CAPN Research Awards
The CAPN Trainee Research Award is presented to trainees at the CAPN meeting held alongside the American Society of Nephrology meeting each autumn. One award is given at each level of training: medical student, resident or subspecialty resident, and MSc, PhD or post-doctoral candidate. The award is currently $500. Meeting dates are listed on the Conferences page.
Eligibility
- The trainee must have been supervised in a nephrology research project representing substantial effort and contribution, beyond the description of a single clinical entity such as a case report.
- Either the supervisor or the trainee must be a member of CAPN.
- The research must have been completed in the 12 months leading up to the autumn CAPN meeting, and submitted as an abstract to either the CSN meeting in the spring or the ASN meeting in the autumn.
Abstracts are adjudicated against criteria set by the Scientific Committee, out of a maximum of 10 points. Reviewers may award fractions of a point where a category is not clear cut.
Scoring rubric
Introduction 1 point
Sufficient background material is provided to understand the rationale and hypothesis.
Rationale and hypothesis 1 point
A clear hypothesis, and the rationale for it, is articulated.
Methods 0 to 2 points
- 0 — inappropriate to answer the question
- 1 — appropriate to answer the question, and standard
- 2 — appropriate, and cutting edge or innovative
Results 0 to 2 points
- 0 — not comprehensible, or do not follow from the stated methodology
- 1 — follow the stated methods and are interpretable
- 2 — clearly follow from the stated methods, are interpretable, and clearly support or refute the stated hypothesis
Conclusions 0 to 2 points
- 0 — not supported by the results
- 1 — somewhat supported by the results
- 2 — clearly supported by the results
Relevance to paediatric nephrology 0 to 2 points
- 0 — not at all
- 1 — somewhat
- 2 — very
2025
Most recent CAPN Research Trainee Awardees
Clinical research
Daniel Heydari — McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. Mallory L. Downie
Mendelian randomization identifies circulating plasma proteins as biomarkers for steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome
Karma Abukasm — University of British Columbia
Supervisors: Dr. Mina Matsuda-Abedini and Dr. Allison B. Dart
Evaluating construct validity of the PRO-Kid life participation tool for children living with chronic kidney disease
Prior awardees
2024
Atessa Bahadori — University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Michael Zappitelli
Risk of long-term chronic kidney disease and hypertension among childhood cancer survivors with AKI
Junayd Hussain — University of Ottawa
Long-term kidney outcomes in children and adolescents with hypertension: a propensity score-matched cohort study
2023
Basic science
Sara Qubisi — University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Norman Rosenblum
TGFβ signaling regulates renal patterning via Cadm1 during nephrogenesis
Clinical science
Cal Robinson — University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Rulan Parekh
Long-term kidney outcomes in children with posterior urethral valves: a population-based cohort study
2022
Basic science
Valentino Bruno — University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Christoph Licht
The role of complement in primary membranous nephropathy
Clinical science
Cal Robinson — University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Rulan Parekh
Long-term kidney outcomes after paediatric acute kidney injury not receiving dialysis: a population-based propensity-matched cohort study
2021
Basic science
Xiangyue Hu — University of Toronto
A human missense integrin-linked kinase variant negatively regulates murine renal branching morphogenesis via mTOR signaling
Clinical science
Cal Robinson — University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Rulan Parekh
Long-term healthcare utilization and associated costs after childhood dialysis-treated acute kidney injury
2020
Basic science
Robert D’Cruz — University of Toronto
Constitutive activation of hedgehog signalling disrupts nephrogenic and stromal differentiation
Clinical science
Susan Telencoe — University of Manitoba
An evaluation of sex differences and socioeconomic deprivation amongst Canadian children with high blood pressure
2019
Justin J. Lee — University of Alberta
Supervisor: Dr. R. Todd Alexander
The CaSR signals through CDC42, MKK6 and JNK to inhibit SP1, a repressor of claudin-14 expression
2018
Jaap Mulder — University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Norman Rosenblum
Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells and kidney organoids from paediatric urine specimens
2017
Emma Brasell — McGill University
The novel, non-toxic nonsense suppressor drug ELX-02 is effective in cystinosis
2016
Post-doctoral fellow, fellow or PhD
Kelly McMahon, PhD — McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. Mike Zappitelli
Biomarkers of cisplatin-induced kidney injury in children
Resident or master’s student
Sepideh Sheybani-Deloui, MSc candidate — University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Norm Rosenblum
Increased hedgehog signaling in renal progenitors disrupts stromal cell development and nephrogenesis
2015
Post-doctoral fellow, fellow or PhD
Richard Robins — McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. Indra Gupta
The spectrum of nephrotic syndrome from minimal change disease to FSGS correlates with Rac1 activation
Resident or master’s student
Emma Heydari — University of Alberta
Supervisor: Dr. R. Todd Alexander
Screening candidate genes for a cause of paediatric idiopathic hypercalciuria
Undergraduate or medical student
Jennifer Palermo — McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. Mike Zappitelli
Biomarkers for early acute kidney injury diagnosis in the paediatric intensive care unit: a four-centre Canadian pilot study
2014
Jennifer Palermo — McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. Mike Zappitelli
Biomarkers for early acute kidney injury diagnosis and prediction of AKI duration in the PICU
Kelly Benisty — McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. Mike Zappitelli
Long-term chronic kidney disease and hypertension in children previously admitted to the intensive care unit
Magdalena Riedl — University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Christoph Licht
Complement activation on vascular endothelial cells results in polymorphonuclear leukocyte adhesion
2013
Diana Popescu — University of Manitoba
Supervisor: Dr. Allison Dart
An evaluation of a 6-month versus 4-month steroid protocol in childhood onset nephrotic syndrome
Rami Ali — McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. Mike Zappitelli
Urine output criteria for defining acute kidney injury: association with length of stay and 5-year mortality in critically ill children
Dr. Mathieu Lemaire — Yale University
Supervisor: Dr. Richard Lifton
Mutations in DGKE cause a novel form of recessive atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome without complement activation
Other research awards
American Society of Nephrology
Kidney STARS (Students and Residents)
A program for medical students, graduate students and residents interested in nephrology who have not yet committed to applying for a fellowship, and for those interested in kidney research. It provides $1,500 in travel support and complimentary registration for ASN Kidney Week, along with tailored events and networking. Applicants must be in good standing at an accredited program, able to attend the whole meeting, and able to supply a CV and an institutional letter confirming their status and anticipated graduation date.
Applications for 2026 have closed. They typically open in early May and close in mid-June; check the ASN page for the next cycle.
American Society of Nephrology
The full list of ASN travel support opportunities, covering students, residents, fellows and early career investigators. Applicants may apply to every opportunity they are eligible for, though only one award is granted per person.