Pascale Hammond Lane, MD, FASN

Monthly Donor since 2016

Pascale Hammond Lane, MD, FASN, has been a devoted supporter and monthly donor of KidneyCure since 2016. A pediatric nephrologist, researcher, and educator, Dr. Lane most recently held the position of Nephrology Section Chief and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center before retiring last year. An active member of ASN, Dr. Lane also served as Chair of the Media and Communications Committee from 2017-2020 and Editor-in-Chief of Kidney News from 2008- 2014.

Congratulations on your recent and well-deserved retirement. What inspired you to first enter the field of pediatric nephrology? Please also share more about your professional interests and any career highlights.

I always tell students and trainees that choosing their specialty is more like falling in love than a logical decision-making process. Something will click and you just know that this is what I am meant to be. When I started medical school, pediatrics was not a thing I thought I would choose, but here I am. Same thing with nephrology. It was not the direction I thought I would go.

During my fellowship at University of Minnesota I became interested in morphometric studies of diabetic kidney disease. There I made some observations that I could not follow-up on in human studies. I morphed into a basic science researcher when I started my own laboratory, using rat and mouse models to explore the interactions of sex hormones and diabetic kidney disease during puberty. 

In retrospect, one of my most interesting papers was one of my first. While at fellowship, I had access to biopsy material from a lot of patients undergoing pancreas transplant evaluation. I noticed there were a number of patients who had low creatinine clearance and normal microalbuminuria. Their biopsies showed clear evidence of diabetic changes, something that the accepted dogma said did not happen. This observation was novel, but has since been confirmed by other groups and it's now accepted that diabetic kidney disease can progress without microalbuminuria.

As an active member of ASN, you served as Editor-in-Chief of Kidney News and on the Media and Communications Committee (including two terms as Chair). How did you first get involved with ASN and what led you to serve in these roles?

I joined ASN after fellowship because I believe group efforts can make great changes. I did not know if I would be able to continue my academic path and laboratory interests, and I felt it was important to be part of a group that could advocate for funding, both for research and treatment of kidney disease.

 

I had just gotten a frustrating grant rejection when the Kidney News call for applications hit my email. It sounded like so much fun! After becoming the founding editor, I knew it was important that we incorporate the new-fangled social media into our efforts. Kidney News has definitely been a highlight of my career. These tasks led to my involvement with communications for ASN and a number of other organizations as well.

You have been a monthly donor to KidneyCure since 2016. What motivated you to make your initial gift?

 

I think there was a call to those with leadership roles in ASN to become monthly donors. As I have always believed in the power of group efforts, it seemed like something I should be doing. 

In your opinion, what is the most important work that KidneyCure does?

KidneyCure provides important financial support for research, especially for younger investigators show may not have the tract record to get higher level funding. 

Are there any areas you wish to see KidneyCure expand its support?

Rapidly available bridge funding for senior investigators would be useful. We may also wish a program to focus more specifically on socioeconomic determinants of kidney disease and outcomes.

What are some other causes and organizations you support? 

I make monthly donations to the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, Amnesty International, and the local NPR station where I live.

What are some of your interests and hobbies outside of nephrology? 

I love to read, especially mysteries. I'm hoping to write more now that I'm retired and some of my other responsibilities are settling down. I like going to live theater; there's a company in my condo complex so I can walk to shows. Of course, I also get to spoil my grandchildren more now that I live in the same city! Travel is also on my retirement agenda. I will miss Kidney Week this year because I am finally going to Paris where I will cruise the Seine to Normandy and back! I want to see as much of the world as I can before I quit breathing.