Nathan W. Levin is an American physician and founder of the Renal Research Institute, LLC., a research institute dedicated to improving the outcomes of patients with

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an Inflammation, inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Infla ...

, particularly those requiring

dialysis Dialysis may refer to: * Dialysis (chemistry), a process of separating molecules in solution **Electrodialysis, used to transport salt ions from one solution to another through an ion-exchange membrane under the influence of an applied electric po ...

. Levin is one of the most prominent and renowned figures in clinical

nephrology Nephrology is a specialty for both adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (renal physiology) and kidney disease (renal pathophysiology), the preservation of kid ...

as well as

research. He has authored multiple book chapters and over 350 peer-reviewed publications, including articles in leading journals such as ''

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

'', the ''

New England Journal of Medicine ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' (''NEJM'') is a weekly medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. Founded in 1812, the journal is among the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals. Its 2023 impact factor was ...

'', and ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and also one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes ...

''.

Education and career

Levin received his medical degree from the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. After his graduation he was a post-doctoral fellow at the College of Physicians of South Africa and later became a diplomate of the

American Board of Internal Medicine The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, self-appointed physician-evaluation organization that certifies physicians practicing internal medicine and its subspecialties. The American Board of Internal Medicine is no ...

and a fellow of the

American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a Philadelphia-based national organization of internal medicine physicians, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of adults. With 161,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty or ...

. In 1974, upon training at the General Hospital in

and the Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, he received his subspecialty diploma from the Board of

Nephrology Nephrology is a specialty for both adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (renal physiology) and kidney disease (renal pathophysiology), the preservation of kid ...

. During his medical career he held professorial appointments at the

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Medical School in Chicago, the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in Ann Arbor, the

Mount Sinai School of Medicine The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City, New York, United States. The school is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sina ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and the

Albert Einstein College of Medicine The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a Private university, private medical school in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein is an independent degree-granting institution within the Montefiore Einstein Health System. Einstein hosts Doc ...

. In 2005, Levin was appointed medical director of the Survey & Certification Group for the

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer ...

(CMS). His hospital appointments include Chief of the Renal Section at the V.A. Hospital in Chicago, Head of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at

Henry Ford Hospital Henry Ford Hospital (HFH) is an 877-bed tertiary care hospital, education and research complex at the western edge of the New Center, Detroit, New Center area in Detroit, Michigan. The flagship facility for the Henry Ford Health System, it wa ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, and Chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at

Beth Israel Medical Center Mount Sinai Beth Israel was a 799-bed teaching hospital in Manhattan. It was part of the Mount Sinai Health System, a nonprofit health system formed in September 2013 by the merger of Continuum Health Partners and Mount Sinai Medical Center, and ...

in New York City. He has held prominent positions in many professional societies, including President of the Michigan End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network, President of the Renal Physicians Association (RPA), and President of the RPA Research and Education Foundation. He was co-chairman of the AAMI Hemodialysis Reuse Committee and the

National Kidney Foundation The National Kidney Foundation, Inc. (NKF) is a voluntary nonprofit health organization in the United States, headquartered in New York City. Its mission is to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of indiv ...

–Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF–KDOQI), member of the Clinical Practice Committee of the

American Society of Nephrology Founded in 1966, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) is the world's largest professional society devoted to the study of kidney disease. Composed of over 20,000 physicians and scientists, ASN promotes expert patient care, advances medical r ...

, member of the

International Society of Nephrology The International Society of Nephrology (ISN) is an organization concerned with kidney health, founded in 1960. In 1992 the society formed a task force to provide emergency kidney dialysis services in areas struck by disasters (usually earthquak ...

’s Membership Committee, member of the Council for the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism ( ISRNM), and member of the

American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a United States-based nonprofit that seeks to educate the public about diabetes and to help those affected by it through funding research to manage, cure and prevent diabetes, including type 1 diabetes ...

. Levin was recently awarded the Belding Scribner Trailblazer Award, the Distinguished Nephrology Service Award of the RPA, the AAKP Medal of Excellence, the Fresenius Lifetime Achievement Award, the AAMI Recognition Award, the Garabed Eknoyan Award of the National Kidney Foundation and the Recognition Award for his role as Co-Chairman of the DOQI Advisory Council. Among Levin's most prominent scientific projects are his role as one of the principal investigators of the HEMO study and his role as investigator in the CHOICE Study. The HEMO study was a randomized, controlled, multicenter

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

which studied the effects of the dose of dialysis and the level of flux of the dialyzer membrane on mortality and morbidity among 1846 patients undergoing maintenance

hemodialysis Hemodialysis, American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, also spelled haemodialysis, or simply ''"'dialysis'"'', is a process of filtering the blood of a person whose kidneys are not working normally. This type of Kidney dialys ...

. The CHOICE (Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for ESRD) Study investigated the relationships between

modality (

peritoneal dialysis Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a type of kidney dialysis, dialysis that uses the peritoneum in a person's abdomen as the membrane through which fluid and dissolved substances are exchanged with the blood. It is used to remove excess fluid, correct e ...

versus

) and patient survival. Furthermore, Levin is one of the principal investigators of the Frequent Hemodialysis Network (FHN) Study which investigates the effects of daily (six-times weekly) in-center

versus conventional three-times weekly

with respect to

morbidity A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that are asso ...

, mortality and

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

. In 1997 Levin co-founded with Linda L. Donald the Renal Research Institute in

, NY, US. This institute is a joint venture between

Fresenius Medical Care Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA is an American-German healthcare company which provides kidney dialysis services through a network of 4,171 outpatient dialysis centers, serving 345,425 patients. The company primarily treats end-stage renal ...

North America and

. It is an administratively distinct institution and a collaborative effort among a selected group of

facilities with strong ties to academic research institutions. Renal Research Institute trains

Research Fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a p ...

s from countries all around the world in kidney disease-related

clinical research Clinical research is a branch of medical research that involves people and aims to determine the effectiveness (efficacy) and safety of medications, devices, diagnostic products, and treatment regimens intended for improving human health. The ...

. In 2015, Levin, together with Linda L. Donald, founded Easy Water for Everyone

a USA NGO which utilizes a unique device, based on repurposed hemodialyzers, to remove pathogens of all types, including small viruses from fecally polluted water in Ghana, Uganda and Senegal. Over several years, this effort has progressed to the installation of 35 sites. The technology utilizes polysulfone hemodialyzers with a pore size excluding all pathogens. The prime result of the project has been a very large reduction in the incidence of diarrhea (approximately 70%) in children from weaning to the age of 5. Over 20,000 people now have access of pure water for drinking and for

hand washing Hand washing (or handwashing), also known as hand hygiene, is the act of cleaning one's hands with soap, soap or handwash and water to remove viruses, bacteria, microorganisms, dirt, grease, and other harmful or unwanted substances stuck to th ...

. In 2015 Levin began to work as a consultant with responsibility for quality and research in a new organization called Dialyze Directbr>
which has as its purpose the provision of dialysis in nursing homes throughout the United States.

Honors and awards

* 2013 Honorary Professor, Zhenghou University, Henan Province, China * 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award in Hemodialysis Annual Dialysis Conference * 2012 Belding H. Scribner Award * 2012 Joel D. Kopple Award * 2011 Fulbright Senior Specialist, The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) * 2010 Honorary Chair * 2009 Belding Scribner Trailblazer Award * 2009 Renal Physicians Associates Distinguished Nephrology Service Award * 2008 AAKP Medal of Excellence * 2007 Fresenius Lifetime Achievement Award * 2007 AAMI Recognition Award * 2005 NKF Garabed Eknoyan Award * 2003 Doctor honoris causa, Poland * 1997 Recognition Award, Co-Chairman, DOQI Advisory Council AMGEN salutes the invaluable contribution and leadership towards the Development of the NKF-DOQI Clinical Practice Guidelines * 1992 NIH Award for HEMO and CHOICE studies * 1980 American of Physicians Fellowship

Recent publications

# Sengstock D, Sands RL, Gillespie BW, Zhang X, Kiser M, Eisele G, Vaitkevicius P, Kuhlmann M, Levin NW, Hinderliter A, Rajagopalan S, Saran R: Dominance of traditional cardiovascular risk factors over renal function in predicting arterial stiffness in subjects with chronic kidney disease. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2010 Mar;25(3):853-61 # Kaysen GA, Kotanko P, Zhu F, Sarkar SR, Heymsfield SB, Kuhlmann MK, Dwyer T, Usvyat L, Havel P, Levin NW: Relationship between adiposity and cardiovascular risk factors in prevalent hemodialysis patients. J Ren Nutr. 2009 Sep;19(5):357-64. # Derose SF, Rutkowski MP, Levin NW, Liu IL, Shi JM, Jacobsen SJ, Crooks PW: Incidence of end-stage renal disease and death among insured African Americans with chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int. 2009 Sep;76(6):629-37 # Thijssen S1, Zhu F, Kotanko P, Levin NW: Comment on "higher serum creatinine concentrations in black patients with chronic kidney disease: beyond nutritional status and body composition". Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009 May;4(5):1011-3. # Carter M1, Zhu F, Kotanko P, Kuhlmann M, Ramirez L, Heymsfield SB, Handelman G, Levin NW: Assessment of body composition in dialysis patients by arm bioimpedance compared to MRI and 40K measurements. Blood Purif. 2009;27(4):330-7. # Wystrychowski G, Kitzler TM, Thijssen S, Usvyat L, Kotanko P, Levin NW: Impact of switch of vascular access type on key clinical and laboratory parameters in chronic haemodialysis patients. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2009;24:2194-2200. # van der Sande FM, Wystrychowski G, Kooman JP, Rosales L, Raimann J, Kotanko P, Carter M, Chan CT, Leunissen KM, Levin NW: Control of core temperature and blood pressure stability during hemodialysis. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2009;4:93-98. # Thijssen S, Zhu F, Kotanko P, Levin NW: Comment on "higher serum creatinine concentrations in black patients with chronic kidney disease: beyond nutritional status and body composition". Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2009;4:1011-1013. # Tentori F, Albert JM, Young EW, Blayney MJ, Robinson BM, Pisoni RL, Akiba T, Greenwood RN, Kimata N, Levin NW, Piera LM, Saran R, Wolfe RA, Port FK: The survival advantage for haemodialysis patients taking vitamin D is questioned: findings from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2009;24:963-972. # Sengstock D, Sands RL, Gillespie BW, Zhang X, Kiser M, Eisele G, Vaitkevicius P, Kuhlmann M, Levin NW, Hinderliter A, Rajagopalan S, Saran R: Dominance of traditional cardiovascular risk factors over renal function in predicting arterial stiffness in subjects with chronic kidney disease. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2009. # Levin NW, Kotanko P, Ronco C: RRI's 11th International Conference on Dialysis, Advances in CKD 2009, emphasizes new developments in both technology and process. Blood Purif 2009;27:5. # Kshirsagar AV, Craig RG, Moss KL, Beck JD, Offenbacher S, Kotanko P, Klemmer PJ, Yoshino M, Levin NW, Yip JK, Almas K, Lupovici EM, Usvyat LA, Falk RJ: Periodontal disease adversely affects the survival of patients with end-stage renal disease. Kidney Int 2009;75:746-751. # Kotanko P, Thijssen S, Usvyat L, Tashman A, Kruse A, Huber C, Levin NW: Temporal evolution of clinical parameters before death in dialysis patients: a new concept. Blood Purif 2009;27:38-47. # Kaysen GA, Kotanko P, Zhu F, Sarkar SR, Heymsfield SB, Kuhlmann MK, Dwyer T, Usvyat L, Havel P, Levin NW: Relationship between adiposity and cardiovascular risk factors in prevalent hemodialysis patients. J Ren Nutr 2009;19:357-364. # Derose SF, Rutkowski MP, Levin NW, Liu IL, Shi JM, Jacobsen SJ, Crooks PW: Incidence of end-stage renal disease and death among insured African Americans with chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int 2009;76:629-637. # Carter M, Zhu F, Kotanko P, Kuhlmann M, Ramirez L, Heymsfield SB, Handelman G, Levin NW: Assessment of body composition in dialysis patients by arm bioimpedance compared to MRI and 40K measurements. Blood Purif 2009;27:330-337. # Zhu F, Leonard EF, Levin NW: Extracellular fluid redistribution during hemodialysis: bioimpedance measurement and model. Physiol Meas 2008;29:S491-501. # Zhu F, Kuhlmann MK, Kotanko P, Seibert E, Leonard EF, Levin NW: A method for the estimation of hydration state during hemodialysis using a calf bioimpedance technique. Physiol Meas 2008;29:S503-516. # Thijssen S, Kotanko P, Levin NW: What are the potential solutions for the problems with current methods for quantifying hemodialysis?: volume and large/protein-bound toxins. Semin Dial 2008;21:409-411. # Thijssen S, Kitzler TM, Levin NW: Salt: its role in chronic kidney disease. J Ren Nutr 2008;18:18-26. # Ronco C, Levin NW: Dialysis: Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease. Preface. Blood Purif 2008;26:5. # Richter A, Kuhlmann MK, Seibert E, Kotanko P, Levin NW, Handelman GJ: Vitamin C deficiency and secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic haemodialysis patients. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2008;23:2058-2063. # Raimann J, Liu L, Ulloa D, Kotanko P, Levin NW: Consequences of overhydration and the need for dry weight assessment. Contrib Nephrol 2008;161:99-107. # Raimann J, Liu L, Tyagi S, Levin NW, Kotanko P: A fresh look at dry weight. Hemodial Int 2008;12:395-405. # Kuhlmann MK, Levin NW: How common is malnutrition in ESRD? New approaches to diagnosis of malnutrition. Blood Purif 2008;26:49-53. # Kuhlmann MK, Levin NW: Potential interplay between nutrition and inflammation in dialysis patients. Contrib Nephrol 2008;161:76-82. # Kruse A, Uehlinger DE, Gotch F, Kotanko P, Levin NW: Red blood cell lifespan, erythropoiesis and hemoglobin control. Contrib Nephrol 2008;161:247-254. # Kotanko P, Thijssen S, Levin NW: Association between erythropoietin responsiveness and body composition in dialysis patients. Blood Purif 2008;26:82-89. # Kotanko P, Levin NW, Zhu F: Current state of bioimpedance technologies in dialysis. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2008;23:808-812. # Kaysen GA, Kotanko P, Zhu F, Sarkar SR, Heymsfield SB, Kuhlmann MK, Levin NW: Estimation of adipose pools in hemodialysis patients from anthropometric measures. J Ren Nutr 2008;18:473-478. # Hirachan P, Thijssen S, Levin NW, Kotanko P: Body composition and outcomes in chronic hemodialysis patients. Contrib Nephrol 2008;161:108-114. # Handelman GJ, Levin NW: Iron and anemia in human biology: a review of mechanisms. Heart Fail Rev 2008;13:393-404. # Daugirdas JT, Levin NW, Kotanko P, Depner TA, Kuhlmann MK, Chertow GM, Rocco MV: Comparison of proposed alternative methods for rescaling dialysis dose: resting energy expenditure, high metabolic rate organ mass, liver size, and body surface area. Semin Dial 2008;21:377-384. # Daugirdas JT, Depner TA, Greene T, Kuhlmann MK, Levin NW, Chertow GM, Rocco MV: Surface-area-normalized Kt/V: a method of rescaling dialysis dose to body surface area-implications for different-size patients by gender. Semin Dial 2008;21:415-421. # Jochen G. Raimann, Joseph Marfo Boaheng, Philipp Narh, Harrison Matti, Seth Johnson, Linda Donald, Hongbin Zhang, Friedrich Port, Nathan W. Levin: Public health benefits of water purification using recycled hemodialyzers in developing countries. Scientific Reports Nature Research (2020) 10:11101.

External links

Renal Research Institute: official homepageList of current PubMed entries for Nathan W. LevinInterview with Dr. Nathan W. Levin
talking about his career, developments and experiences.

Easy Water for Everyone: homepage

Dialyze Direct: homepage {{DEFAULTSORT:Levin, Nathan W. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American nephrologists Feinberg School of Medicine faculty University of Michigan faculty