VikasDharnidharka Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolUnited States

Dr. Vikas Dharnidharka is the Chair of the Pediatrics Department at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School since October 2024. He will also be a Henry Rutgers Professor and serve as the Physician-in-Chief at Bristol-Myers-Squibb Children’s Hospital. He obtained his MBBS and MD (Paediatrics) degrees from Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital, under Bombay University. He completed his Pediatric Nephrology fellowship training at Children’s Hospital and Harvard University in Boston. He obtained his MPH degree in Biostatistics from the University of Florida. Prior to joining Rutgers RWJMS, Dr. Dharnidharka was a faculty member at the University of Florida, then at Washington University School of Medicine. He received tenure while at Washington University. He served as the Division Chief for Pediatric Nephrology at both institutions and as the Vice-Chair for Clinical Investigation at Washington University. He has served as the Chair of Section of Nephrology within the American Academy of Pediatrics, on the national governing Councils for the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology and for the International Pediatric Transplant Association. Dr. Dharnidharka has published more than 250 papers and has received NIH grant support continuously since 2004. He has been or is the Principal Investigator on an R01 grant from the NIAID, P50 and R01 grants from the NIDDK and a U01 grant from the NCI. His expertise relates to viral infections and cancers after solid organ transplantation. Dr. Dharnidharka’s awards include lifetime achievement awards from the National Kidney Foundation of Eastern Missouri, and the American Nephrologists of Indian Origin. He received achievement awards from the American Society of Transplantation at both Assistant and Associate Professor levels. He received a Dean’s Impact Award for Mentorship and Sponsorship from Washington University School of Medicine.