William Fissell Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt UniversityUnited States

William H. Fissell, M.D. is a physician-scientist, nephrologist, and an Associate Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering within Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University. Dr. Fissell graduated from M.I.T. with undergraduate degrees in Physics and in Electrical Engineering, while working full time as a 911 paramedic. While in medical residency Dr. Fissell was appalled by the dismal options available to patients with renal failure and decided to apply his undergraduate experience in nanotechnology to unmet needs in nephrology. Dr. Fissell completed his nephrology training in 2002 and was awarded his first NIH grant in technology development for renal failure in 2003. Dr. Fissell is past president of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs and Medical Director of The Kidney Project, an interdisciplinary multicenter project to develop a biohybrid implantable artificial kidney.