Reviewer Champions Gallery

Jan Halbritter, MD, is a physician-scientist and expert in genetic kidney diseases, currently serving as Professor of Nephrology and Scientific Director of the Center for Rare Kidney Diseases (CeRKiD) at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. From mid-2026 onward, he will assume the position of Head of the Department of Nephrology at the University of Freiburg, Germany. His research focuses on the genetic determinants of chronic kidney disease, including hereditary kidney stone disorders, polycystic kidney disease, and other monogenic nephropathies such as Alport syndrome and ADTKD. Halbritter leads and coordinates national and international research initiatives, clinical trials, and patient registries aimed at elucidating the molecular basis of rare renal disorders and advancing diagnosis and personalized care.

Reasons to review for NDT
NDT attracts high-profile article submissions.

Favourite 2025 NDT article
My favourite NDT article in 2025 is “Inherited kidney disease and CAKUT are common causes of kidney failure requiring kidney replacement therapy: an ERA Registry study” PMID: 39508350

Kaitlin Mayne is a Clinical Lecturer in Renal Medicine at the University in Glasgow working both in clinical and academic nephrology. She has broad research interests in CKD progression, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in CKD; and gained expertise in clinical trials working as a research fellow on the EMPA-KIDNEY trial. She is the current ERA YNP National Representative for the United Kingdom and very much looks forward to welcoming the ERA Congress to her home city of Glasgow in the final year of her term.

Reasons to review for NDT
I have been reviewing for both CKJ and NDT for several years now and would strongly encourage fellow YNP members to get involved. I once thought I lacked sufficient experience for peer review but I have come to realise that, as a typical reader of NDT, I am well-placed to assess the clarity and relevance of papers prior to publication. There is significant learning for me as a reviewer – both clinical and methodological – and it undoubtedly makes me a better author. Beyond personal benefit, peer review is a duty we share to support the quality and credibility of nephrology research.

Favourite 2025 NDT article
One of my favourite NDT articles of 2025 is “The potential for improving cardio-renal outcomes in chronic kidney disease with the aldosterone synthase inhibitor vicadrostat (BI 690517): a rationale for the EASi-KIDNEY trial“, the rationale for EASi-KIDNEY trial – set to be the largest CKD trial to date, showing the ambition and direction of travel of nephrology research.

Manuel Praga is Professor of Medicine at Complutense University in Madrid and has developed his clinical and research activity at the Hospital 12 de Octubre in Madrid. He is the founder of the GLOSEN group and has authored more than 450 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 79) with a significant impact in different fields of clinical nephrology such as IgA nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, kidney involvement in systemic diseases, obesity-related glomerulopathy, complement-related kidney diseases and interstitial nephritis.

Reasons to review for NDT
Serving as a reviewer for NDT has been and continues to be an exciting challenge and a great intellectual stimulus. The journal’s outstanding scientific quality, the thoroughness and rigor of its paper selection process, and the kindness and competence of its editorial team are the foundation of the publication’s success and my personal interest in continuing to collaborate. Contributing to the support of these high-quality medical journals is increasingly important in a global context of rampant scientific fraud, with a growing number of low-quality journals lacking scientific rigor or editorial ethics.

Favourite 2025 NDT article
It is very difficult to select a single article from 2025 NDT; I would like to highlight the extraordinary quality and usefulness of all the publications from the IWG (Immunonephrology Working Group).

Wisit Cheungpasitporn, MD, FACP, FASN, FAST is a Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and a consultant in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He also serves as Artificial Intelligence Content Lead and Course Director at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. His clinical and research interests include acute and chronic kidney disease, dialysis, kidney transplantation, and the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into nephrology to advance evidence-based, personalized kidney care. An internationally recognized physician-scientist and educator, he is actively involved in guideline development, global collaboration, and mentoring the next generation of nephrologists.

Reasons to review for CKJ
I review for the Clinical Kidney Journal because it is a nephrology journal of the European Renal Association (ERA) that consistently delivers outstanding, clinically meaningful research with direct relevance to patient care. I greatly appreciate CKJ’s rigorous yet constructive peer-review process, its clear clinical vision, and its strong commitment to advancing evidence-based nephrology. It is a privilege to contribute as a reviewer within such an exceptionally well-organized journal supported by a dedicated and thoughtful editorial leadership team.

Favourite 2025 CKJ article
ECOSBot: a multicenter validation pilot study of a generative AI tool for OSCE-based nephrology training

I found this article particularly compelling for its rigorous multicenter validation, its thoughtful evaluation of generative AI as both a standardized patient and examiner, and its clear relevance to scalable, high-fidelity nephrology education. The study offers an important and pragmatic contribution to how AI can responsibly augment competency-based medical training in nephrology.

Nuri Baris Hasbal, MD, is an Associate Professor of Nephrology at Koc University in Istanbul. He works as a clinician–researcher with a primary focus on chronic kidney disease, and cardio-renal-metabolic interactions.

His research is closely aligned with his clinical practice, with particular interest in disease progression,  and metabolic and inflammatory drivers of kidney outcomes. He aims to translate clinical data into practical insights that can directly inform patient care and everyday nephrology practice. Through prospective studies and real-world data analyses, his work seeks to bridge methodological rigor with clinically meaningful impact.

Reasons to review for CKJ
As a clinician–researcher, I see peer review as an extension of patient care. Ensuring methodological rigor and clinical relevance in published research is one of the ways we collectively protect and advance our field. Contributing to Clinical Kidney Journal allows me to support research that ultimately translates into better outcomes for patients.

Favourite 2025 CKJ article
My favourite 2025 CKJ article is “Effects of spironolactone on intradialytic hypertension: a multicentre, double-blind, randomized, crossover study”, a well-designed double-blind, randomized trial showing that pre-dialysis spironolactone significantly reduces intradialytic blood pressure spikes in haemodialysis patients — a common but often overlooked challenge. This work stood out for its clinical relevance and clear potential to improve day-to-day care for dialysis patients.

Şafak Mirioğlu is an associate professor of nephrology at Istanbul University, Türkiye with a special interest in immune-mediated kidney diseases and kidney transplantation. He is the chair of the ERA Young Nephrologists’ Platfrom (YNP) and a board member of the ERA Immunonephrology Working Group (IWG).

Reasons to review for CKJ
I value reviewing for the CKJ since its emphasis on clinical perspective facilitates the translation of scientific evidence into practical, clinically relevant insights that inform nephrology practice and support improved patient outcomes.

Favourite 2025 CKJ article
My favourite article from the Journal in 2025 is Acquired drivers of C3 glomerulopathy.

Marios Papasotiriou was born in Cholargos, Attica, in 1979 and studied at the Medical School of the Democritus University of Thrace in Alexandroupoli, from where he graduated in July 2003. He received further training in Public Health at the National School of Public Health in Athens and from 2005 till 2012 he completed his specialization in internal medicine and Nephrology at the University Hospital of Patras, Greece. In 2013, he completed his doctoral thesis and at the same year he received a yearly scholarship from the Hellenic Society of Nephrology for further training at the Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Germany. Returning to Greece, in August 2014, he was appointed at the Nephrology Department of the University Hospital of Patras and in 2017, he was elected as an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine – Nephrology, while in 2024, he received the position of Associate Professor. His clinical research interests include the early diagnosis and treatment of patients with glomerular diseases, infections in kidney transplant recipients and the use of peritoneal dialysis as a supportive treatment in patients with end-stage heart failure. His basic research interests focus on the study of the mechanisms of kidney fibrosis as well as early diagnosis of the progression of chronic kidney disease.

Reasons to review for CKJ
I think that reviewing for CKJ is a privlilege as I have the opportunity to come into contact with very high-level research that brings insight to the essential core of clinical nephrology and basic research.

Favourite 2025 CKJ articles

• Renal functional reserve in living kidney donors
• Top ten tips in managing ANCA vasculitis 
• eGFR slope modeling predicts long-term clinical benefit with nefecon in a real-world IgAN population 
• First real-world evidence of sparsentan efficacy in patients with IgA nephropathy treated with SGLT2 inhibitors 
• When should the nephrologist think about genetics in patients with glomerular diseases? 
• Obinutuzumab is effective for the treatment of rituximab-refractory PLA2R-associated membranous nephropathy