Rate My Professor David Harris

Professor David Harris, AM, MD, MBBS, FRACP, is Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney, with appointments in the Westmead Clinical School and as an Adjunct Professor in Sydney Medical School. He serves as Director of Nephrology and Dialysis in the Western Sydney Renal Service and Director of the Renal Failure Laboratory in the Centre for Transplantation and Renal Research at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research. His career highlights clinical leadership and research excellence in nephrology, beginning as a registrar at Westmead Hospital in 1982. Harris's research focuses on the prevention and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD), investigating mechanisms of progression including renal tubular hypermetabolism, proteinuria-induced injury, oxidative stress, NF-κB activation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, matrix metalloproteinases, interstitial inflammation, and kidney fibrosis. His laboratory explores novel therapies such as regulatory lymphocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, DNA vaccination, and immune modulation to halt CKD progression. Clinically, he studies peritoneal and haemodialysis outcomes, contributing to trials like the CKD-FIX study on allopurinol and a randomized controlled trial for slowing progression in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Harris co-led the IDEAL trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, which showed no survival benefit from early dialysis initiation, reshaping worldwide practices and informing KDIGO guidelines. With over 380 peer-reviewed publications and more than 270 invited presentations, his work has advanced nephrology globally. Major awards include Member of the Order of Australia (2019), Priscilla Kincaid-Smith Medal from Kidney Health Australia (2012), Sydney Medical School Distinguished Professorial Award (2016), Westmead Institute Awards for Scientific Excellence (2016, 2017), Richard Yu Award (2017), Honorary Membership of the Japanese Society of Nephrology (2017), and Associé Étranger of the French Academy of Medicine (2016). He has held presidencies of the International Society of Nephrology, Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology, and Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology, and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Nephrology, board member of KDIGO and Kidney Health Australia, Chair of the Australasian Kidney Trials Network Advisory Board, and Chair of the Westmead Hospital Medical Staff Council. His contributions include Australian (CARI) and international guideline development and education initiatives in developing countries.