Krista Lentine, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor, School of Medicine

As medical director of living donation at the SSM Health Transplant Center at Saint Louis University Hospital, Dr. Krista Lentine makes kidney transplantation accessible while working to ensure the best long-term outcomes for transplant recipients and living organ donors. She is a physician and a researcher whose work was inspired by the needs of the St. Louis population. She recognized early that kidney disease has an inequitable impact, affecting Black communities at particularly high rates. Lentine, who has a doctorate from SLU in public health studies, is committed to reducing health disparities through compassionate care, innovative research and public policy change.

What led you to specialize in nephrology and kidney transplantation?

Nephrology offers a tremendous opportunity to impact the health of populations and communities. Kidney disease is more common than many people realize. It is estimated that 14% of adults in the United States have chronic kidney disease, with important associated health disparities, including the highest prevalence among Black individuals. The life-sustaining and life-changing potential of transplantation drew me to the field.

Daily, I’m motivated by the privilege of interacting with living donors, transplant patients and families. They are reminders of the awe-inspiring altruism of donors and the bravery, hope and gratitude of those who seek and receive transplants.

What is the focus of your research, much of which is NIH-funded?

I’ve centered my clinical and scientific agenda on critical patient-centered themes, including understanding disparities in living-donor and transplant-patient outcomes; developing tools for tailored risk prediction; improving access to transplantation and organ use, especially for under-represented persons; and reducing consequences of comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease in transplant patients. My work on health disparities was inspired by the needs of our population in urban St. Louis and early recognition of inequities in the impact of kidney disease.

Can you recall an experience when you felt the impact of your work?

During my first clinic as an attending physician, I was tasked with evaluating a young woman who wished to serve as a living kidney donor to her brother. While I had a lot of information to provide about why living donation benefits kidney patients, I was struck by the lack of evidence and literature available to quantify and counsel the donor candidate regarding several important risks. For example, what did we know about long-term risks for kidney failure after donation or about pregnancy risks for women after donation? Recognizing the gaps in existing evidence to support evaluation, selection and counseling – as well as some of the financial burdens like costs from time off work and insurance risks – inspired my journey in clinical research, policy and advocacy work.

You recently were elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). What impact do you hope to have there?

As the sixth ASCI inductee at our medical school in 50 years, the second in 20 years and the second woman in 31 years, this honor is particularly impactful. The opportunity to mentor is one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. I’m proud to mentor junior faculty and trainees at SLU and across the country. The ASCI conference and ceremony were especially memorable because I was joined by Aliza Anwar Memon, M.D., a nephrology fellow at the time, now a SLU faculty member, and SLU alum Kennan Maher (PH ’23). Both presented work from our collaborations. In supporting the engagement of trainees and faculty with ASCI, I hope to foster institutional participation and growth of a future generation of SLU physician-scientists in this esteemed professional organization.