Kalani L. Raphael
· ProfessorVerifiedUniversity of Utah · Nephrology
Active 2002–2026
About
Kalani L. Raphael, MD, MS, is a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah, specializing in nephrology and hypertension. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Gonzaga University and his medical degree from the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine. Dr. Raphael completed Internal Medicine and Nephrology training at the University of Utah and has been on the faculty since 2009. His clinical expertise includes disorders of the kidney, electrolytes, and high blood pressure. His research focuses on various aspects of chronic kidney disease (CKD), including acid-base balance, mineral metabolism, and the impact of metabolic acidosis. Dr. Raphael has contributed to understanding the safety and pathogenesis of metabolic acidosis in CKD, as well as exploring interventions such as alkali therapy. He has been involved in numerous studies examining kidney function, cardiovascular outcomes, and the effects of blood pressure management in CKD patients. His work emphasizes improving health outcomes through innovation and evidence-based approaches in nephrology.
Research topics
- Internal medicine
- Medicine
- Cardiology
- Urology
- Radiology
- Physical therapy
- Nuclear medicine
Selected publications
Journal of Renal Nutrition · 2026-03-01
articleEffect of Sodium Bicarbonate on Serum Calciprotein Particles in CKD
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology · 2025-10-01
articleEffect of Sodium Bicarbonate on Plasma α-Klotho Levels in CKD
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology · 2025-10-01
articleSenior authorStudies in health technology and informatics · 2025-08-07
articleOpen accessNative Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations are often aggregated into broad racial categories, obscuring potential disparities. This study leverages an expanded race/ethnicity lexicon and natural language processing (NLP) to identify documentation of NHPI subgroups to address gaps in electronic health records' (EHRs) recorded race. Results demonstrate the potential of NLP to classify NHPI documentation, disaggregate legacy categories, and improve health equity by incorporating more detailed subgroup data into standardized healthcare data sets.
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology · 2025-10-01
articleJournal of Renal Nutrition · 2025-11-01 · 2 citations
articleGlobal landscape of kidney health across Indigenous populations
Nature Reviews Nephrology · 2025-10-16 · 4 citations
reviewOpen accessNew Use for an Old Medication: Colchicine, a Novel Therapeutic for Renoprotection
Current Pharmacology Reports · 2025-12-04
articleGenetics in Medicine Open · 2025-01-01
articleOpen accessB4GALNT3 were associated with increased ALP levels.These findings demonstrate that rare, high-impact variants in genes other than ALPL can bi-directionally influence ALP levels.Conclusion: Our UK Biobank analyses reinforce the strong association of pathogenic ALPL variants and persistently low ALP levels.However, the HPP penetrance of heterozygous hypomorphic ALPL variants, particularly c.571G>A, may be lower than previously reported.This observed lower penetrance may explain why the highly prevalent c.571G>A heterozygous genotype has low frequency in HPP patient cohorts, such as the Global HPP Registry (4.4% of participants).Our rare variant analyses identified additional genetic contributors to ALP levels, expanding on prior common variant analyses, and underscore the polygenic nature of ALP regulation.Future studies should aim to refine HPP penetrance estimates for pathogenic ALPL variants, and to elucidate the contributions of non-ALPL variants to persistently low ALP and HPP.
Urinary Response to Consuming Plant-Based Meat Alternatives in Persons with Normal Kidney Function
Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology · 2024-08-26 · 8 citations
articleOpen accessKey Points Eating plant-based meat versus eating animal meat is associated with lower urinary excretion of sulfate, ammonium, phosphorus, and urea nitrogen. Consuming plant-based meat compared with consuming animal meat is associated with higher urine pH and higher urinary excretion of citrate. Study findings suggest potential benefits of plant-based meat for patients with kidney disease. Background Consuming excess animal meat may exacerbate kidney disorders, such as urinary stone disease and CKD. Plant-based meat alternatives imitate animal meat and replace animal with vegetable protein, but it is unclear whether eating plant-meat confers similar health benefits as eating whole vegetables. We hypothesized that eating plant-meat when compared with animal meat decreases dietary acid load but increases dietary phosphorus and nitrogen. Methods The Study With Appetizing Plantfood—Meat Eating Alternatives Trial was a randomized 8-week, crossover trial (NCT03718988) of participants consuming ≥2 servings/d of either plant-meat or animal meat for each 8-week phase. We measured urine sulfate, ammonium, pH, phosphorus, urea nitrogen (UUN), citrate, and creatinine concentrations and serum creatinine and bicarbonate concentrations from stored participant samples from each phase. Results At a single site, we enrolled 36 generally healthy participants (mean±SD age 50.2±13.8 years, 67% women, and 69% White). Eating the plant-meat diet versus eating the animal meat diet was associated with lower mean concentration of urine sulfate (−6.7 mEq/L; 95% confidence interval [CI], −11.0 to −2.4), urine ammonium (−4.2 mmol/L; 95% CI, −8.2 to −0.1), urine phosphorus (−9.0 mg/dl; 95% CI, −17.5 to −0.5), and UUN (−124.8 mg/dl; 95% CI, −226.9 to −22.6). Eating plant-meat compared with eating animal meat was associated with higher mean urine pH (+0.3 units; 95% CI, 0.2 to 0.5) and mean urine citrate/creatinine ratio (+111.65; 95% CI, 52.69 to 170.60). After participants consumed a plant-meat diet compared with when they consumed an animal meat diet, mean serum creatinine concentration was lower (−0.07 mg/dl, 95% CI, −0.10 to −0.04), whereas mean serum bicarbonate concentration was not different. Conclusions Eating plant-based meat products, compared with eating animal meat, was associated with lower urinary excretion of sulfate, ammonium, phosphorus, and UUN and higher urinary excretion of citrate. Our findings provide rationale for examining whether plant-based meat will benefit patients with kidney disease. Clinical Trial registry name and registration number: NCT03718988.
Recent grants
Acid-base balance and kidney, bone, and muscle health in Veterans with preserved renal function
NIH · 2018–2025
NIH · $1.5M · 2021
NIH · 2017
Frequent coauthors
- 99 shared
Srinivasan Beddhu
VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System
- 75 shared
Alfred K. Cheung
University of Utah
- 71 shared
Joachim H. Ix
University of California, San Diego
- 37 shared
Daniel E. Weiner
Tufts Medical Center
- 34 shared
Linda F. Fried
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
- 31 shared
Tom Greene
University of Utah
- 30 shared
Dominic S. Raj
George Washington University
- 29 shared
Myles Wolf
Clinical Research Institute
Labs
University of Utah Health NephrologyPI
Education
B.S., Biology
Gonzaga University
M.D.
University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine
Other, Internal Medicine and Nephrology training
University of Utah
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