2026 Jared J. Grantham Symposium
The Future of PKD Research
Friday, September 18, 2026
8:30 a.m – 2 p.m.
Lied Auditorium for KU Medical Center Faculty and Staff
Zoom for external audience
Registration required by 9/11/2026. Zoom Link will be emailed on 9/14 only to those who register. Due to limited parking and access restrictions, external researchers should register to attend online. Questions: Lyn Harris, lharris3@kumc.edu.
The 2026 Jared Grantham Symposium on PKD will be held on Friday, 9/18 featuring three guest speakers noted below. We are very grateful to the PKD Foundation for their support as the presenting sponsor of our symposium.
Schedule
8:30 – 8:45 a.m.
Darren Wallace, Ph.D.
Welcome and Tribute to Dr. James Calvet
Professor, Nephrology and Hypertension
University of Kansas Medical Center
8:45 – 9:45 a.m.
Ron T. Gansevoort, FERA, FASN
Developing treatments for ADPKD, a rapidly evolving field
Professor of Medicine, Nephrologist
Department of Nephrology
UMC Groningen, Netherlands
Dr. Gansevoort was awarded the 2026 Lillian Jean Kaplan International Prize for Advancement in the Understanding of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)
9:45 – 10:00 a.m.
Break
10:00 – 10:20 a.m.
Ashley Thomas
Renal tubular secretory dysfunction in ADPKD
Graduate Student
Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences
University of Kansas Medical Center
Mentor: Reena Rao, Ph.D.
10:20 – 11:20 a.m.
Parker C. Wilson, M.D., Ph.D.
Decoding DCLK1 Signaling in the Injured Proximal Tubule: Implications for CKD and PKD
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
11:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
Lunch
12:20 – 12:40 p.m.
Kyle Jansson, M.D., Ph.D.
Urinary Phosphate Drives Kidney Disease Progression
Assistant Professor
Nephrology/Internal Medicine
University of Kansas Medical Center
12:40 – 1:00 p.m.
Stephen Parnell, Ph.D.
Effect of Pregnancy on PKD
Research Associate Professor
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Kansas Medical Center
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Maria V. Irazabal, M.D., Ph.D.
ADPKD as a Temporally Dynamic Disease: Rethinking Progression, Biomarkers, and Therapeutic Timing
Professor of Medicine
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Thanks to the PKD Foundation for supporting the symposium as a partnering sponsor.
About
To honor Dr. Jared Grantham in his retirement, the Kidney Institute at the University of Kansas Medical Center hosted the first Jared J. Grantham Symposium on May 7 - 9th, 2014 in Kansas City. Dr. Grantham's vision was to invite all of the Lillian Jean Kaplan award recipients to lead a forward-thinking and interactive forum to focus on future directions and innovations in polycystic kidney disease research. All twelve of the Kaplan Awardees were present at the inaugural symposium to give talks on their vision of "The Future of PKD Research." The Kidney Institute will continue to host the Grantham Symposium annually.
Contact
Questions about the symposium should be directed to:
Lyn Harris
Administrative Director
Jared Grantham Kidney Institute
E-mail: lharris3@kumc.edu