecek A, Cheung M, Jadoul M, Winkelmayer WC, Wheeler DC, for Conference Participants. Novel Anemia Therapies in Chronic Kidney Disease: Conclusions from a Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Controversies Conference. Kidney international 2023. PMID: 37236424


  32. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Sarnak MJ. Authors' Reply: A Specific Target BP in Chronic Kidney Disease Remains Unclear. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2023. PMID: 37259198


  33. Lopez R, Copeland T, McCulloch C, Ku E. Additive effects of intensive BP control and ACE inhibition on suppression of proteinuria in patients with CKD. Journal of human hypertension 2023. PMID: 36966224


  34. Johansen KL, Chertow GM, Gilbertson DT, Ishani A, Israni A, Ku E, Li S, Li S, Liu J, Obrador GT, Schulman I, Chan K, Abbott KC, O'Hare AM, Powe NR, Roetker NS, Scherer JS, St Peter W, Snyder J, Winkelmayer WC, Wong SPY, Wetmore JB. US Renal Data System 2022 Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of Kidney Disease in the United States. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2023. PMID: 36822739


  35. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Inker LA, Tighiouart H, Schaefer F, W?hl E, Ruggenenti P, Remuzzi G, Grimes BA, Sarnak MJ. Intensive BP Control in Patients with CKD and Risk for Adverse Outcomes. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2023. PMID: 36735510


  36. Wei J, Showen A, Bicki A, Lin F, McCulloch CE, Ku E, Hampson LA. Kidney transplant access for children and young adults with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. International urology and nephrology 2023. PMID: 36626082


  37. Divya Seth, Alexandra Bicki, Sanober Sadiq, Elaine Ku. Improving Blood Pressure Control in Young Patients at Elevated Cardiovascular Risk: A Pilot Study. Complement Activation 2022. PMID:


  38. Sarah Chen, Barbara A. Grimes, Charles E. Mcculloch, Flavio Vincenti, Elaine Ku. Prevalence and Predictors of Suboptimal Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI) and Estimated Post-Transplant Survival (EPTS) Mismatches in Kidney Transplant Recipients. Complement Activation 2022. PMID:


  39. Lucy Zhang, Sandra Amaral, Charles E. Mcculloch, Barbara A. Grimes, Elaine Ku. Risk of Death in Hospital-Based vs. Free-Standing Dialysis Facilities in the United States. Complement Activation 2022. PMID:


  40. Davidson F. Emanuels, Timothy P. Copeland, Kirsten L. Johansen, Charles E. Mcculloch, Elaine Ku. Variations in Access to Repeat Transplantation by Transplant Center Continuity. Complement Activation 2022. PMID:


  41. Ku E, Amaral S, McCulloch CE, Adey DB, Li L, Johansen KL. Comparison of 2021 CKD-EPI Equations for Estimating Racial Differences in Preemptive Waitlisting for Kidney Transplantation. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 2022. PMID: 36122938


  42. Elaine Ku, Jérôme Harambat. Epidemiology and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease in Children. 2022. PMID:


  43. Ku E, Hsu RK, McCulloch CE, Lo L, Copeland T, Siyahian S, Grimes B, Johansen KL. Incidence and Risk Factors for Dialysis Reinitiation among Patients with a History of Dialysis Dependency. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 2022. PMID: 35953103


  44. Amaral S, McCulloch CE, Lin F, Grimes BA, Furth S, Warady B, Brunson C, Siyahian S, Ku E. Association Between Dialysis Facility Ownership and Access to the Waiting List and Transplant in Pediatric Patients With End-stage Kidney Disease in the US. JAMA 2022. PMID: 35916847


  45. 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


  46. Bae SR, Bicki A, Coufal S, Jin E, Ku E. Cardiovascular disease risk factors and lifestyle modification strategies after pediatric kidney transplantation: what are we dealing with, and what can we target? 2022. PMID: 35552523


  47. Johansen KL, Chertow GM, Gilbertson DT, Herzog CA, Ishani A, Israni AK, Ku E, Li S, Li S, Liu J, Obrador GT, O'Hare AM, Peng Y, Powe NR, Roetker NS, St Peter WL, Saeed F, Snyder J, Solid C, Weinhandl ED, Winkelmayer WC, Wetmore JB. US Renal Data System 2021 Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of Kidney Disease in the United States. 2022. PMID: 35331382


  48. 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


  49. Berry K, Copeland T, Ku E, Lai JC. Perioperative Delta Sodium and Post-Liver Transplant Neurological Complications in Liver Transplant Recipients. 2022. PMID: 35289775


  50. Fallahzadeh MK, Ku E, Chu CD, McCulloch CE, Tuot DS. Racial Differences in Medication Utilization for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Post Hoc Analysis of the FAVORIT Trial Cohort. 2022. PMID: 35360084


  51. Drawz PE, Beddhu S, Bignall ONR, Cohen JB, Flynn JT, Ku E, Rahman M, Thomas G, Weir MR, Whelton PK. KDOQI US Commentary on the 2021 KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Blood Pressure in CKD. 2022. PMID: 35063302


  52. Braun HJ, Mello A, Kothari R, Ku E, Yilma M, Tavakol M, Zhang L, Niemann CU, Ascher NL, Adelmann D. Expedited Evaluation for Liver Transplantation: A Critical Look at Processes and Outcomes. 2021. PMID: 34791697


  53. Bruce MA, Thorpe RJ, Kermah D, Shen J, Nicholas SB, Beech BM, Tuot DS, Ku E, Waterman AD, Duru K, Brown A, Norris KC. Religious Service Attendance and Mortality among Adults in the United States with Chronic Kidney Disease. 2021. PMID: 34948788


  54. Ge J, Ku E, Roll GR, Lai JC. An Analysis of Free-Text Refusals as an Indicator of Readiness to Accept Organ Offers in Liver Transplantation. 2021. PMID: 34783178


  55. Anoop Sheshadri, Elaine Ku, Deborah B. Adey, Jennifer C. Lai, Kirsten L. Johansen. Association of Physical Performance with Death or Delisting in Patients Waitlisted for Kidney Transplantation. Complement Activation 2021. PMID:


  56. Alex Dinh, Timothy P. Copeland, Charles E. Mcculloch, Deborah B. Adey, Elaine Ku. Peripheral Arterial Disease and Risk of Infection-Related Complications After Kidney Transplantation. Complement Activation 2021. PMID:


  57. Elaine Ku, Jérôme Harambat. Epidemiology and management of Chronic Kidney Disease in Children. 2021. PMID:


  58. Hillary J. Braun, Iris H. Liu, Dominic Amara, Peter Stock, Libo Li, Elaine Ku, Jade Hiramoto. Lower Extremity Vascular Intervention Is Associated With Increased Mortality Following Kidney Transplantation. Journal of vascular surgery 2021. PMID:


  59. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Roll GR, Posselt A, Grimes BA, Johansen KL. Bariatric surgery prior to transplantation and risk of early hospital re-admission, graft failure, or death following kidney transplantation. American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons 2021. PMID: 34331744


  60. Dinh A, Copeland T, Freedman BI, McCulloch CE, Ku E. Intensive Blood Pressure Control, APOL1 Genotype, and Kidney Outcomes in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Post Hoc Analysis of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes-Blood Pressure (ACCORD-BP) Trial. 2021. PMID: 34693269


  61. Alex Dinh, Timothy Copeland, Barry I. Freedman, Charles E. McCulloch, Elaine Ku. Intensive Blood Pressure Control, APOL1 Genotype, and Kidney Outcomes in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Post Hoc Analysis of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes-Blood Pressure (ACCORD-BP) Trial. Kidney Medicine 2021. PMID:


  62. Black E, Lee J, Flynn JT, McCulloch CE, Samuels JA, Seth D, Warady B, Furth S, Mitsnefes M, Ku E. Discordances between pediatric and adult thresholds in the diagnosis of hypertension in adolescents with CKD. Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) 2021. PMID: 34170411


  63. Se Ri Bae, Charles E McCulloch, Raymond K Hsu, Elaine Ku. Intensive Home Blood Pressure Lowering in Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol. Open Access Journal of Clinical Trials 2021. PMID:


  64. Johansen KL, Chertow GM, Foley RN, Gilbertson DT, Herzog CA, Ishani A, Israni AK, Ku E, Kurella Tamura M, Li S, Li S, Liu J, Obrador GT, O'Hare AM, Peng Y, Powe NR, Roetker NS, St Peter WL, Abbott KC, Chan KE, Schulman IH, Snyder J, Solid C, Weinhandl ED, Winkelmayer WC, Wetmore JB. US Renal Data System 2020 Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of Kidney Disease in the United States. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2021. PMID: 33752804


  65. 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


  66. Sophie McAllister, Jennifer C. Lai, Timothy P. Copeland, Kirsten L. Johansen, Charles E. McCulloch, Yuenting D. Kwong, Divya Seth, Barbara Grimes, Elaine Ku. Renal Recovery and Mortality Risk Among Patients with Hepatorenal Syndrome Receiving Chronic Maintenance Dialysis. Kidney360 2021. PMID:


  67. McAllister S, Lai JC, Copeland TP, Johansen KL, McCulloch CE, Kwong YD, Seth D, Grimes B, Ku E. Renal Recovery and Mortality Risk among Patients with Hepatorenal Syndrome Receiving Chronic Maintenance Dialysis. 2021. PMID: 35373067


  68. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Adey DB, Li L, Johansen KL. Racial Disparities in Eligibility for Preemptive Waitlisting for Kidney Transplantation and Modification of eGFR Thresholds to Equalize Waitlist Time. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2021. PMID: 33622978


  69. Ku E, Hsu RK, Johansen KL, McCulloch CE, Mitsnefes M, Grimes BA, Liu KD. Recovery of kidney function after dialysis initiation in children and adults in the US: A retrospective study of United States Renal Data System data. PLoS medicine 2021. PMID: 33606673


  70. McCallum W, Sarnak MJ, Lin F, Ku E. Acute eGFR declines after intensive BP lowering with RAS blockade and risk of kidney failure. Journal of human hypertension 2021. PMID: 33542450


  71. Tang Q, Kang SM. Interpretation of transplant biopsies and immune responses following Treg cell therapy. Current opinion in organ transplantation 2014. PMID: 33500250


  72. Dinh A, McCulloch CE, Ku E. Predicting long-term kidney allograft outcomes: pitfalls and progress. Kidney international 2021. PMID: 33390230


  73. Roberts MJ, Johansen KL, Copeland TP, McCulloch CE, Coufal S, Ku E. Factors Associated with Dialysis Discontinuation Outside of the Acute Care Setting. 2020. PMID: 35373030


  74. 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


  75. Chu CD, Ku E, Fallahzadeh MK, McCulloch CE, Tuot DS. The Kidney Failure Risk Equation for Prediction of Allograft Loss in Kidney Transplant Recipients. Kidney Medicine 2020. PMID: 33319199


  76. Alex Dinh, Timothy P. Copeland, Joachim H. Ix, Barry I. Freedman, Charles E. McCulloch, Elaine Ku. Intensive BP Control Associates with Better Kidney Outcomes in Individuals with APOL1 High-Risk Genotypes. Complement Activation 2020. PMID:


  77. Yuenting D. Kwong, Kirsten L. Johansen, Charles E. McCulloch, Kathleen D. Liu, Barbara A. Grimes, Elaine Ku. Regional Variation in Recovery of Kidney Function in Patients Requiring Maintenance Hemodialysis with Acute Tubular Necrosis. Complement Activation 2020. PMID:


  78. 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


  79. Schneider MF, Muñoz A, Ku E, Warady BA, Furth SL, Schwartz GJ. Estimation of Albumin-Creatinine Ratio From Protein-Creatinine Ratio in Urine of Children and Adolescents With CKD. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2020. PMID: 32898620


  80. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Ahearn P, Grimes BA, Mitsnefes MM. Trends in Cardiovascular Mortality Among a Cohort of Children and Young Adults Starting Dialysis in 1995 to 2015. JAMA network open 2020. PMID: 32902652


  81. Parikh RV, Tan TC, Salyer AS, Auron A, Kim PS, Ku E, Go AS. Community-Based Epidemiology of Hospitalized Acute Kidney Injury. Pediatrics 2020. PMID: 32784225


  82. Chen DC, McCallum W, Sarnak MJ, Ku E. Intensive BP Control and eGFR Declines: Are These Events Due to Hemodynamic Effects and Are Changes Reversible? Current cardiology reports 2020. PMID: 32772196


  83. Kwong YD, Liu KD, Hsu RK, Johansen KL, McCulloch CE, Seth D, Fallahzadeh MK, Grimes BA, Ku E. Recovery of Kidney Function Among Patients With Glomerular Disease Starting Maintenance Dialysis. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2020. PMID: 32771649


  84. Ku E, Lee BK, McCulloch CE, Roll GR, Grimes B, Adey D, Johansen KL. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Kidney Transplant Access within a Theoretical Context of Medical Eligibility. Transplantation 2019. PMID: 31568216


  85. Wang CS, Ku E. eHealth in kidney care. Nature reviews. Nephrology 2020. PMID: 32238923


  86. Amaral S, McCulloch CE, Black E, Winnicki E, Lee B, Roll GR, Grimes B, Ku E. Trends in Living Donation by Race and Ethnicity Among Children With End-stage Renal Disease in the United States, 1995-2015. Transplantation direct 2020. PMID: 32766425


  87. Dinh A, Ku E. Pre-transplant dialysis exposure and outcomes after kidney transplantation - where quantity and quality intersect? American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons 2020. PMID: 32406189


  88. Weir MR, Chen DC, Ku E. Should Renin-Angiotensin System Blockade Be Avoided in Patients With Declining Kidney Function? American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2020. PMID: 32407751


  89. Zhang X, Rule AD, McCulloch CE, Lieske JC, Ku E, Hsu CY. Tubular secretion of creatinine and kidney function: an observational study. BMC nephrology 2020. PMID: 32228497


  90. Lee J, McCulloch CE, Flynn JT, Samuels J, Warady BA, Furth SL, Seth D, Grimes BA, Mitsnefes MM, Ku E. Prognostic Value of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Load in Pediatric CKD. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 2020. PMID: 32160993


  91. Wei J, Johansen KL, McCulloch CE, Lipkowitz M, Weir M, Lin F, Campese VM, Smogorzewski M, Ku E. Association Between APOL1 Genotype and Need for Kidney Replacement Therapy in Patients Without Diabetes: Does Age Matter? American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2019. PMID: 31837887


  92. Ku E, Yang W, McCulloch CE, Feldman HI, Go AS, Lash J, Bansal N, He J, Horwitz E, Ricardo AC, Shafi T, Sondheimer J, Townsend RR, Waikar SS, Hsu CY. Race and Mortality in CKD and Dialysis: Findings From the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2019. PMID: 31732235


  93. Winnicki E, McCulloch CE, Ku E. Authors' Reply. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2019. PMID: 31649098


  94. 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


  95. Ku E, Sarnak MJ, Toto R, McCulloch CE, Lin F, Smogorzewski M, Hsu CY. Effect of Blood Pressure Control on Long-Term Risk of End-Stage Renal Disease and Death Among Subgroups of Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease. Journal of the American Heart Association 2019. PMID: 31411082


  96. Winnicki E, Johansen KL, Cabana MD, Warady BA, McCulloch CE, Grimes B, Ku E. Higher eGFR at Dialysis Initiation Is Not Associated with a Survival Benefit in Children. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2019. PMID: 31320460


  97. McCallum W, Tighiouart H, Ku E, Salem D, Sarnak MJ. Trends in Kidney Function Outcomes Following RAAS Inhibition in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2019. PMID: 31303349


  98. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Johansen KL. Starting Renal Replacement Therapy: Is It About Time? American journal of nephrology 2019. PMID: 31269487


  99. Ku E, Mitsnefes MM. Cardiovascular disease in young adults with incident ESRD. Nature reviews. Nephrology 2019. PMID: 31043718


  100. McCallum W, Ku E, Sarnak MJ. More Evidence to Suggest a Relation of Blood Pressure to Long-term Progression of Kidney Disease: Is It Causal? American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2019. PMID: 31257049


  101. McCallum W, Tighiouart H, Ku E, Salem D, Sarnak MJ. Acute declines in estimated glomerular filtration rate on enalapril and mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Kidney international 2019. PMID: 31420191


  102. Ku E, Hsu RK, Tuot DS, Bae SR, Lipkowitz MS, Smogorzewski MJ, Grimes BA, Weir MR. Magnitude of the Difference Between Clinic and Ambulatory Blood Pressures and Risk of Adverse Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease. Journal of the American Heart Association 2019. PMID: 31014164


  103. Roberts MJ, Mitsnefes MM, McCulloch CE, Greenbaum LA, Grimes BA, Ku E. Association between BMI changes and mortality risk in children with end-stage renal disease. Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) 2019. PMID: 30963283


  104. Ku E, Lee BJ, Wei J, Weir MR. Hypertension in CKD: Core Curriculum 2019. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2019. PMID: 30898362


  105. Elaine Ku,Jonas Kwok. Complications of Chronic Kidney Disease in Adolescents. 2019. PMID:


  106. Ahearn P, Johansen KL, McCulloch CE, Grimes BA, Ku E. Sex Disparities in Risk of Mortality Among Children With ESRD. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2018. PMID: 30318132


  107. Tuot DS, Lin F, Norris K, Gassman J, Smogorzewski M, Ku E. Depressive Symptoms Associate With Race and All-Cause Mortality in Patients With CKD. Kidney international reports 2018. PMID: 30775619


  108. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Vittinghoff E, Lin F, Johansen KL. Use of Antihypertensive Agents and Association With Risk of Adverse Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease: Focus on Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers. Journal of the American Heart Association 2018. PMID: 30371331


  109. Weir MR, Lakkis JI, Jaar B, Rocco MV, Choi MJ, Kramer HJ, Ku E. Use of Renin-Angiotensin System Blockade in Advanced CKD: An NKF-KDOQI Controversies Report. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2018. PMID: 30201547


  110. Ku E, Ix JH, Jamerson K, Tangri N, Lin F, Gassman J, Smogorzewski M, Sarnak MJ. Acute Declines in Renal Function during Intensive BP Lowering and Long-Term Risk of Death. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2018. PMID: 30006417


  111. Ku E, Johansen KL, McCulloch CE. Time-Centered Approach to Understanding Risk Factors for the Progression of CKD. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 2018. PMID: 29602779


  112. Ku E, Vittinghoff E, Jacobs DR, Lewis CE, Allen NB, Bibbins-Domingo K, Shlipak M, Kramer H, Peralta CA. Changes in Blood Pressure During Young Adulthood and Subsequent Kidney Function Decline: Findings From the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adulthood (CARDIA) Study. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2018. PMID: 29510922


  113. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Warady BA, Furth SL, Grimes BA, Mitsnefes MM. Twenty-Four-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure versus Clinic Blood Pressure Measurements and Risk of Adverse Outcomes in Children with CKD. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 2018. PMID: 29440119


  114. Winnicki E, McCulloch CE, Mitsnefes MM, Furth SL, Warady BA, Ku E. Use of the Kidney Failure Risk Equation to Determine the Risk of Progression to End-stage Renal Disease in Children With Chronic Kidney Disease. JAMA pediatrics 2018. PMID: 29255845


  115. Ku E, Kopple JD, Johansen KL, McCulloch CE, Go AS, Xie D, Lin F, Hamm LL, He J, Kusek JW, Navaneethan SD, Ricardo AC, Rincon-Choles H, Smogorzewski M, Hsu CY. Longitudinal Weight Change During CKD Progression and Its Association With Subsequent Mortality. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2017. PMID: 29217305


  116. Ku E, Kopple JD, McCulloch CE, Warady BA, Furth SL, Mak RH, Grimes BA, Mitsnefes M. Associations Between Weight Loss, Kidney Function Decline, and Risk of ESRD in the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) Cohort Study. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2017. PMID: 29132947


  117. Ku E, Scherzer R, Odden MC, Shlipak M, White CL, Field TS, Benavente O, Pergola PE, Peralta CA. Patterns of blood pressure response during intensive BP lowering and clinical events: results from the secondary prevention of small subcortical strokes trial. Blood pressure 2017. PMID: 28952798


  118. Ku E, Bakris G, Johansen KL, Lin F, Sarnak MJ, Campese VM, Jamerson K, Gassman JJ, Smogorzewski M, Hsu CY. Acute Declines in Renal Function during Intensive BP Lowering: Implications for Future ESRD Risk. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2017. PMID: 28473636


  119. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Grimes BA, Johansen KL. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Survival of Children with ESRD. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2016. PMID: 28034898


  120. Ku E, Lipkowitz MS, Appel LJ, Parsa A, Gassman J, Glidden DV, Smogorzewski M, Hsu CY. Strict blood pressure control associates with decreased mortality risk by APOL1 genotype. Kidney international 2016. PMID: 27927600


  121. Ku E, McCulloch CE, Mauer M, Gitelman SE, Grimes BA, Hsu CY. Association Between Blood Pressure and Adverse Renal Events in Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes care 2016. PMID: 27872156


  122. Ku E, Gassman J, Appel LJ, Smogorzewski M, Sarnak MJ, Glidden DV, Bakris G, Gutiérrez OM, Hebert LA, Ix JH, Lea J, Lipkowitz MS, Norris K, Ploth D, Pogue VA, Rostand SG, Siew ED, Sika M, Tisher CC, Toto R, Wright JT, Wyatt C, Hsu CY. BP Control and Long-Term Risk of ESRD and Mortality. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2016. PMID: 27516235


  123. Ku E, Fine RN, Hsu CY, McCulloch C, Glidden DV, Grimes B, Johansen KL. Height at First RRT and Mortality in Children. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 2016. PMID: 26933189


  124. Ku E, Xie D, Shlipak M, Hyre Anderson A, Chen J, Go AS, He J, Horwitz EJ, Rahman M, Ricardo AC, Sondheimer JH, Townsend RR, Hsu CY. Change in Measured GFR Versus eGFR and CKD Outcomes. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2015. PMID: 26604213


  125. Ku E, Glidden DV, Hsu CY, Portale AA, Grimes B, Johansen KL. Association of Body Mass Index with Patient-Centered Outcomes in Children with ESRD. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN 2015. PMID: 26054540


  126. Ku E, Johansen KL, Portale AA, Grimes B, Hsu CY. State level variations in nephrology workforce and timing and incidence of dialysis in the United States among children and adults: a retrospective cohort study. BMC nephrology 2015. PMID: 25589150


  127. Ku E, Glidden DV, Johansen KL, Sarnak M, Tighiouart H, Grimes B, Hsu CY. Association between strict blood pressure control during chronic kidney disease and lower mortality after onset of end-stage renal disease. Kidney international 2014. PMID: 25493952


  128. Ku E, Thomas M, Ho CH, Whipple NS, Abdul-Rahman O, Megason GC, Herrington BL, Carmody JB, Charlton JR. Index of suspicion. Case 1: fever, diarrhea, jaundice, and confusion in an 18-year-old male. Case 2: severe anemia in a 6-month-old girl. Case 3: red urine in a 4-month-old boy. Pediatrics in review 2014. PMID: 24585816


  129. Hsu RK, McCulloch CE, Ku E, Dudley RA, Hsu CY. Regional variation in the incidence of dialysis-requiring AKI in the United States. Volume 8 of Issue 9. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN 2013. PMID: 23929923


  130. Ku E, Campese V. Is lipid management effective for all stages of CKD?. Blood purification 2013. PMID: 23343543


  131. Ku E, Ananthapanyasut W, Campese VM. IgA nephropathy in a patient with ulcerative colitis, Graves' disease and positive myeloperoxidase ANCA. Clinical nephrology 2012. PMID: 22257545


  132. Campese VM, Ku E, Bigazzi R, Bianchi S. Do HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors improve kidney function? The saga continues. Journal of nephrology 2011. PMID: 21887675


  133. Elaine Ku, Tanzina Nasreen, Jeanie Park, Vito M. Campese. Metabolic and Dietary Influences on Sympathetic Nervous System Activity. 2011. PMID:


  134. Campese VM, Ku E, Park J. Sympathetic renal innervation and resistant hypertension. International journal of hypertension 2011. PMID: 21331158


  135. Lu Y, Ku E, Campese VM. Aldosterone in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease and proteinuria. Current hypertension reports 2010. PMID: 20596805


  136. Elaine Ku, B. Jason Brotherton, Christopher Parrish, Stephanie K. Zia, Susan McKenna. Visual Diagnosis. 2010. PMID:


  137. Ku E, Brotherton BJ, Parrish C, Zia SK, McKenna S. Visual diagnosis: vaginal mass in a 16-month-old child. Pediatrics in review 2010. PMID: 20679100


  138. Ku E, Campese VM. Aldosterone and hypertension in African Americans. American journal of hypertension 2009. PMID: 19924116


  139. Elaine Ku, Jeanie Park, Jay Vidhun, Vito Campese. The Case for Dual Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibition—Reply. JAMA internal medicine 2009. PMID:


  140. Ku E, Cheung EL, Khan A, Yu AS. Anion and osmolal gaps after alcohol intoxication. American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 2009. PMID: 19560850


  141. Ku E, Park J, Vidhun J, Campese V. The hazards of dual renin-angiotensin blockade in chronic kidney disease. Archives of internal medicine 2009. PMID: 19506167


  142. Ku E, Nobakht N, Campese VM. Lixivaptan: a novel vasopressin receptor antagonist. Expert opinion on investigational drugs 2009. PMID: 19379124


  143. Ku E, Campese VM. Role of aldosterone in the progression of chronic kidney disease and potential use of aldosterone blockade in children. Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) 2009. PMID: 19347366