UVA Nephrology Lynchburg opened in August. The kidney doctors at this clinic see adults with chronic kidney disease, including those who are on dialysis. They also see patients who have had kidney transplants.
Waqas Memon, MD, is one of our kidney doctors at this location. He also sees hospitalized patients with kidney disease. Memon says his patients’ quality of life is extremely important to him. He wants to get to know his patients and their families and understand their healthcare goals.
Meet a UVA Kidney Doctor in Lynchburg
We asked Memon to answer our 7 Quick Questions.
1. Why did you become a doctor?
Growing up, I did not have my grandparents around. When I was 12 years old, my mother told me the story of my late grandmother. My parents lived in a small village in Pakistan, where they did not have access to medical care. They took my grandmother to a nearby city where the doctors diagnosed her with tuberculosis based on clinical exam without any confirmatory testing. She later succumbed due to medication side effects and was told it was a misdiagnosis.
Seeing the grief in my mother’s eyes gave me the motivation to understand disease processes further and eventually led to becoming a doctor myself.
2. Why did you choose your specialty?
In medical school, I always felt nephrology was a complex field. For me, nephrology is a field that intertwines every organ system. It has a good mix of inpatient and outpatient care, with challenging diagnoses.
As a nephrologist, the patients you take care of range from critically ill to chronic diseases in which you have the ability to establish long-term relationships with patients. There is a mix of physiology and immunology. It encompasses every single part of medicine which most specialties don’t.
3. What’s one thing about your specialty that might surprise people?
Interestingly, a lot of people assume once your kidneys fail, you are doomed. This is not the case. With advancements in medicine, there are increasing numbers of renal transplants, and patients’ quality of life is better on dialysis.
4. What’s the most exciting thing happening in your field right now?
The wearable artificial kidney and implantable bioartificial kidney.
5. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Sterling, Virginia.
6. Who is your inspiration or hero?
UVA Kidney Care
Our providers and dialysis clinics see patients throughout central and western Virginia.
My parents. They came to the United States with little money and a dream. My father initially worked for a company and then eventually built his own company. My mother has always been the rock in our family. She has always taught us to work hard, be diligent and never give up on our dreams.
7. What’s your favorite thing about working at UVA?
The friendly environment. Everyone I have met has been exceptionally nice and dedicated. Wherever I have gone, they have been so welcoming and caring. This in turn fosters great teamwork and collaboration.
