Dr. David Roth Awarded Endowed Chair for Transformative Work in Transplant Nephrology
Over the course of his remarkable 35-year career at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, David Roth, M.D., has dedicated himself to building a kidney transplantation program that is now regarded as one of the best in the country.
From left, Edward Abraham, M.D.; Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.; Bella DeFrancia; Alessia Fornoni, M.D., Ph.D.; Rebecca Feinstein; Jacquelyn Kossar; David Roth, M.D.; Peggy Katz; Patricia Byers, M.D. ’80; Alessandra Pastori; Joshua Roth; Jonathan Roth; and Sarah Roth.
Over that time, he also remained committed to excellence in clinical care, education, and mentoring of early-career faculty conducting leading-edge research into kidney disease.
Now, Roth has received one of the most prestigious academic honors in higher education — an endowed chair.
On January 4, Roth was presented the David Roth, M.D., Endowed Chair in Transplant Nephrology, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of longtime supporters, Peggy and Harold Katz.
“It is a remarkable honor and I am very humbled by it,” said Roth, William Way Anderson Professor of Nephrology, director of clinical services, and former chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, “I have dedicated my life to teaching and research in an academic setting. To have this type of recognition from a grateful patient like Peggy Katz is a real honor because it exemplifies what I’ve tried to accomplish.”
Peggy Katz has been active in promoting new treatments and cures for kidney disease after seeking treatment for polycystic kidney disease at the Miller School in 2000 and receiving a transplant three years later.
Since then, the Katz family has been steadfast in supporting research and programs at UM, most recently making a remarkable $10 million commitment in 2016 to ensure long-term resources for the fight against kidney disease.
That pledge led to the establishment of the endowed chair, as well as two professorships, and the naming of the division as the Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension.
“This is one of the best parts of my job, to be part of an endowed chair presentation that recognizes the exceptional members of our faculty, such as Dr. David Roth,” said Edward Abraham, M.D., executive vice president for health affairs, CEO of UHealth, and dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School of Medicine. “The Katz family has created an amazing legacy that will transform treatment for generations of patients. On behalf of UHealth and the Miller School of Medicine, I offer our most heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for their extraordinary generosity.”
The chair was presented at the Lois Pope LIFE Center before Roth’s family and friends, and UHealth and Miller School leadership, including Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, which includes the Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension.
Weiss said the Katz’s generosity will keep researchers on the cutting edge of research, clinical care, and education.
“In academia, our currency is that of what we accomplish and the impactful research that we do that improves the health of our pateints,” said Weiss, who is also the Kathleen and Stanley Glaser Distinguished Chair in Medicine. “What’s wonderful about this is that this chair will live on even 100 years from now because a chair is in perpetuity.”
Over the past decade, the Katz family has made other generous contributions that have led to the growth of the division’s scientific program and the addition of top researchers. They helped establish The Peggy and Harold Katz Family Drug Discovery Center, as well as the Peggy and Harold Katz Family Chair, which is held by Alessia Fornoni, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine, and chief of The Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension.
Fornoni had the honor of introducing Roth, describing him as a humble and caring physician, and an outstanding educator and mentor who also served as director of the fellowship program.
“Regardless of his role, David has consistently proven to be a true leader, always fighting on the side of his patients, his faculty members, and his fellows,” Fornoni said. “He is truly the father of what is now The Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, which is nothing else but his extended family.”
Peggy Katz was diagnosed with kidney disease 36 years ago and quickly became active in raising both funds and awareness, serving on the board of the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Later, she founded the Katz Family Foundation with her husband, entrepreneur Harold Katz.
She was referred to Roth in 2000 and will mark the 15th anniversary of her kidney transplant later this year. She said she is grateful to share the milestone with Roth, whom she says she is blessed to have as both a friend and a physician.
“I am grateful to be alive and want to do all we can to treat, and possibly eradicate, this disease for future generations,” said Katz, who was accompanied by daughter Jacquelyn Kossar and granddaughters Bella and Rebecca. “My life, and the lives of family members, friends, and countless others, truly depend on this work being done at UM.”
Throughout his distinguished career, Roth has published 16 book chapters and 165 peer-reviewed articles, and has presented at national and international meetings. He has chaired committees to globally improve the outcome in kidney diseases, and his most recent research accomplishment, published in the journal Lancet, carries major health care implications as it describes the safety and efficacy of the treatment of hepatitis C in patients affected by chronic kidney diseases.
When he began focusing on transplant nephrology in the early 1980s, Roth remembers the procedure was “uncommon and unique.” Now, the collaborative UM/Jackson kidney transplant program provides life-saving kidney transplantation to more than 300 patients each year with end stage renal disease who come to UM from around the state and the country.
Roth thanked his many family members at the event, including his wife Patricia Byers, M.D., a professor of surgery, and sons Joshua and Jonathan. He also thanked the Katz family for their transformational efforts, which now make it possible for young nephrologists to pursue transplantation as a career.
“There are no words I could say that would properly express my gratitude for what you have done for the Division of Nephrology and the medical school over the past 15 years,” Roth said. “Because of your incredible generosity, I have been able to be a part of the building of something special in nephrology at the Miller School, which will be substantial and sustainable for years to come.”
Tags: Dr. David Roth, endowed chair, kidney transplantation, Peggy and Harold Katz