Vidhya Gunasekaran, MD Nephrology in Mountain View, CA

Vidhya Gunasekaran, MD, is a nephrologist (kidney specialist) at El Camino Health. She diagnoses and treats a wide range of kidney and related conditions, including chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, high blood pressure, kidney stones, and imbalances in the body's electrolytes (minerals such as sodium and potassium) and acid levels. She also treats glomerular diseases - conditions that damage the kidneys' tiny filters - such as IgA nephropathy and lupus nephritis. In addition, she cares for people on dialysis, including home and peritoneal dialysis, and people who've had a kidney transplant.

"Kidney disease is often silent, so I can make a real difference by catching it early and slowing it down," says Dr. Gunasekaran. She enjoys solving complex problems and building long-term relationships with patients and their families.

"El Camino Health has cared for Bay Area families for generations," Dr. Gunasekaran says. "Patients here are treated as neighbors, not numbers." She values the health system's leading-edge care that stays rooted in the community it serves, and she's inspired by working alongside colleagues who share those values on a team that patients trust and return to year after year.

For Dr. Gunasekaran, great kidney care is built on partnership. "Kidney disease is complex and often lifelong. Great care starts with listening to each patient's story: their goals, their daily life and their concerns," she says. She translates complex findings into clear choices so she can make important decisions together with her patients. She then leads a coordinated plan with the patient, family and care team that's grounded in the latest evidence and focused on prevention and early action to protect kidney function.

Before she became a kidney specialist, Dr. Gunasekaran trained as an eye surgeon in India. "Diabetes and high blood pressure affect both the eyes and the kidneys, so that training still shapes how I see the whole patient," she says.

Dr. Gunasekaran served as chief nephrology fellow at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. She has published research in Kidney International, presented at the American Society of Nephrology and led a project using bedside ultrasound to improve care. She is a member of the American Society of Nephrology, American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology, American College of Physicians, American Medical Association and American Medical Women's Association.

In addition to English, Dr. Gunasekaran is fluent in Hindi and Tamil.

Outside of work, Dr. Gunasekaran enjoys spending time with her family and her dog, staying active and exploring new places.