Dr. Craig Tisher wins international honor for advancements in kidney research
University of Florida medical scientist and administrator C. Craig Tisher, M.D., has won an international lifetime achievement award for his original contributions to the biologic understanding of kidney health and disease.
Acclaimed by his peers as a leading authority on kidney structure and function, Tisher was selected to receive the 2001 John P. Peters Award from the American Society of Nephrology. He was chosen in a competitive review process and honored at the recent plenary session of the World Congress of Nephrology, which was held in association with the International Society of Nephrology in San Francisco. The award included a $10,000 cash prize and a bronze medal.
At the presentation, Tisher was praised for his use of microscopic and physiologic techniques to improve understanding of both normal and abnormal kidney structure and function.
Tisher, who is senior associate dean of the UF College of Medicine and director of UF’s Center for Clinical Trials Research, has devoted 37 years to research, education and clinical service in the specialty of nephrology.
His discoveries have helped to explain the relationship between kidney structure and urine concentration, and the role of two major types of intercalated cells in the collecting duct of the kidney that contribute significantly to maintaining the acid-base balance in mammals, including humans. He also has helped to define transport mechanisms that normally control the movement of fluid and dissolved solids in the kidneys, but are disturbed in many forms of kidney disease.
Through many scientific papers, Tisher has described specific abnormalities of kidney anatomy and function associated with heat stress and exercise, acute malaria, lupus nephritis, progressive systemic sclerosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, immunoglobulin A nephropathy and other diseases. His interest in kidney pathology culminated in the writing and co-editing of “Renal Pathology With Clinical and Functional Correlations,” considered one of the two premier textbooks on this subject.
In current research, Tisher is evaluating the use of gene therapy to prevent chronic kidney rejection after transplantation in animal models. He also is directing a clinical trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, to determine the optimal method for managing high blood pressure in African Americans.
Tisher also is known for his outstanding leadership in professional societies related to his field. He is a former president of the American Society of Nephrology, former editor of the society’s scholarly journal, and former chairman of ASN committees on programs, public policy and finance. He also has filled leading roles with the International Society of Nephrology – as treasurer, as a member of its executive management committees and as the founding assistant editor of Kidney International. He is an active member of the National Kidney Foundation and has served as its Region II vice president.
Tisher has chaired special review committees and served on study sections for the NIH, and served on a national task force on the NIH strategic plan. He also chaired an NIH consensus development conference on morbidity and mortality of kidney dialysis.
At UF, Tisher occupies the Folke H. Peterson dean’s distinguished professorship and is a professor in the departments of medicine, pathology, and anatomy and cell biology. He formerly directed the College of Medicine’s division of nephrology, hypertension and transplantation, and filled an eminent scholar chair funded by the Central Florida Kidney Center Inc. He is a graduate of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and completed his fellowship in nephrology at the University of Washington in Seattle.