Associate Professor of Pediatrics - Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Director, Pediatric Glomerular Disease Clinic
Dr. Nester completed a combined pediatric/internal medicine nephrology fellowship at the University of North Carolina Hospitals. She has been a faculty member at the University of Iowa since 2007 and has been the division director in pediatric nephrology since 2019. Her rare renal disease clinic is internationally renowned for the expert care she provides to patients with atypical HUS and C3 glomerulopathy. She is also active in basic science research with active R01 grants.
Our People
It takes a special person to dedicate his or her life to the care and healing of children.
At Iowa, you will be exposed to some of the best clinicians, researchers and teachers in our profession. Through formal mentoring programs as well as an open-door philosophy, we provide personalized opportunities for you to learn career-long lessons from these dedicated professionals.
The pediatric nephrology faculty are dedicated to helping you achieve your training aims. Inpatient and outpatient service expectations are well-balanced with ample learning opportunities and enthusiastic teaching, both in one-on-one settings and interactive didactic lectures.
Current Fellows
Please check back for updates on our current fellows.
Welcome to the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics
Alexander Bassuk, MD, PhD
Chair and Department Executive Officer
Welcome to the University of Iowa's Stead Family Children's Hospital. We are proud to showcase our extraordinary clinical care, dedication to the education of students and young physicians, and our world-class research programs.
Our comprehensive medical, surgical, and nursing services span the full spectrum of pediatric care. The consistently high rankings we receive on national and international benchmarks attest to the exceptional quality of care we provide. With more than 127,000 annual outpatient visits and more than 10,000 admissions to the 165 beds at University of Iowa's Stead Family Children's Hospital, we draw patients regionally, nationally, and internationally. Our commitment to family-centered care and our outstanding facilities have been praised for their innovative and patient-friendly design.
We are dedicated to excellence in the education of medical students, residents, and fellows, as reflected by a competency-based curriculum that is designed to provide practitioners with comprehensive knowledge and outstanding skills. The clinical and research efforts of trainees are closely mentored and nurtured. Our graduates move on to successful careers in clinical practice and academic pediatrics.
From genomics to cancer biology, from clinical trials to outcomes research, the department consistently ranks among the top National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Pediatric Departments nationally. Our faculty and staff are engaged in cutting edge basic science and patient-oriented research in our unwavering quest to improve the health and well-being of all children.
Meet our Division
We have a diverse faculty with wide-ranging clinical and research interests. Many are internationally known and have been in the department for many years. We also have bright young faculty who bring new interests and enthusiasm to the practice and teaching of nephrology. All clinical faculty participate in resident training, clinical practice, and research.
Program Leadership
Division Director, Fellowship Director
Assistant Fellowship Director
Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics - Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation
Dr. Misurac completed his pediatric nephrology fellowship at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health. He has been a faculty member at the University of Iowa since 2015 and was recently appointed as the associate fellowship director. His research interests include nephrotoxic acute kidney injury and clinical quality improvement. He is the associate medical director of the pediatric specialty clinic, and serves as the associate chief medical informatics officer (ACMIO) for pediatrics. His clinical areas of interest include acute kidney injury, glomerular disease, and hypertension.
Division Providers
Division of Nephrology, Dialysis, and Transplantation
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Alhamoud completed his pediatric nephrology fellowship in 2018 at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas. He joined the pediatric nephrology division in 2020. He is the Pediatric Dialysis Co-Medical Director. Areas of interest are acute kidney injury, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), and intra-renal renin angiotensin system.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Lyndsay Harshman completed her pediatric nephrology fellowship at the University of Iowa in 2016 and continued her research in the long-term neurocognitive effects of chronic kidney disease. Specifically, her current work includes an NIDDK funded K23 utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantitatively characterize the structure of the brain (e.g., volumes of regions and tissues) in mild to moderate pediatric CKD. In conjunction with standardized neurocognitive testing, specialized neuroimaging measures are used to evaluate brain structure, function, and metabolism in this population in order to better understand the relationship to underlying renal disease. Dr. Harshman’s clinical interests focus on aligning the above research concepts of brain growth and development in a chronic kidney disease life-course – specifically in the pediatric renal transplantation population. Her other clinical interests include tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) patients, for whom she co-founded a multidisciplinary clinic. She is the local PI for the Chronic Kidney Disease in Childhood multicenter prospective cohort study and for the Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative (IROC), a multicenter quality improvement collaborative focused on improving health, longevity, and quality of life in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. Dr. Harshman is also the medical director of pediatric kidney transplant at the University of Iowa.
Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Lee Son completed her pediatric nephrology fellowship in 2013 at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. She joined the division of pediatric nephrology in 2013. Dr. Lee Son is the medical director of the Pediatric Infusion and Dialysis center at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. She is also the Physician Value Officer for the Department of Pediatrics. Her research interests include CKD in non-kidney organ transplant recipients and acute dialysis.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Merrill completed his pediatric nephrology fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He joined the faculty at University of Iowa in 2022. Dr. Merrill serves as the Assistant Medical Director of Pediatric Kidney Transplant. In addition to his interest in pediatric kidney transplant, his other interest is the growing field of Critical Care Nephrology including acute kidney injury, acute kidney support therapies including continuous kidney replacement therapy, acute peritoneal dialysis, and acute hemodialysis as well as neonatal dialysis with CarpeDiem™ and other extracorporeal therapies including tandom therapies with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for critically ill children. He received a masters degree from the Clinical and Tranlstional Research at University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Professor of Pediatrics
Secondary Appointment: Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Dr. Robillard is the former Vice President for Medical Affairs and Carver College of Medicine Dean. He is a longstanding member of the division of pediatric nephrology. Dr. Robillard is semi-retired, though he continues his research activities and mentors faculty through the promotion and tenure process. The Division is deeply indebted to his many contributions through the years.
Associate of Pediatrics
Dr. Strong completed her pediatric nephrology fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and joined the pediatric nephrology division in 2022. Her research interests include critical care nephrology including ECMO-associated AKI and neonatal dialysis. She is also interested in medical education for learners at all stages.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Sun completed her pediatric nephrology fellowship in 2020 at Boston Children’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School. She also completed her research fellowship in 2014 also at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sun joined the growing pediatric nephrology division in 2020.
She has a clinical interest in rare genetic kidney disease in children, and she is dedicated to connecting patients and families with national resources. Dr. Sun is a physician scientist with a special research interest in podocyte disease. She uses transgenic cell and animal models to study the molecular mechanism of various podocyte diseases including minimal change disease, focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis and diabetic nephropathy, with a goal of finding innovative treatment for patients with these diseases.
Nurse Practitioner
Brynna completed her Masters in Nursing from the University of Iowa. She became a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in 2011 and joined the Pediatric Nephrology team shortly after. With a background in pediatric critical care nursing, she spends her clinical time on the inpatient units providing consistency for pediatric nephrology patients in the PICU, NICU, as well as general inpatient units. Her areas of interest are acute kidney injury and biomarkers, as well as acute dialysis of all forms.
Nurse Practitioner
Christina Michels completed her undergraduate BSN studies at Goshen College in 2008 and graduate studies as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at the University of Iowa College of Nursing in 2016. She serves the Pediatric Nephrology population on an outpatient basis in the Stead Family Children’s Hospital infusion area and the Pediatric Specialty Clinic. Christina specializes in hypertension, prenatal consults, and all aspects of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant clinic with additional interest in transitioning care of adolescents to adult care after kidney transplant. Additionally, she participates in IROC (Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative) and the C4K (Comfort4Kidney) support group. Christina is Sub-I with Dr. Nester in a couple clinical trials at the University of Iowa. She loves spending time outside and traveling with her husband. Bring on the adventure!