Terry Watnick University of Maryland School of MedicineUnited States

Dr. Terry Watnick is the Joan B. and John H. Sadler Professor of Nephrology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Watnick received her MD degree followed by internal medicine residency training from the Yale University School of Medicine. She went on to complete clinical and research fellowships in Nephrology at Johns Hopkins. During her training she became interested in the genetic basis of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). She participated in the development of the first genetic test for ADPKD and along with her colleagues applied DNA analysis to make several important discoveries about the genetic basis of PKD. Since establishing an independent laboratory, she has applied multiple approaches to understanding PKD biology including the use of model organisms. Her laboratory has made important contributions to our understanding of the critical function that PKD proteins play in the vasculature. She is continuing to work on the genetics and pathophysiology of aneurysm formation, which is a serious and poorly understood manifestation of ADPKD. Dr. Watnick is also a clinician who has worked to translate discoveries to patients. She has been an investigator in multicenter trials, including TEMPO, REPRISE and TAME. Dr. Watnick was a member and past chair of the PKD foundation scientific advisory committee. She is a supporter of collaborative science to achieve a cure for PKD. Since 2010, She has led the Maryland PKD Research and Translation Core Center and she is co-principal investigator of the coordinating site for the NIH funded PKD Centers’ program. In this capacity she has worked to ensure that research resources are distributed to a broad community of investigators to advance cutting edge PKD science.