Andrew Barbera, MD, is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has been part of the Deep South KUH PRIME since December 2024. His research topic is “Clinical And Molecular Features of Acute Kidney Injury without Rejection in Pediatric Kidney Transplantation (CAMpFIRE).”
Q: Do you have any particular experiences, interests, or passions that have shaped you as a researcher?
A: My passion for Pediatric Nephrology has heavily influenced my career and research trajectory. Between Medical School and Residency, I have seen how important research is and how it can translate for the betterment of our patients. I especially saw how the lack of research is affecting our kids and leaving gaps in their care, particularly for Nephrology. I want to fill that gap and provide better care to our patients through translational research in which we get to see the fruits of collaboration.
Q: What do you hope to achieve with your current research? How did you come to specialize in your particular field of research?
A: I hope to provide more years to our Pediatric Kidney Transplant recipients and prevent premature transplant failure. Ultimately, this has grown out of my interest in Acute Kidney Injuries (AKI’s) and my desire to prevent them in our transplant population. By studying AKI’s in our kidney transplants, I hope to learn more about the different AKI phenotypes and the unique injury patterns that drive them.
Q: What advice would you give to undergraduate students who want to get more experience with research?
A: Find a good research mentor that you trust even if they are studying topics that might not interest you. The right mentor has made all the difference for me and has fostered a love of research. A good place to start is with a professor or faculty member that you trust. They can direct you to the right mentor. Give the mentor/mentee relationship a shot for a few months and if it’s not working out don’t be afraid to look elsewhere.
Q: What is one thing you wish you could tell your younger self about academia/research/life in general?
A: You don’t have to know everything. There is way too much information out there for one person. Medicine and Research are both team sports. You need good people around you to fill the gaps in your skills/knowledge. It’s okay to not be perfect and working with a team is the way modern research is supposed to work. If you do not have a good team around you or you don’t trust them, then research becomes a chore, and it is life sucking.
Q: What thought/philosophy/principle has helped you during difficult times?
A: If you do not know the answer, then ask for help. Acknowledging that I don’t know everything and that I need help has saved me a lot of time and effort. People are always willing to offer assistance and if I try to do everything on my own, life gets a lot harder. Lean on others when you need it and pay it forward when they need the same thing.