Alessia Fornoni University of Miami United States

Dr. Alessia Fornoni is a Professor of Medicine, Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, and Biochemistry at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She serves as the Director and Chair of the Peggy and Harold Katz Drug Discovery Center. Dr. Fornoni gained experience in drug development at Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel and is the founding scientist of several start-up companies. Her research is supported by grants from the NIH, industry, and private foundations. She has received numerous prestigious awards, including membership in the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI, 2017), the Association of American Physicians (AAP, 2021), and the Florida Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (ASEMFL, 2023). Dr. Fornoni serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Investigation and Kidney International and was the Deputy Editor of JASN in 2024. She began her term as the At-Large Councilor for the ASN Council in January 2025. A recipient of multiple mentorship awards, her trainees hold leadership roles in various academic institutions worldwide. As Co-Director of the MD/PhD MSTP program, the CTSI K12 program, and Director of an NIH-funded summer school in Nephrology, Dr. Fornoni demonstrates a strong commitment to mentoring students and junior faculty toward successful academic careers. Through her pioneering work on insulin signaling, cholesterol metabolism, and sphingolipid-related pathways, Dr. Fornoni has uncovered novel pathogenetic mechanisms and therapeutic approaches for glomerular disorders, which have successfully progressed to ongoing clinical trials.