Patrick Cunningham, MD

2017 Associate Junior Faculty Scholars

Dr. Patrick Cunningham is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Nephrology. His clinical interests are focused on kidney transplantation, including the selection of appropriate kidney transplant recipients and living donors, as well as managing the many complications of patients after they receive a kidney transplant. Additionally, he runs a subspecialty clinic caring for patients with glomerulonephritis and other inflammatory diseases of the kidney, including lupus nephritis. As part of this work, he performs many kidney biopsies and is working with collaborators on a project designed to improve the safety of this procedure. Relevant to both transplant and glomerulonephritis, Dr. Cunningham is conducting clinical research into the consequences of mutations in the APOL1 gene, which have been found to greatly increase the risk of various kidney diseases in African Americans. The availability of genetic testing for APOL1 mutations raises several ethical questions which he intends to explore. His past scientific research has studied the molecular mechanisms of acute kidney injury and immune mediated glomerular diseases and he continues an active role in peer review in these areas.