Clinical Focus

  • Nephrology
  • Glomerulonephritis

Academic Appointments

Administrative Appointments

  • Medical Director, Quality Improvement (2018 - Present)
  • Member, Medical Professional Practice Evaluation Committee (PPEC) (2016 - Present)
  • Medical Director, Satellite Menlo Park Dialysis Unit (2016 - Present)

Professional Education

  • Medical Education: University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine (2007) MO
  • Fellowship: Brown University Dept of Nephrology (2013) RI
  • Residency: Brown University Internal Medicine Residency (2011) RI
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Nephrology (2014)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (2013)
  • Internship: St Louis University School of Medicine (2009) MO
  • Fellowship, Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University, Nephrology (2013)
  • Residency, Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University, Internal Medicine (2011)
  • Board Certification, Nephrology, American Board of Internal Medicine
  • Board Certification, Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine

Contact

  • Academic
    University - Academic staff Department: Medicine - Med/Nephrology Position: Clinical Associate Professor
  • Clinical (Primary)  Stanford Nephrology Clinic 300 Pasteur Dr Rm A175 MC 5309 Palo Alto, CA 94304 (650) 725-8418 (fax)

Additional Clinical Info

All Publications

  • Current Biomarkers of IgA Nephropathy. Seminars in nephrology Kamal, F., Kim, J., Lafayette, R. 2025: 151572

    Abstract

    IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most prevalent primary glomerular disease and has been recognized to carry a poor prognosis. It is therefore critical to identify the patients that will progress to ESKD and start treatments early. The current gold standard for diagnosis remains kidney biopsy. Histopathologic findings along with proteinuria, glomerular filtration rate, and hypertension remain the best-validated biomarkers for prognosis but do not provide enough granularity to guide treatment decisions. The current understanding of the pathophysiology of IgAN with the four-hit hypothesis has helped identify potential additional biomarkers that could become available in the foreseeable future. In this review we detail the existing data for the most promising biomarkers including galactose-deficient IgA1 and its corresponding autoantibody, markers of complement activation, as well as more nascent assays such as MicroRNAs, genomic, and microbiome biomarkers.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.semnephrol.2025.151572

    View details for PubMedID 40087126

  • Considering the Treatment of IgA Nephropathy. Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN Lafayette, R. A., S Kamal, F. 2023

    View details for DOI 10.2215/CJN.0000000000000261

    View details for PubMedID 37533148

  • Updates in Management and Timing of Dialysis in Acute Kidney Injury. Journal of hospital medicine Yu, M. K., Kamal, F., Chertow, G. M. 2019; 14: E1–E7

    Abstract

    Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in hospitalized patients and is associated with mortality, prolonged hospital length of stay, and increased healthcare costs. This paper reviews several areas of controversy in the identification and management of AKI. Serum creatinine and urine output are used to identify and stage AKI by severity. Although standardized definitions of AKI are used in research settings, these definitions do not account for individual patient factors or clinical context which are necessary components in the assessment of AKI. After treatment of reversible causes of AKI, patients with AKI should receive adequate volume resuscitation with crystalloid solutions. Balanced crystalloid solutions generally prevent severe hyperchloremia and could potentially reduce the risk of AKI, but additional studies are needed to demonstrate a clinical benefit. Intravenous albumin may be beneficial in patients with chronic liver disease either to prevent or attenuate the severity of AKI; otherwise, the use of albumin or other colloids (eg, hydroxyethyl starch) is not recommended. Diuretics should be used to treat volume overload, but they do not facilitate AKI recovery or reduce mortality. Nutrition consultation may be helpful to ensure that patients receive adequate, but not excessive, dietary protein intake, as the latter can lead to azotemia and electrolyte disturbances disproportionate to the patient's kidney failure. The optimal timing of dialysis initiation in AKI remains controversial, with conflicting results from two randomized controlled trials.

    View details for PubMedID 30794134