Wright State renal physiologist Clintoria Williams pioneers groundbreaking research as visiting scholar at Vanderbilt

Clintoria Williams, associate professor of neuroscience, cell biology and physiology at Wright State, is collaborating with Antentor Hinton Jr., assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics at Vanderbilt University, on cutting-edge research on chronic kidney disease.

Clintoria Williams, Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience, cell biology and physiology at Wright State University, has embarked on a prestigious visiting scholarship at Vanderbilt University, where she is expanding her cutting-edge research on chronic kidney disease.

Supported by the John F. Perkins Jr. Research Career Enhancement Award from the American Physiological Society, Williams is leveraging this opportunity to gain specialized training and explore innovative areas in renal physiology.

Williams is collaborating with Antentor Hinton Jr., Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics at Vanderbilt, to unravel novel mechanisms driving chronic kidney disease.

Their research focuses on the issue of zinc deficiency in patients with chronic kidney disease, a condition most often precipitated by hypertension and diabetes.

“This collaboration is a significant step forward in pushing the boundaries of what we know about CKD,” said Williams. “Dr. Hinton and I are united in our mission to explore uncharted scientific territories, and we are committed to driving innovation that will benefit patients worldwide.”

Their partnership has resulted in eight joint publications, underscoring the impactful nature of their collaborative work.

Williams’ research has been at the forefront of understanding hypertension, a major risk factor for chronic kidney disease that often leads to end-stage kidney failure. Her lab at Wright State is working to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms that exacerbate hypertensive kidney damage to find new therapeutic strategies.

In 2022, Williams received a four-year, nearly $2 million award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to further her research to identify novel therapeutic approaches for chronic kidney disease.

She was previously recognized by the American Physiological Society with its Renal Section Young Investigator Excellence in Research Award and the A. Clifford Barger Underrepresented Minority Mentorship Award. She also received the prestigious 2022 Carl W. Gottschalk Research Scholar Grant from KidneyCure.

At Wright State, she received a Faculty Award for Excellence in Early Career Achievement in 2020 and an Outstanding Scholarly and Creative Activities Award in 2024.

Williams received her Ph.D. in cellular and molecular physiology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, where she began studying the relationship between zinc and diabetes, a discovery that continues to shape her groundbreaking work today.