Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by disruption of somatic growth, bone/mineral metabolism, nutritional derangement, and electrolyte disturbances. These patterns of change can be seen even in early CKD with emerging data to suggest that there is also an association with change in neurocognitive function in even mild to moderate CKD. Specifically, children with CKD may be at risk for deficits in executive function and academic achievement with advancing disease, although the mechanisms related to this are unclear. Even more unclear is whether or not there are structural and/or functional changes within the brain in parallel with these observed neurocognitive deficits. My lab focuses on linking neuroimaging and neurocognitive assessments in this population to inform greater understanding of changes that may be occurring in the developing brain in parallel with progression of CKD. A greater understanding of the neurocognitive changes observed in this population will allow for targeted provider assistance with patient/family medical decision-making and medication compliance.

I am currently a clinical track faculty member who focuses most of my time on the clinical aspect of my job. My clinical areas of interest are primary two-fold with the first being pediatric kidney transplant medicine. I am currently working to complete the necessary united network for organ sharing (UNOS) criteria to become certified as a pediatric kidney transplant physician. The second being the growing field of critical care nephrology which includes different modalities of kidney support therapies (KST), acute kidney injury (AKI), and other extracorporeal therapies that can be utilized by the other solid organ transplant programs and growing the utilization of tandem extracorporeal therapies as well as new devices. My areas of academic interest include the utilization of novel biomarkers in patient care including AKI and kidney transplantation as well as quality improvement to help provide the best care possible to critically ill patients.

Disruptions in iron metabolism are a hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Iron plays a critical role in brain functions, such as neurotransmission and myelination, and accumulation of intracellular iron can damage vulnerable tissues, such as the brain. Catalytic iron accumulation can lead to iron-mediated oxidative damage and subsequent neuroinjury. Emily's research focuses on how changes in iron metabolism affect neurodevelopmental outcomes in children and cognitive outcomes in Veterans with CKD. She completed her PhD in Biomedical Science and a T32 Fellowship in Nephrology. She is currently a T32 Fellow in Psychiatry. 

Ryan began his path in pediatric CKD research on a project with Dr. Harshman using Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) Cohort data investigating educational and employment outcomes of those with history of pediatric CKD. This led to a furthering interest of neurocognition and socioeconomic, psychiatric, and quality of life outcomes in children with CKD. Ryan is now investigating differences in brain functional connectivity in relation to neurocognition among various pediatric CKD populations. 

Lucas is a 4th year graduate student in the Medical Scientist Training Program. His research focuses on access to care and disparities in outcomes in pediatric kidney transplantation. In 2025, he received his PhD in Epidemiology and has returned to clinic to complete his MD. 

Emily is the Clinical Research Assistant for the BRAIN KID Study.

Amaris is a 1st year undergraduate student at the University of Iowa. Her research focuses on neurobehavioral testing in mice with CKD. 

Mercedes' research is focused on iron chelation therapy to improve neurocognition in mice with induced CKD.

Ellie is leveraging the Epic Cosmos Database to determine the prevalence of kidney dysfunction among pediatric patients with anorexia nervosa with the goal of guiding nephrology referrals to prevent irreversible kidney damage. 

Kal is conducting a retrospective cohort study evaluating sodium supplementation on growth outcomes in premature infants with AKI. 

Allison is an undergraduate student working with Dr. Harshman and Dr. Steinbach collecting data for the HOPE Biorepository study with the goal to better understand biomarkers of pediatric Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) development.  

Georgie’s work in the Harshman Lab centers on animal studies that give us deeper insight into improving outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).