SC Connecticut News

Peter Aronson, MD, C.N.H. Long Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) and professor of cellular and molecular physiology, delivered the Lee E. Farr MD Endowed Lectureship at Yale School of Medicine’s (YSM) annual Student Research Day on May 7. In his lecture titled "From Sugar to Salt to Stones: Serendipitous Journey as Mentee and Mentor," Aronson emphasized the significance of unexpected events and research findings in shaping his academic progression and research career.

Aronson shared personal anecdotes from his upbringing in New York during the 1950s. His parents were clothing salespeople who had not attended college. Due to allergic asthma, Aronson frequently visited his pediatrician, Dr. Simon Kove, for desensitization injections. Kove became a mentor to Aronson, providing him with a microscope, helping him secure summer research jobs, and writing letters of recommendation for college and medical school. This serendipitous relationship instilled in Aronson an early ambition to pursue academic medicine and biomedical research.

Aronson's journey continued with a full scholarship to NYU for medical school after rejections from other New York schools without interviews. The scholarship allowed him to attend a research-intensive medical school and graduate without debt. During medical school, he gained experience in ion transport physiology through various research opportunities.

After completing residency training in internal medicine at the University of North Carolina, Aronson pursued research training in the NIH lab of Bertram Sacktor, PhD—an expert in the biochemistry of fly flight muscle. Initially interested in cardiology as a specialty, Aronson found himself working on a side project studying sugar transport in membranes isolated from kidney cells—a project that led to his first major publication.

Following this achievement, Aronson sought career advice from Louis Welt, MD—his former chair of medicine at North Carolina who had moved to Yale as chair of medicine. Welt arranged for Aronson to pursue nephrology fellowship training at Yale, one of the world's leading centers for kidney physiology research. Although Welt passed away before Aronson arrived, he found a welcoming, collaborative environment at YSM.

Aronson shared examples of unexpected research findings that led to new research directions. For instance, a knockout in mice of a transporter thought to be involved in renal NaCl homeostasis unexpectedly resulted in calcium oxalate kidney stones. This discovery led to the identification of the role of this transporter in secretion of oxalate into the intestine—a process that limits net absorption of dietary oxalate and prevents high urine oxalate from an oxalate-rich diet.

In his concluding remarks, Aronson underscored the satisfaction derived from his role in training future generations of medical professionals. He highlighted several past trainees who now hold leadership roles at YSM and other institutions. Aronson also paid tribute to the late John N. Forrest, Jr., professor emeritus of medicine and founding director of YSM’s Office of Student Research, describing him as an exemplar of commitment to education and mentorship.