I was lucky to be selected as the winner of the 2017 Milestein Medical Asian American Partnership Foundation Fellowship Award in Translational Medicine. I chose BWH as my reception hospital and Joseph Bonventre, MD, PhD, past-president of the American Society of Nephrology, as my supervisor. I became a BWHer this November.

Kidney disease is growing rapidly in China. BWH is one of the most excellent places in world to study kidney disease, and Dr. Bonventre is a leader in the field. I knew I made a very smart choice by coming to BWH. It has been a great opportunity to strengthen the exchange of kidney disease research between China and the United States. 

I was thrilled to help coordinate a visit to the Renal Division and Dr. Bonventre’s lab by Prof. Xiangmei Chen, president of the Chinese Nephrologist Association, and Prof. Hongli Lin, the association’s vice president, in November. This was the first time that the presidents of the U.S. and Chinese nephrology associations met, and on that day a new international connection was forged. This is my Brigham moment from 2017 that makes me really proud.

Nan Shen, MD, PhD
Renal Division