Noted Indian American nephrologist Dr. Ramesh Khanna has received the Distinguished Faculty Award at the 2026 Mizzou Alumni Association (MAA) Gold Standard Awards, celebrating distinguished faculty leadership.
Khanna was among members of the University of Missouri School of Medicine community honored at an annual event celebrating the remarkable alumni, faculty, friends and families whose dedication, service and leadership have made their mark at Mizzou.
The Distinguished Faculty Award, an honor established in 1960 recognizes faculty members whose sustained achievements, scholarship, and student mentorship bring continuing acclaim to Mizzou.
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Dr. Khanna earned his medical degree from Mumbai University before continuing his professional medical journey in the United States.
He joined the Mizzou medical faculty full-time in 1983, maintaining a career dedicated to advancing kidney care. Over more than four decades at Mizzou, Dr. Khanna emerged as an internationally recognized leader in nephrology.
As director of the Karl D. Nolph, MD, Division of Nephrology for over two decades, he co-developed the Peritoneal Equilibration Test, now a global standard for assessing dialysis efficacy, and patented advanced peritoneal dialysis catheter designs.
He has published hundreds of scientific works, helped establish the annual multidisciplinary dialysis conference, and mentored over 160 nephrology fellows who now serve in leadership positions worldwide.
He has served as editor of Advances in Peritoneal Dialysis since 1985 and has received numerous national and international honors, including the National Kidney Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Working with university leadership and generous benefactors, he has helped establish endowed positions that continue to strengthen the Division of Nephrology for future generations.
He has also played a longstanding role in the growth of the Annual Dialysis Conference. In partnership with many colleagues since 1983, and as chair since 2014, he has helped guide its educational mission, contributing to its recognition as one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary dialysis conferences for physicians, nurses, fellows, and allied health professionals.
Within the School of Medicine, Khanna has served repeatedly in positions entrusted with maintaining academic excellence and fostering faculty development, including six terms on the Promotion and Tenure Committee.