11MD, 14R, 16F

Lyndsay Harshman, MD, MS, is transforming care for children with kidney disease through innovations in research and clinical practice. An associate professor in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics and director of the Pediatric Physician Scientist Training Pathway Program, she also serves as medical director of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program. These roles reflect her clinical expertise and commitment to academic medicine. A physician-scientist, clinician, and leader in her field, Harshman also mentors the next generation of pediatric researchers.

During her leadership of Iowa’s only pediatric kidney transplant program, Harshman and her team have strengthened protocols around transition to adult nephrology and identified barriers to treatment adherence — all while maintaining a focus on safe, high-quality, patient-centered care for a vulnerable population.

“Kidney disease impacts so many things,” she says. “It impacts cardiovascular health. It impacts bone health, the brain, and the immune system. As a transplant nephrologist, I take pride in the fact that we take care of all of it. We are the quarterback.”

Nationally, Harshman is recognized for her groundbreaking work on neurocognitive outcomes in children with chronic kidney disease. Her interest began as a third-year medical student, when she noticed that children and young adults struggled more than expected with medication adherence after a kidney transplant.

“I became passionate about trying to understand how we can help these kids better adhere to medications so they can finish high school, go to college, and enhance their quality of life,” Harshman says.

This question shaped her work through residency and fellowship training, and into her career as a scientist. Her research on how kidney disease affects brain structure and function — now consecutively funded by the National Institutes for Health for more than a decade — is reshaping how clinicians approach long-term outcomes after pediatric kidney transplantation. Recent work supported by the Stead Family Scholars Program has enabled her to pivot into a mouse model of chronic kidney disease, generating insights that influence care far beyond her institution.

Harshman credits Iowa’s supportive, collaborative culture for fueling her early research success, especially the mentorship of Peg Nopoulos (89MD, 93R, 94F), chair of the UI Department of Psychiatry, and former pediatric nephrology division chief Patrick Brophy, MD.

“The mentorship I have had at Iowa has been critical to launching my career,” she says. “Now I am in a really fun phase where I get to mentor amazing young people — all while I still have mentors that I'm learning from, too.”

She works closely with trainees — from undergraduates to postdoctoral scholars — and her skills as an educator reflect her commitment to the field’s future.

Harshman has served as president of the Midwest Society for Pediatric Research and holds leadership roles within the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, while also contributing to national initiatives such as those of the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Alliance. A frequent invited speaker and journal reviewer, she balances professional leadership with a steadfast commitment to patients and families.  

“It’s a privilege to have these relationships with families,” Harshman says. “Our pediatric patients and families deserve to know that even though they have a disease that they did not ask for or expect, when they walk into our clinic, each child is loved and cared for.”