Ronak Lakhia, M.D.
Assistant Professor

Ronak Lakhia, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and a member of its Division of Nephrology. Her clinical focus is on polycystic kidney disease (PKD).

Dr. Lakhia holds a bachelor's degree in molecular biochemistry and biophysics from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. She earned her medical degree at UT Southwestern, and completed internal medicine residency training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She then received advanced training in nephrology through a combined clinical and research fellowship program at UT Southwestern, where she served as chief fellow for two years.

Board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in nephrology, she joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2018.

Her research focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of polycystic kidney disease and identifying potential treatments for this genetic disorder.

She is an active member of the American Society of Nephrology. In 2022, she served on the PKD Foundation's Centers of Excellence Criteria Design Committee.

Personal Note

Dr. Lakhia’s interests outside of medicine include spending time with her family and cooking.   

Medical School

UT Southwestern Medical School (2008)

Residency

Baylor College of Medicine (2011), Internal Medicine

Fellowship

UT Southwestern Medical Center (2016), Nephrology

• Metabolism
• microRNAs
• Polycystic Kidney Disease

Featured Publications

MicroRNA-21 Aggravates Cyst Growth in a Model of Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Lakhia R, Hajarnis S, Williams D, Aboudehen K, Yheskel M, Xing C, Hatley ME, Torres VE, Wallace DP, Patel V J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 2016 Aug 27 8 2319-30

Characteristics and Outcomes of Renal Transplant Recipients with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in the United States.

Tanriover B, Lakhia R, Shen YM, Sandikci B, Saxena R, MacConmara M, Soyombo AA, Rajora N, Hardy MA Transplant Direct 2015 Nov 1 10

Induction Therapies in Live Donor Kidney Transplantation on Tacrolimus and Mycophenolate With or Without Steroid Maintenance.

Tanriover B, Zhang S, MacConmara M, Gao A, Sandikci B, Ayvaci MU, Mete M, Tsapepas D, Rajora N, Mohan P, Lakhia R, Lu CY, Vazquez M Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2015 Jun 10 6 1041-9

Interactions between p-Akt and Smad3 in injured muscles initiate myogenesis or fibrogenesis.

Dong Y, Lakhia R, Thomas SS, Dong Y, Wang XH, Silva KA, Zhang L Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 2013 Aug 305 3 E367-75

The role of DNA mismatch repair in generating genetic diversity and drug resistance in malaria parasites.

Bethke L, Thomas S, Walker K, Lakhia R, Rangarajan R, Wirth D Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 2007 Sep 155 1 18-25

 Featured Books

MicroRNAs and Polycystic Kidney Disease. In Polycystic Kidney Disease [Internet]

Hajarnis S, Lakhhia, R, Patel, V (2015). Brisbane, Australia, Codon Publications

• Rising Star Award
  Super Doctors Texas (2022)
• Rising Star Award
  Super Doctors Texas (2021)
• First Place, Basic Science
  National Kidney Foundation Young Investigator Forum (2015)
• First Place, Basic Science
  Southern Society of Clinical Investigation (2015)
• Chief Nephrology Fellow
  UT Southwestern (2013-2015)
• Second Place, Basic Science
  Baylor College of Medicine Annual Research Symposium (2011)
• Resident of the Month
  Baylor College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine (2010)
• Intern of the Month
  Baylor College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine (2009)

• American Society of Nephrology