Allen Nissenson, M.D., F.A.C.P.

Emeritus Professor of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles

Fellowship Profile

Fellowship Year: 1994-1995
Fellowship Placement: Sen Wellstone (D-MN)
Sponsoring Institution: University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine
Disciplines / Professions: Nephrology, Public Health

Biography

Dr. Nissenson is currently an Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University California Los Angeles, where he previously served as Director of the Dialysis Program and Associate Dean. Dr. Nissenson was Emeritus Chief Medical Officer of DaVita Kidney Care in 2018 and 2019, having served as Chief Medical Officer for over 11 years. He is the immediate past Chair of Kidney Care Partners and immediate past Co-Chair of the Kidney Care Quality Alliance. He is a former president of the Renal Physicians Association and current member of the Government Affairs Committee. Dr. Nissenson also previously served as President of the Southern California End-Stage Renal Disease Network, as well as Chair of the Medical Review Board. Dr. Nissenson served as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow of the Institute of Medicine, working as a health advisor to the late Senator Paul Wellstone. Dr. Nissenson currently serves on the Board of Directors of ELICIO THERAPEUTICS, Rockwell Medical where he is Chair of the Membership and Governance Committee, Diality, Inc. where he is Chair of the Membership and Governance Committee, and Innocura Nephrology.
Dr. Nissenson earned his M.D. from Northwestern University Medical School. Dr. Nissenson is the author of two dialysis textbooks, both in their fifth editions and was the founding Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Renal Replacement Therapy, an official journal of the National Kidney Foundation. He was Editor-in-Chief of Hemodialysis International the official journal of the International Society for Hemodialysis, as well as Medscape Nephrology, an innovate website focused on nephrology. He has over 740 publications in the field of nephrology, dialysis, anemia management, and health care delivery and policy, the latter including a seminal paper in Health Affairs on the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) program. Among his numerous honors is the President’s Award of the National Kidney Foundation. In addition, in 2007 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Hemodialysis presented by the University of Missouri on behalf of the Annual Dialysis Conference.