Dr. Vivette D'Agati is an internationally recognized expert and leader in renal pathology holding the prestigious Delafield Professorship of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She serves as Director of the Renal Pathology Division where she oversees one of the largest renal pathology laboratories in the nation processing approximately 5500 renal biopsies annually. Dr. D'Agati earned her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and her medical degree from NYU School of Medicine before completing her residency and fellowship training at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center with sponsorship from the National Kidney Foundation. Her distinguished career has been characterized by consistent leadership and excellence in academic pathology and nephrology, establishing her as a foremost authority in kidney disease diagnostics.
Dr. D'Agati's groundbreaking translational research has fundamentally transformed understanding of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis through comprehensive characterization of its histologic variants and their clinical implications. She pioneered the first consensus classification of FSGS morphologic subtypes known as the Columbia Classification which has become the standard framework for diagnosing and categorizing this complex kidney disease worldwide. As the lead pathologist in the NIH sponsored FSGS Clinical Trial she confirmed critical observations that the tip variant demonstrates the best treatment response while the collapsing variant shows the worst prognosis in primary FSGS. Her meticulous work has established essential diagnostic criteria that directly inform clinical decision making and therapeutic approaches for patients with glomerular diseases.
Dr. D'Agati's exceptional contributions to renal pathology have been recognized with numerous prestigious honors including the 2025 Heptinstall Lifetime Achievement Award from the Renal Pathology Society which represents the highest honor in her field. She has received the Edward N. Gibbs Award and Lectureship in Nephrology from the New York Academy of Medicine and the Michelle Winn Endowed Lectureship from the American Society of Nephrology acknowledging her profound impact on kidney disease research. Recognized consistently as both America's Top Doctor and NY Top Doctor she continues to advance renal pathology through ongoing research including recent investigations into antibrush border antibody disease as evidenced by her scholarly publications. Her work remains at the vanguard of renal pathology bridging laboratory findings with clinical applications to improve diagnosis treatment and patient outcomes globally.
