Raymond Harris, MD, the Ann and Roscoe R. Robinson Professor of Nephrology, Professor of Medicine, and Director of Research in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, received the 2025 William S. Middleton Award, the highest honor for outstanding achievement in biomedical research from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and Development.
“Dr. Harris’ research has transformed our understanding of renal disease and renal injury, which is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the VA, with 30% of veterans suffering from kidney disease,” Grant Huang, PhD, Acting Chief Research and Development Officer said in a statement. “His work has focused over the years on a number of areas of interest, and he has made major insights into each and fundamentally advanced the field.”
These areas include:
- The role of cyclooxygenase and its metabolites in kidney physiology and pathophysiology
- The mechanisms of compensatory renal hypertrophy
- The role of epidermal growth factor receptor and its ligands in kidney physiology and pathophysiology
- The role of the innate immune system in acute and chronic kidney injury
“The VA has been instrumental in supporting my research career during all of my time at Vanderbilt, and I am honored to receive this prestigious award,” Harris said. “I would also like to acknowledge all of my current and past lab members and all of my collaborators here at Vanderbilt who have greatly contributed to our research.”
As part of the award, Harris will receive $50,000 in research support per year for three years.
“Dr. Harris is recognized as a leader in his field, with many past and present leadership roles and memberships on task forces,” Huang’s statement continued. “His mentorship activities are outstanding, and he has trained and retained many equally outstanding VA scientists, with ten of his past mentees currently holding active VA Merit awards.
“His service to the VA is notable, as he continues to attend on both the nephrology and general medicine consult services at the Nashville VA, and he served as the interim Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development in 2020 and 2021.”
