Karthikeyan Venkatachalam, M.D.

Associate professor, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension
Department of Internal Medicine

Courses Taught

Clinical education and teaching of medical students, residents, fellows and trainees in nephrology, transplant nephrology and geriatric nephrology

Education

Fellowships
Geriatric medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
Transplant nephrology, Washington University School of Medicine
Nephrology, Washington University School of Medicine

Residency
Internal medicine, Crittenton Hospital Medical Center/Wayne State University

M.B.B.S.
PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, India

Practice Areas

Transplant nephrology
Kidney transplantation
Geriatric nephrology
Chronic kidney disease
Kidney transplant rejection and immunologic complications
Care of older adults and kidney disease

Research Interests

Kidney transplant rejection and immunologic complications
Checkpoint inhibitor - associated kidney transplant complications
Kidney transplantation in older adults
Frailty assessment and its impact on outcomes in kidney transplant recipients
Clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of transplantation
Clinical outcomes and quality improvement in kidney disease

Publications and Media Placements

Venkatachalam has authored peer-reviewed publications and book chapters focused on kidney transplantation, transplant immunology and immunologic complications following transplantation. Selected publications included work on checkpoint inhibitors in kidney transplant recipients, calcineurin inhibitor management after acute rejection, and outcomes associated with checkpoint inhibitor use.

In 2025, the Division of Transplant Nephrology at UC Davis invited Venkatachalam to speak on the intricacies of kidney transplantation in the elderly.

Honors and Awards

Post of Distinction - American Transplant Congress (2019)
First place, Oral Presentation in Clinical Research - American College of Physicians, Michigan Chapter (2013)

Professional Organizations and Associations

Fellow, American College of Physicians (FACP)
Fellow, American Society of Nephrology (FASN)
Fellow, National Kidney Foundation (FNKF)
American Society of Transplantation (AST)
American Medical Association (AMA)
Sigma Xi, full member
Renal Physicians Association (RPA)
Academy of Physicians in Clinical Research

Community Work and Service

National Kidney Foundation Continuing Education Committee (2025-present)
Invited speaker, Giving Diabetes the Blues program - Mississippi State Department of Health (2024)