Specialty: Pediatric Nephrology & Pediatric Transplantation

Alisha Khan

From rare kidney disease to patient advocate.

Transformative pediatric kidney care saved Alisha’s life.

Diagnosed with a rare kidney disease while still in pre-school, Alisha Khan spent her entire childhood as a patient at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein (CHAM). Our dedicated doctors cared for her through years of treatment, leading up to her lifesaving kidney transplant.

Pediatric kidney transplant recipient Alisha Khan in the woods, painting at an easel.

Montefiore Einstein has been at the forefront of kidney disease treatment for over sixty years. We opened the nation’s first pediatric dialysis center and we have one of the longest-running kidney transplant programs in the world. We currently participate in two NIH-funded clinical trials to better understand chronic kidney disease in children, and Alisha was the very first patient to be placed into one of those studies.

Dr. Frederick J. Kaskel

During years of ongoing care, the CHAM team provided Alisha with near-constant state-of-the-art treatment, custom-tailored to ensure that she could enjoy an active, joyful childhood.

When I was three, I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease. My life saving journey with Montefiore Einstein included a kidney transplant at age eight. They saved my life and now I stand with them to bring awareness to pediatric kidney disease.

— Alisha Khan

Alisha’s team at the
Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein
gave her life new purpose.

Tragically, as Alisha got older, her kidney condition worsened to the point where only a kidney transplant could save her life. Dr. Kaskel and the CHAM team supported her through every stage of treatment, providing the care and expertise that led to her life-saving transplant.

When the patient finally is awakened and realizes that they’ve just been given a gift of life by the team at Montefiore Einstein and CHAM… that’s a great feeling! You can’t put a price on that.

Dr. Frederick J. Kaskel

It takes a whole village to fight kidney disease. I’m proof of that. They fought by my side, like family, and now I fight along with them to bring awareness to kidney disease.

— Alisha Khan

Alisha is certain she wouldn’t have survived her medical ordeal without Dr. Kaskel and CHAM by her side. And today, to honor his work and her own survival, Alisha advocates for kidney disease awareness.