Meet Dr. Hains, a Riley Children’s Nephrologist

David Hains, M.D., serves as Division Chief of Pediatric Nephrology at Riley Children’s Health. He first became fascinated by the kidney during medical school. Now, Dr. Hains leads a faculty team on the cutting edge of research and clinical improvements for kids and families who are impacted by kidney disease. He shares more about his love for his work and how Riley is shaping a brighter future for kids with kidney disease throughout the country.

What sparked your interest in nephrology?

Nephrology allows us to follow kids throughout their entire childhood. We know some kids even before they’re born. Our kidney transplant team follows people well into their twenties. That’s a big chunk of somebody’s life that we get to be a part of.

If kidneys fail, we have machines that can help. It’s hard to build an organ in a box. We can get kids on dialysis and our goal is to get you to transplant. The fact that we can transplant an organ gives patients with even the most dismal of circumstances hope that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

What makes the nephrology program at Riley stand out among children’s hospitals?

We’re constantly growing and bringing in the next generation of nephrologists to tell us the new latest and greatest thing we should be doing. Half of our faculty is research focused instead of clinically focused, which is unique. Every single person in our division is a thought leader in their respective arenas. We’re really trying to push the envelope and make things better for kids.

We’re the only pediatric dialysis center in the entire state. We also go to the corners of the state and get to patients that can’t easily get to us. No other hospital is doing that in Indiana.

We have a lot of clinical programs that are one-of-a-kind. Dr. Nailescu built a kidney transplant transition program and dove into the psychological aspects of young adulthood and how you transition kids to adult care. Dr. Starr built a neonatal acute kidney injury identification and follow up program that is one of the biggest in the country. We have a multidisciplinary clinic with Dr. Misseri for kids with urinary tract problems and would love to add psychological support for parents and adolescents.

When you think about the future of your department, what are you most excited about?

There’s been a lot of energy and time spent building a supportive culture at Riley where dynamic faculty can excel and grow. I’m so excited to see where this rocket ship ends up landing. I think our team is going to transform pediatric nephrology across the board.

If you could share a message with Riley Children’s Foundation donors, what would you say?

If you’re looking for a place where a donation can really make a difference, you can’t pick a group better than ours. Kidney disease is a growing problem in this country. We have severely underfunded research, and dialysis is the same as it was in 1980. There’s so much opportunity, and that’s why bringing together all these researchers is such a big deal. Our doctors are tireless advocates and well poised to move the needle in anything that impacts kids with kidney disease.