Clinical Professor Wai Lim is a Consultant Nephrologist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Past Chair of the Western Australia Kidney Transplant Service.

He was awarded a Clinician Research Fellowship to elucidate the mechanisms underlying renal injury and disease recurrence in kidney transplant recipients and to develop an alternative allocation system for available donor kidneys in Australia to maximise successful transplantation rates and longevity. Chronic kidney disease is a highly prevalent non-communicable health problem in Western Australia and globally is associated with substantial loss of productivity. Health-related complications, including rejection, heart disease, and other blood vessel complications are relatively common for chronic kidney disease and kidney transplant patients. Therefore, improving ways to identify those at risk and to discover novel agents that may be effective in reducing these complications are essential to improve the long-term health outcomes and quality of life of people with chronic kidney disease.

The studies undertaken during this fellowship have shown that alternative allocation policies that match the life expectancy of donor kidneys with the patients could potentially increase the availability of donor kidneys to disadvantaged groups and increase the survival of people with chronic kidney disease. Additionally, a greater understanding of the immunological risk profile for kidney transplant patients and the identification of novel risk factors and potential interventions for cardiac disease may help to improve the long-term health outcomes of people with chronic kidney disease.

This fellowship has been successful in generating multiple publications (over 60 since 2017), providing support/supervision for higher degree students and advanced trainees, disseminating study findings at national and international meetings, establishing collaborations and obtaining additional competitive funding, and has enhanced the standing of Western Australia as a quality hub for research activities. The findings generated from this fellowship have contributed to changes in health policy and improved clinical decision-making processes in patient management.

Clinical Professor Lim is grateful to the WA Department of Health and the Raine Medical Research Foundation for the financial support offered through the Fellowship, which has allowed the expansion of his research activities, enhanced collaboration with researchers globally, and assisted the advancement of knowledge with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes of kidney transplant recipients and people with chronic kidney disease.

“This fellowship has not only helped me generate multiple publications, establish collaborations and success in competitive grant funding, it has enabled me to provide a greater engagement and mentorship of future clinician-scientist and researchers, which are critical in ensuring the continuity of clinically-relevant and quality research going forward.”