Laura M Dember MD

Chronic Renal Failure & Dialysis

Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

3400 Civic Center BlvdPhiladelphia, PA 19104
Phone+1 215-662-2638

Dr. Dember is on Doximity

As a Doximity member, you’ll join more than three million U.S. healthcare professionals—including 85+% of physicians, and 2/3 of all NPs and PAs—in a private, secure network.

Gain access to free telehealth tools, such as our “call shielding” and one-way patient texting.
Connect with colleagues in the same hospital or clinic.
Read the latest clinical news, personalized to your specialty.

See Dr. Dember's full profile Already have an account?

Education & Training

Mass General Brigham/Brigham and Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General HospitalFellowship, Nephrology, 1992 - 1995
University of Pennsylvania Health SystemResidency, Internal Medicine, 1988 - 1991
Yale School of MedicineClass of 1988

The following disclaimer is related to board certifications obtained from ABMS®, denoted by the ABMS® logo.

This information is proprietary data maintained in a copyrighted database owned by the American Board of Medical Specialties®. The display and presence of ABMS Data in no way constitutes any affiliation, association with, or endorsement of any advertising, promotion, or sponsorship by ABMS and its affiliates and subsidiaries, the ABMS Member Boards, or ABMS board certified physicians and medical specialists. Copyright 2026 American Board of Medical Specialties®. All rights reserved.

The user is responsible for ensuring that the profile obtained in this directory is the profile of the physician or medical specialist being sought.

A self-designated specialty, subspecialty, or practice area neither implies nor is equivalent to ABMS board certification or the existence of specialized training by or competence of a physician or medical specialist.

Certifications & Licensure

PA State Medical License 1990 - 2026
MA State Medical License 1992 - 2023
American Board of Internal Medicine Nephrology

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

America's Top Doctors Castle Connolly, 2012-2017
CMS Meaningful Use Stage 1 Certification EpicCare Ambulatory - Core EMR, Epic Systems Corporation, 2012, 2014, 2016-2017
CMS Meaningful Use Stage 2 Certification Beacon Oncology 2014 Certified Module, Epic Systems Corporation, 2012, 2014, 2016-2017

Clinical Trials

A Cluster-randomized, Pragmatic Trial of Hemodialysis Session Duration Start of enrollment: 2013 Dec 18
TERMINATED
NA
Safety and Cardiovascular Efficacy of Hydralazine and Isosorbide Dinitrate in Dialysis-Dependent ESRD Start of enrollment: 2017 Aug 28
COMPLETED
PHASE4
Safety and Cardiovascular Efficacy of Spironolactone in Dialysis-Dependent ESRD Trial
COMPLETED
PHASE2

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Stenosis in Mature Arteriovenous Fistulas Characterized by Contractile Smooth Muscle Cells and Versican.
Yichi Zhang, Nagla Elzinad, Saran Lotfollahzadeh, Adam Lazowski, Murad Elsadawi
Kidney International Reports. 2026-10-01
Meaningful Engagement of Patients in Research.
Precious McCowan, Taya Joseph, Cassandra B Picataggio, Lindsay Bailey, Sahib Chandi
American Journal of Kidney Diseases. 2026-09-01
Changes in Central Venous Oxygen Saturation during Inpatient Hemodialysis.
Christina Hao Wang Brotman, Molly Kennelly, Charles Hull, Clara Walling, Michael Shashaty
Blood Purification. 2026-08-17

Journal Articles

Safety and Cardiovascular Efficacy of Spironolactone in Dialysis-Dependent ESRD (SPin-D): A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multiple Dosage Trial
David M Charytan, Jonathan Himmelfarb, Adriana M Hung, Rajnish Mehrotra, Shailendra Sharma, Daniel E Weiner, Alan S Kliger, Laura M Dember, Kidney International
Prediction of Arteriovenous Fistula Clinical Maturation from Postoperative Ultrasound Measurements: Findings from the Hemodialysis Fistula Maturation Study
Laura M Dember, Jonathan Himmelfarb, James S Kaufman, Harold I Feldman, Alfred K Cheung, Miguel A Vazquez, Lauren Alexander, Thomas S Huber, Michael Allon, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

Lectures

Embedded Pragmatic Clinical Trials: Accelerating Evidence Generation in Nephrology
American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2019 - Washington, D.C. - 11/8/2019

Authored Content

Relationships Between Clinical Processes and Arteriovenous Fistula Cannulation and Maturation: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort StudyFebruary 2018
Relationships Between Clinical Processes and Arteriovenous Fistula Cannulation and Maturation: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort StudyFebruary 2018

Press Mentions

Q&A: Addressing Pain in Patients on HemodialysisApril 24th, 2025
New Approach to Chronic Pain in Dialysis PatientsJanuary 24th, 2025
Pain Coping Skills Training Beneficial in Maintenance HemodialysisJanuary 12th, 2025

Grant Support

Continuation of the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC)UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA2001–2028
A Hybrid Type 1 Effectiveness-Implementation Study of Education Strategies for Vascular Access Creation in Advanced Kidney DiseaseUNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL2023–2027
A Hybrid Type 1 Effectiveness-Implementation Study of Education Strategies for Vascular Access Creation in Advanced Kidney DiseaseUNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL2023–2027
UPENN Scientific and Data Research Center for the HOPE Consortium to Reduce Pain and Opioid Use in HemodialysisUNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA2019–2025
Data Coordinating Center For Hemodialysis Pilot Studies ConsortiumNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases2013–2018