Faculty

Marco Aurelio Ladino Avellaneda, M.D.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Clinical Profile
Biography: Marco Aurelio Ladino Avellaneda is a distinguished medical professional with a passion for nephrology, transplant nephrology and hypertension care. With a solid academic background, Dr. Ladino Avellaneda completed his Medical Doctor and Surgeon degree at Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora Del Rosario in Bogota, Colombia in 2003. He then pursued further specialization...
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Gabriel Nicolas Contreras, M.D., M.P.H.

Professor of Clinical Medicine
Clinical Profile
Biography: Gabriel Contreras, MD, MPH, earned his medical degree in 1984 from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Mexico. He trained in Internal medicine, nephrology, hypertension, critical care, and earned a degree as Master in Public Health between 1989 and 2003. In 1996, Dr. Contreras joined the School of Medicine at the University of Miami. He has been involved in the...
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Adriana Dejman Valdez, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Clinical Profile
Biography: Adriana Dejman is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the University of Miami. Dr. Dejman received her medical degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela – Escuela Jose Maria Vargas in 2010. She completed her internship, residency, and nephrology clinical fellowship at University of Miami/Jackson...
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Yelena Drexler, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Clinical Profile
Biography: Dr. Yelena Drexler is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She serves as Associate Program Director of the UM Nephrology Fellowship Training Program and is the Director of the UM ADPKD Clinic, which is recognized by the Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation...
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Juan Duque Ballesteros, M.D.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Clinical Profile
Biography: Doctor Juan Duque is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Katz family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the University of Miami. Dr. Duque received his medical degree from the University of la Sabana in Colombia in 2009. After medical school he joined the vascular access team at the University of Miami as a research associate, and then completed...
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Tali Elfassy, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Elfassy’s background is multi-disciplinary. She received her MSPH from George Washington University, after which she worked as a Research Associate for Pfizer and then as a Research Scientist for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. It was at the New York City Health Department where she gained an interest in population health and broad based...
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Alessia Fornoni, M.D., Ph.D., FASN

Professor of Medicine, Tenured
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Fornoni is tenured Professor of Medicine and Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.She serves as Director of the Peggy and Harold Katz Drug Discovery Center. She is also the Co-Director of the MSTP program and of the CTSI/KL2 and Mentoring program. In 2013, Dr. Fornoni gained experience in drug development as Global...
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Jin-Ju Kim, Ph.D.

Research Instructor
Publications
Biography: My long-term research interest is to elucidate key molecular mechanisms that are activated in the kidney as a pathophysiological response to disease. My academic training and experiences have allowed me to develop an excellent background in multiple biological disciplines including medical sciences, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and genetics. I have studied...
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Vinodh Mechery, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Clinical Profile
Biography: Dr. Mechery is a physician board certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. He treats patients with a variety of kidney diseases including acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, electrolyte abnormalities, and end stage kidney disease. He received his medical degree from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra-Northwell, completing his internal...
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Jair Munoz Mendoza, M.D.

Assoc. Professor of Clinical Medicine
Clinical Profile
Biography: Dr. Munoz Mendoza received his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru. He completed internal medicine residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, and fellowship in nephrology at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. After finishing fellowship, he joined the faculty at the University of Miami, Katz Family...
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Sandra Merscher, Ph.D.

Research Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Merscher obtained her Ph.D. degree in Human Genetics from the University of Saarland, Saarbrucken, Germany. For her postdoctoral fellowship, she joined Dr. Raju Kucherlapati’s Laboratory in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA where she worked...
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Zain Mithani, M.D.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr Zain Mithani is a graduate of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine class of 2012. After medical school, Dr Mithani continued his training at the University of Colorado Denver for Internal Medicine residency and then a fellowship in Nephrology at New York-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr Mithani has been faculty at the University of Miami...
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Alla Mitrofanova, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor
Publications
Biography: During my years as a student and postdoctoral fellow, I have developed a solid background in multiple disciplines, including physiology, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, along with very broad technical skills, including unique techniques of surgical manipulations with rodents, glomeruli isolation and podocyte primary cell culture. In the laboratory,...
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Christopher Naranjo, D.O.

Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Clinical Profile
Biography: Dr. Naranjo is an Assistant Professor of Medicine within the Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where his expertise and dedication significantly contribute to the institution's outstanding reputation. He obtained his medical degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine...
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Marie Anne Sosa, M.D.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine - Interim Division Chief
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: I was born in Caracas Venezuela, where I attended Medical School. After graduation I moved to Boston where I completed my Residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship. I obtained my Nephrology degree At Tuft and worked at Brigham and Women hospital and at the University of Massachusetts for years. My areas of interest are teaching and Quality Improvement. I am fluent...
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Franco Cabeza, M.D.

Assoc. Professor of Clinical Medicine
Clinical Profile
Biography: Dr. Cabeza Rivera obtained his medical degree in Peru at Cayetano Heredia University to later join the Jackson Memorial Hospital Residency Program as a part of the Harrington Program. His fellowship training in Nephrology was completed at Baylor College of Medicine, followed by Geriatric Medicine and Transplant Nephrology fellowships at the University of Miami. He started...
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Warren L. Kupin, M.D.

Professor of Clinical Medicine, Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Clinical Profile
Biography: Dr. Kupin received a BS in Chemistry from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, and attended medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin graduating in 1980. He did his residency training in Internal Medicine at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI followed by a Nephrology Fellowship at the same institution. Dr. Kupin was on Faculty at Henry Ford Hospital as a Transplant...
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Adela D. Mattiazzi, M.D.

Assoc. Professor of Clinical Medicine, Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Publications
Biography: Adela D. Mattiazzi MD, FASN is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is a Transplant Nephrologist at the Miami Transplant Institute where she is Director of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange for Solid Organ Transplant, Director of Highly Sensitized Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program and the Associate Medical Director...
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Mariella Ortigosa-Goggins, M.D.

Associate Professors, Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension

Biography: Dr. Goggins is a Transplant Nephrologist with over 25 years of experience; She is the Medical Director of the Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Program at the Miami Transplant Institute. Dr. Goggins specializes in Kidney and Kidney/Pancreas Transplantation; her area of expertise is advancing pancreas transplant in patients with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic...
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Javier A Pagan, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension

Biography: Dr. Javier Pagan was born and raised in Ponce, PR, and attended the Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences graduating with honors in 2012. Following medical school, he completed his internal medicine residency and Nephrology fellowship at the University of Miami / Jackson Memorial Hospital. He completed an advanced fellowship in transplant Nephrology at the Miami...
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David Roth, M.D.

William W. Anderson Professor of Nephrology, Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Clinical Profile
Biography: Dr. Roth attended medical school at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. Upon graduation in 1977, he came to Miami for internal medicine training at Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami School of Medicine. His interests in the field of Nephrology were stimulated by the nephrology faculty at the medical center and he remained at UM/JMH for...
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Murray Epstein, M.D.

Professor Emeritus

Giselle Guerra, M.D.

Professor of Medicine

Leopoldo Rajj, M.D.

Professor Emeritus

Alan Rose, M.D.

Voluntary Associate Professor

Ivonne Schulman, M.D.

Voluntary Professor of Clinical Medicine

Yanetsy Olivera, M.D.

VA Faculty, UM Staff Physician

Fernando Pedraza, M.D.

VA Faculty, UM Staff Physician

Daniel Jose Soberon, M.D.

VA

Vasuki Venkat

VA