Career summary: Prof Shilpanjali Jesudason (MBBS PhD FRACP; nee Prasad), is an academic nephrologist and Clinical Professor, University of Adelaide, Head of Department at the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s Central Northern Adelaide Renal and Transplant Service (CNARTS), Deputy Chair of the SA statewideRenal Community of Practice, lead of the CNARTS Clinical Research Group and Program Lead for Pregnancy and Kidney Research Australia. From 2017- 2020 she was the National Clinical Director of Kidney Health Australia, the peak advocacy body for kidney disease.

In 2025, she became to first Australian to be awarded the International Society of Nephrology Roscoe R. Robinson Award, which acknowledges outstanding achievements in the field of education in nephrology and medicine.

Pregnancy and Kidney Research Australia:  Prof Jesudason founded and leads a national research team addressing parenthood counselling and pregnancy outcomes in people with kidney disease. She is nationally and internationally recognised as an expert in this field. She leads local, national and international projects advancing new data systems for capturing kidney disease in pregnancy, defining pregnancy outcomes and drivers of patient/clinician decision-making around high-risk pregnancy with kidney disease. She formed and chairs the Parenthood Working group for the ANZDATA renal registry and has led analysis of the ANZDATA parenthood dataset for over 10 years. She contributes to international guidelines groups to lead development of best-practice recommendations for care of women with kidney disease . She is the founding co-lead of the inaugural Internationalj Society of Nephrology Train-the trainer program for pregnancy in kidney disease.

The CNARTS Clinical Research Group: Prof Jesudason has built substantial research capacity and grown the research workforce within CNARTS. In 2015, she established the CNARTS Clinical Research Group (annual reports here), conducting patient-centred studies to immediately influence clinical care through evidence-based practice changes, with a focus on the transition to dialysis; primary-tertiary care integration in CKD care; patient-reported outcome measures and symptom burden particularly dialysis needle-related fear and trauma (the INJECT program of work); and community partnerships to inform kidney care for Indigenous patients. She established the first comprehensive renal patient database in SA at the RAH in 2022. 

Collaborations: Prof Jesudason has extensive collaborations and investigator roles across diverse and multi-disciplinary projects with the BEATCKD research program, ANZDATA Registry, AKCTION Aboriginal Kidney Research group, CARI Renal Guidelines Group, University of SA (Exercise Physiology, Pharmacology, Nursing), University of Adelaide (Pharmacology, Nursing, Aboriginal Health, Psychology), AMOSS Obstetric Surveillance System.

Consumer Engagement: She has been involved in national and international initiatives to develop frameworks for consumer engagement in kidney research, with significant expertise in patient partnerships at all stages of the research cycle. She is a Chief investigator for the CRE-PACT (NHMRC-CRE  APP2007026; 2021-26) which is building consumer partnership in kidney research.

Professional Roles: 
Fijian-born, she has strong connections to the Umanand Prasad School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Fiji. She has been a keen participant in activities to advanced Nephrology care and  Fiji at undergraduate and postgraduate level. In 2024 she founded the ANZSN Pacific Working Group, which is working to support  the emerging field of  nephrology in the Western Pacific Islands, including developing a five-year strategic plan for Nephrology workforce and training in collaboration with the International Society of Nephrology. 

She was the National Clinical Director of Kidney Health Australia (KHA), the peak body for people affected by kidney disease, from 2017-2020.  In her time with KHA she led the clinical directorate in RACGP-accredited education and resources about CKD care that reach > 46,000 primary health professionals.  She co-led and delivered 3 programs determining the future of kidney disease policy, strategy and care in Australia particularly for vulnerable patient cohorts: the national Community Consultations for the inaugural KHA-CARI Guidelines for Indigenous Patients with CKD, the KHA Youth Program and the Commonwealth National Strategic Action Plan for Kidney Disease.

She holds or has held positions within national committees for research and nephrology policy and practice including for the ANZDATA Renal Registry, Australasian Kidney Trials Network, CARI Renal Guidelines Group, ANZ Society of Nephrology, Australian Clinical Trials Association, Kidney Health Australia, Women’s Health Research Translation Network SA and the National Indigenous Kidney Transplantation Taskforce.