Seattle, USA
Professor Nicolae Leca is a distinguished transplant nephrologist and Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington, Division of Nephrology, in Seattle, USA. He serves as Medical Director of the UW Medicine Transplant Institute, overseeing kidney and pancreas transplantation and the Living Donor Kidney Program.
Dr. Leca earned his MD from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania, followed by residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York) and fellowships in Nephrology and Kidney–Pancreas Transplantation at the State University of New York, Buffalo. He later completed a Master of Science in Epidemiology (Clinical Research Methods) at the University of Washington School of Public Health.
An Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and an Inaugural Fellow of the American Society of Transplantation (AST), Dr. Leca is internationally recognized for his contributions to kidney and pancreas transplantation, antibody-mediated rejection, and non-invasive biomarkers such as donor-derived cell-free DNA. He has served in key national leadership roles, including Chair of the AST/ASN Transplant Nephrology Accreditation Committee, Region 6 Representative to OPTN/UNOS, and Board Member of the AST Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Accreditation Program.
Dr. Leca has authored or co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals such as The American Journal of Transplantation, CJASN, Transplantation, and JAMA Network Open. His research focuses on transplant immunology, allograft surveillance, racial equity in transplantation, and clinical outcomes in kidney transplant recipients.
A dedicated educator, he has mentored generations of residents, fellows, and medical students and continues to advance clinical and translational nephrology through teaching, research, and leadership in national and international transplant organizations.