Peter Kotanko, MD, FASN

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Get to know Nephrologist Dr. Peter Kotanko, who serves patients in New York, New York.

Dr. Kotanko, a practicing nephrologist, serves as the Research Director at the Renal Research Institute (RRI) in New York, New York. As such, he is responsible for the overall direction of RRI’s research whose work spans bench science to clinical research to epidemiology to mathematical modeling, protocol design, manuscript preparation, and teaching. 

After spending three years at RRI, Dr. Kotanko was recruited to take over the strategic leadership role of RRI’s research in 2010. His background and expertise in physiology, internal medicine, and nephrology & 20 years of clinical experience enable him to be the intellectual leader for scientists and fellows who come to train in clinical research. 

Prior to joining RRI, he was the Vice-Chair of a Department of Internal Medicine in Graz, Austria, from 1997 to 2007. From 1982 to 1989, he worked as an Assistant Professor, first in the Department of Physiology, and subsequently at the University Clinic of Internal Medicine in Innsbruck, Austria. From 1995 to 1996, Dr. Kotanko worked at the Hammersmith Hospital in London, United Kingdom. His current teaching appointments are with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, and the Medical University in Innsbruck, where he earned his medical degree back in 1982. 

In addition to being a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology (FASN), the doctor is board-certified in both internal medicine and nephrology by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). The ABIM is a physician-led, non-profit, independent evaluation organization driven by doctors who want to achieve higher standards for better care in a rapidly changing world. 

A noted researcher and scholar, Dr. Kotanko is a member of the Editorial Board of Blood Purification & Kidney and Blood Pressure Research, as well as the co-author of over 190 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. Additionally, he holds several patents in the dialysis field and has lectured internationally on topics in nephrology, physiology, and mathematical modeling.

Nephrology is a specialty of medicine and pediatrics that concerns itself with the kidneys. It is the study of normal kidney function and kidney disease, the preservation of kidney health, and the treatment of kidney disease, from diet and medication to renal replacement therapy. Nephrologists have advanced training in treating kidney disease. They diagnose and treat kidney failure, as well as help patients by prescribing medications, offering special diet advice, and coordinating dialysis care when the time comes. 

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