Rochester, USA
Dr. Iasmina Craici earned her medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, followed by an internal medicine residency and nephrology fellowship at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. During her nephrology fellowship, she received NIH training grant support and worked in Dr. Vesna Garovic’s laboratory at Mayo Clinic. Her research focused on the detection of podocyturia, the shedding of viable glomerular epithelial cells in the urine of patients with glomerular diseases, particularly preeclampsia. Their findings demonstrated that podocyturia is a sensitive and specific marker for diagnosing preeclampsia and predicting its development during pregnancy. Board-certified in internal medicine and nephrology, Dr. Craici is an active member of the American Medical Association, American Society of Nephrology, American Society of Hypertension, and American Society of Transplantation. After completing her training, Dr. Craici began her clinical career as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the University of St. Louis (2011-2012), before joining the University of Mississippi as an Assistant Professor in 2012. At the University of Mississippi, she was instrumental in establishing a specialized nephrology program for women with high-risk pregnancies and underlying renal disease. Her academic contributions led to her promotion to Associate Professor of Medicine in 2016. In March 2017, Dr. Craici became the Nephrology Fellowship Director at the University of Mississippi, where she trained several generations of nephrology fellows and mentored four clinician scientists. She has shown a strong commitment to medical education, serving on various committees, including the Continuing Medical Education Committee, House Officer Selection Committee for Internal Medicine Residency, and Clinical Competency Committee for the Division of Nephrology. She also served as the Course Director for the M4 Nephrology Elective. In January 2019, Dr. Craici joined the Nephrology and Hypertension Division at Mayo Clinic, continuing her work as a clinician educator. In September 2020, she was appointed as the Nephrology Fellowship Program Director at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. Leading the program during the COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges, but Dr. Craici utilized innovation, collaboration, and tenacity to ensure the success of the fellowship program. Dr. Craici’s research focuses on hypertension and renal disease in women of childbearing age, particularly the pathophysiology of preeclampsia and its impact on renal injury through the dysregulation of glomerular epithelial cells (podocytes). She is passionate about advancing patient care and medical education, working tirelessly to mentor and support the next generation of nephrologists.