December 2017
Dr. Jennifer Charlton is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics within the Division of Nephrology at the University of Virginia. She is a native Floridian, the oldest of 3 siblings. Dr. Charlton attended the University of Florida for undergraduate training and University of South Florida in Tampa for medical school. She met her husband in medical school and they couples-matched to the University of South Carolina where she completed her pediatric residency training. This is where she figured out how much she loved the kidney. The Charlton’s moved to Charlottesville, VA in 2007 where she completed her nephrology fellowship and Masters in Clinical Research in 2010 while the Mr./Dr. Charlton completed a toxicology fellowship. The Drs. Charlton have 2 very active boys and enjoy living in “urban wilderness” in Charlottesville with their SPCA rescue dog, Lilypup (yes, the dog is named after a Pokemon character). Dr. Charlton loves spending time with her family, travelling, shopping, running and watching the boys swim.
Jennifer devotes her effort to a mixture of research, clinical, and educational activities. She enjoys mentoring and has been involved in fellowship education since her clinical appointment began in 2010. Dr. Charlton’s research focuses on the effect of preterm birth on the development and long-term function of the kidneys. She has been awarded grants from The Hartwell Foundation, Gerber Foundation, National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology. Dr. Charlton has been investigating a mouse model of prematurity to determine the mechanisms that are important in the development of chronic kidney disease in those born preterm. In 2017, Dr. Charlton and her collaborator, Dr. Kevin Bennett a biomedical engineer from the University of Hawaii, were awarded R01’s from the NIH/NIDDK to investigate a non-invasive contrast-enhanced MRI method to determine nephron number.
Dr. Charlton serves as a member of the NKC Steering Committee, and is actively involved in multiple NKC projects including the “Rick Factor Paper” and the Caffeine Paper.