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Pediatric Center of Excellence

The Center of Excellence in Pediatric Nephrology strives to provide a coordinated, interdisciplinary, and inter-institutional approach to studying the development of the kidney during embryonic, fetal and postnatal life. The center brings together investigators from the University of Virginia and Tulane University. The main research theme is “Kidney Development and Disease: Cell Fate and Precursors of Disease in the Young and Adult.” Broadly, the proposed research deals with fundamental questions of clinical relevance in Pediatric Nephrology such as the understanding of kidney morphogenesis and homeostasis in health and disease. The experimental approaches range from examination of epigenetic mechanisms that control cell fate, plasticity, and identity and the cellular signals underlying the phenotypic transformation that occurs during kidney injury and repair.

Summer Students in Lab Opportunity

The UVA NIH Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology will support three 2025 Summer students in our labs. This is a full-time position (40 hours per week) during the summer break (minimum commitment: 8 weeks, and a stipend of approx. $15/hour; for students currently enrolled in or recently graduated from an accredited college or university). Students will be learning and working on current projects of the lab under the direct supervision of other lab members.

Interested candidates should send an email to Jalen Hill (JOH2T@uvahealth.org) and Dr. Sequeira-Lopez (MSL7U@virginia.edu) with their CV, GPA, and transcripts and request a letter of support from a mentor/teacher.

Deadline: March 1st, 2025.

Accepted candidates will be notified by mid- end of March.

 

UVA Discovery a Major Step Toward Growing Kidneys

Researchers at the Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology at UVA have identified the cells that give rise to the blood vessels within the kidney.

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Pediatric Centers of Excellence in Nephrology Call for Pilot & Feasibility Proposals in Pediatric Kidney Disease Cycle 4: 2025 Start Date

The Pediatric Centers of Excellence in Nephrology (PCENs) at the University of Virginia (UVA), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) are issuing a joint RFA for Pilot and Feasibility (P&F) projects.

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Photo of The Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN) at the University of Virginia (UVA)

Research Cores/Services available

The PCEN at the University of Virginia supports one biomedical research core to assist PCEN investigators in two important areas: 1) Transcriptome and epigenome technologies and 2) Bioinformatics. The Single Cell Epigenomics, Transcriptomics, and Bioinformatics Core is directed by two experienced researchers and staffed with highly trained personnel. The scope of the core is in line with the overall theme of this PCEN which is “Kidney Development and Disease: Cell Fate and Precursors of Disease in the Young and Adult.” The experimental approaches of the PCEN involve the examination of epigenetic mechanisms that control cell fate, plasticity, and identity and the cellular signals underlying the phenotypic transformation that occurs during kidney injury and repair. The objective of the Core is to support the scientific goals of the PCEN by providing state-of-the-art services in the areas of epigenomics, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics to the two main research projects, PCEN Pilot Projects and independently funded pediatric kidney researchers at UVA and other institutions.

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Photo of family at The Pediatric Center of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN) at the University of Virginia (UVA)

Pilot Program

The pilot and feasibility program encourages young and established investigators to take up research relevant to kidney development and disease and speed the acquisition of knowledge that can be applied to treatment of children with renal and urological diseases.

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Enrichment Program

The center aims to inspire, attract and stimulate the interest of young individuals in Pediatric Nephrology research.

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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

NIDDK conducts and supports research on many of the most common, costly, and chronic conditions to improve health.

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The Pediatric Centers of Excellence in Nephrology Present 2026 PCEN Scientific Symposium

The Pediatric Centers of Excellence in Nephrology Present 2026 PCEN Scientific Symposium

Promoting Research in Childhood Kidney Diseases

 

The Pediatric Centers of Excellence in Nephrology (PCEN) invite you to their annual Scientific Symposium. This meeting will be an opportunity for you to hear about science and resources you can access from the PCENs to advance your pediatric kidney research! Please REGISTER to RSVP. There is no registration fee to attend the Symposium. You can also check out our new website (www.pcennetwork.weebly.com) for updates and to learn more about the Centers!

Gomez and Sequeira Lopez lab researchers and members of PCEN.

When: March 23rd, 2026, 8:45 am–3:10 pm EST

Where: NIH/NIDDK, 6701 Rockledge Dr, Bethesda, MD 20817 (and Virtually via Zoom)

 

We are excited to share our vision for this symposium, including:

  • Keynote Speakers: Dr. Pinaki Sarder and Dr. Simone Sanna-Cherchi will join us in person for their presentations: AI × Molecular Insight—Bridging Every Scale (Sarder) and Genomic Discovery in Pediatric Kidney Disease (Sanna-Cherchi).
  • Posters: Learn about cutting edge pediatric nephrology research and explore collaborative opportunities! We are issuing a call for posters that is open to everyone, but you must attend the Symposium in person to be eligible. Please see below for submittal more instructions. Applications are due by Friday, February 27th.
  • Previous Pilot Talks: One Pilot and Feasibility Program awardee from each institution will deliver a brief talk about their research and their experiences working with the Centers.
  • Lightning Talks: Presenters will be invited to present short presentations about their research from the pool of poster submitters. The Centers will reach out with an invitation to present by Friday, March 6th.
  • Round Tables: Ask PCEN and Core leadership about available resources and how to access them during three 20-minute sessions and enhance your scientific pursuits. You can sign up for your top three Cores for these sessions when you register. This is a chance to ask your questions and benefit from a group discussion with leadership and your peers. Due to technical constraints, round table discussions will not be available for virtual attendees.
  • Workshops: We are offering two concurrent workshops about AI in research: One focused on integrative navigation and analysis of spatial omics and histology and the other on electronic health record data.
  • NIDDK Grant Session: We will host our Program Managers from NIDDK for a brief session about grants. Please come with any questions you have as Drs. Susan Mendley and Debbie Gipson talk about recent changes and policies around NIH grants and guidance in preparing your next application.

 

Please direct any questions about the Symposium to CHOPPCEN@chop.edu or pcen@wustl.edu.

 

For those attending in person:

We have a hotel block available at Embassy Suites by Hilton Bethesda, 6711 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20817. There will be a shuttle provided by the hotel to take you to NIH Symposium location. Please use our LINK to reserve in our block for Symposium pricing. Dates will default to March 22–23 but can be adjusted. Reservations for the PCEN block MUST be made by Monday, February 23rd.

 

POSTER SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

 

The PCENs are issuing another call for posters for this year’s Symposium! In addition to our keynotes and other presentations highlighting Center resources, we will be featuring YOUR research! This year, judges will rank posters and present the highest poster submitter a certificate of excellence. There is no monetary value to this achievement.

Please note that there are opportunities to join the symposium virtually, but the poster session will be available for those joining in-person only. 

We are collecting information for poster submittals with your registration here. This information includes:

  • Name, email, institution, etc.
  • Project Abstract (including title, co-authors, background, objectives, design/methods, results, and conclusions)
  • A description of your research interests
  • Career Stage
  • Biosketch or CV
  • Your interest in travel support

A small amount of travel support is available to trainees, post-docs, and junior faculty who are traveling within the US.

Please complete the survey to submit your poster. All posters and requests for travel support must be received by Friday, February 27th at 5:00pm EST.