Jeff Sands honored with honorary doctorate from Aarhus University

Jeff M. Sands, MD, Juha P. Kokko professor of medicine and physiology, and director of the Division of Renal Medicine in the Department of Medicine, has been awarded an honorary doctorate (Doctorum Medicinae Honoris Causa) from Aarhus University in Denmark for his contribution to experimental nephrology research, a field in which he is regarded as one of the world’s leading experts. Sands was honored during the university’s 90^th annual celebration in September.

Aarhus University confers honorary doctorates to researchers from outside institutions with whom the university has a close and valued working relationship. Sands was selected for his contributions to the university’s teaching and professional networks, and the strong links he has established between the university and cutting-edge international research.

Sands established his laboratory at Emory University 30 years ago, and has made many important discoveries relating to the way in which the kidneys regulate the transport of urea and water in the different parts of the organs. He has also demonstrated that basic research findings have clinical significance and can be transferred to clinically relevant medical examinations, which he has performed together with colleagues in the US and around the world.

Sands is a graduate of Harvard College and the Boston University School of Medicine. He trained at the University of Chicago Division of Biological Sciences at the Pritzker School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. He also completed his clinical nephrology fellowship at Emory.

Sands joined the Emory Department of Medicine faculty as assistant professor in 1989, was promoted to associate professor in 1993, and professor of medicine in 1998. He was named Kokko Professor and division director in 2002, served as associate dean for clinical and translational research from 2006 to 2010, and executive vice chair of medicine from 2009-2015.

Sands is the current president of the American Physiological Society. He served as editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Physiology – Renal Physiology from 2001-2007. He is a member of the American Association of Physicians, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association. He was chair of the 2004 program committee of the American Society of Nephrology, and chair of the kidney council of the American Heart Association from 2008-2010. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the APS Gottschalk Award, the American Heart Association Distinguished Achievement Award and the American Society of Nephrology’s Brenner Lecture. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts, the majority of which are published in APS journals. He also has over 90 invited reviews or book chapters and has co-edited a book. Sands has also given over 30 invited talks at national or international scientific meetings and over 100 invited lectures at other U.S. or international universities.