About

As a transplant nephrologist and the medical director of the Kidney Transplant Program at NYU Langone, Nicole M. Ali, MD, is dedicated to providing personalized treatment plans that emphasize patient wellbeing. Her role involves leading a team committed to helping patients navigate their path to transplantation and thrive as kidney transplant recipients. The program is nationally recognized for achieving the best outcomes, and she takes pride in offering transplants to all patients who will benefit, including those who are medically, surgically, or immunologically complex. She specializes in the care of transplant candidates and recipients, focusing on a personalized approach that recognizes each patient’s unique journey. Dr. Ali emphasizes education as a cornerstone of her care, helping patients understand the complexities of the waiting list, organ allocation, and both living and deceased donation. She aims to build trust and rapport with her patients and their referring physicians to ensure seamless transition and continuity of care. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about fostering strong partnerships within the nephrology community across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island, and Long Island, ensuring comprehensive care through collaboration with nephrologists, surgeons, nurses, and advanced practice providers. Inspired by her grandmother’s struggles with diabetes and lack of access to reliable medical care, Dr. Ali is committed to helping those in similar situations and leading a team dedicated to advancing transplantation care with compassion and the most advanced treatments.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Andrology
• Internal medicine
• Urology

Selected publications

• Frailty in Kidney Transplant Candidates: The Role of Social Determinants

  American Journal of Transplantation · 2025-08-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Serial Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA (dd-cfDNA) Surveillance Following Immunosuppression Modification in Kidney Transplant Recipients with BK Polyomavirus Viremia

  American Journal of Transplantation · 2025-08-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Physical Domains, Access to Kidney Transplantation, and Waitlist Mortality

  Clinical Transplantation · 2025-11-01

  article

  BACKGROUND: Frail kidney transplant (KT) candidates, characterized by low physical activity/function, have decreased chances of listing and increased risk of waitlist mortality. Impairments in these physical domains contribute to perceived physical burden and may exacerbate one another. Further, understanding the association of each domain individually with adverse outcomes may improve pre-KT risk stratification. METHODS: We leveraged 2708 KT candidates (age ≥ 18) from a two-center prospective cohort study (2014-2024). We assessed physical activity (Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire), physical function (gait speed), and physical burden (10 questions from the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form) at evaluation. We quantified the association of these three physical domains with listing (Cox proportional hazards) and waitlist mortality (competing risks, Harrell's C-statistic). RESULTS: Among 2708 candidates, 40% had low physical activity, 16% had low physical function, and 54% had high physical burden. Candidates with impairment in these three physical domains were less likely to be listed (activity: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75-0.99; function: aHR = 0.54, 95%CI: 0.45-0.64; burden: aHR = 0.75, 95%CI: 0.67-0.83) and had a higher risk of waitlist mortality (activity: adjusted sub-hazard ratio [aSHR] = 1.51, 95%CI: 1.11-2.04; function: aSHR = 1.83, 95%CI: 1.30-2.58; burden: aSHR = 1.40, 95%CI: 1.09-1.82). Physical burden showed the best discrimination in predicting mortality after adjustment (Harrell's C-statistic = 0.6899). CONCLUSION: Although impairment in physical activity, function, and burden was all associated with KT listing and waitlist mortality, physical burden was the strongest predictor of waitlist mortality. KT centers should consider measuring physical burden - a simple, low-cost tool to help identify high-risk candidates for prehabilitation.

  PublisherDOI

• Physiology and immunology of a pig-to-human decedent kidney xenotransplant

  Nature · 2025-11-13 · 16 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Sleep disorders and sleep medications as risk factors for dementia in kidney transplant recipients: A retrospective cohort study

  American Journal of Transplantation · 2025-06-18 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Ambient Air Pollution, Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia Among Older Patients Being Evaluated for Kidney Transplantation

  Clinical Transplantation · 2025-11-01

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT Background Older patients who are evaluated for kidney transplantation (KT) experience an earlier onset of cognitive impairment due to dialysis, comorbidities, and inactivity. Ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is a modifiable risk factor for dementia among community‐dwelling older adults. Inflammatory responses and oxidative stress caused by inactivity in older patients evaluated for KT may heighten vulnerability to PM 2.5 . Thus, the impact of PM 2.5 on dementia may be more severe in this population. Methods We leveraged a prospective cohort (2009–2019) of older (age ≥ 50) patients evaluated for KT ( n = 2073) with Modified Mini‐Mental State Examination (3MS). We derived annual PM 2.5 from residential ZIP codes (high: PM 2.5 > 9 µg/m 3 ), quantifying its association with global cognitive function (linear regression), impairment (logistic regression), and risk of dementia (Cox proportional hazards model). We tested the interaction between PM 2.5 and dementia risk factors using a Wald test. Models were adjusted for confounders, including social determinants of health. Results High PM 2.5 was associated with worse global cognitive function (difference = −3.00 points [3MS score], 95% CI: −3.93 to −2.07), with a stronger association among patients with low physical activity ( p [interaction] < 0.001). High PM 2.5 was associated with 1.90‐fold higher odds of global cognitive impairment (95% CI: 1.48–2.46), and 3.29‐fold higher risk of dementia (95% CI: 1.14–9.55). Conclusion High PM 2.5 was associated with worse cognitive function among older patients evaluated for KT, particularly those with low physical activity. The association was stronger than prior findings among community‐dwelling older adults. Clinicians may counsel patients to monitor air quality. Patients in high PM 2.5 neighborhoods should discuss cognitive assessments and ways to increase physical activity with providers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Outcomes, Safety, and Body Mass Index Change in a National Cohort of Patients on Dialysis

  Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology · 2025-06-17 · 26 citations

  article

  Key Points GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) in diabetes and dialysis are associated with 23% lower mortality and 66% higher chance of transplant waitlisting. GLP-1 RAs are not associated with increased risk of acute pancreatitis, biliary complications, or medullary thyroid cancer. GLP-1 RAs are associated with a 32% increased risk of diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes on dialysis. Background Of the 808,000 US patients on dialysis, 60% have diabetes and are eligible for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs). Safety and outcomes in this population are unknown. We sought to examine GLP-1 RA real-world safety, efficacy, and weight loss in people with diabetes on dialysis. Methods In this observational national cohort study (2013–2021), we identified adults with type 2 diabetes on dialysis. The exposure of interest was GLP-1 RA use. Body mass index (BMI) change after dialysis initiation was quantified among patients with two measurements ( N =6474). Extended Cox models with inverse probability of treatment weights (censoring for kidney transplant waitlisting) were used to quantify all-cause mortality associated with GLP-1 RAs. Specific safety outcomes (acute pancreatitis, biliary complications, medullary thyroid cancer, and diabetic retinopathy) were assessed. Results The study included 151,649 patients on incident dialysis with type 2 diabetes. Mean BMI and weight change among GLP-1 RA users were greater than those among nonusers (−1.47 versus −0.61 kg/m 2 ; −4.03 versus −1.47 kg; P < 0.001 for both). The mortality incidence rate was lower among GLP-1 RA users (219.0 versus 279.5 patients/1000 person-years; P < 0.001). GLP-1 RA use was associated with a 23% lower risk of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70 to 0.85; P < 0.001); results were consistent among initiates with BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 . GLP-1 RA use was associated with a 66% higher chance of waitlisting (aHR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.28 to 2.13; P < 0.001). There was an increased association with diabetic retinopathy (aHR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.56; P = 0.001), but not with any other safety outcomes. Inferences were consistent across multiple sensitivity analyses. Conclusions GLP-1 RA use in patients with type 2 diabetes on dialysis was associated with weight loss, reduced mortality risk, and increased likelihood of kidney transplant waitlisting. These real-world data are the strongest evidence to date supporting GLP-1 RA use in this population.

  PublisherDOI

• Longest Surviving Recipient of a Xenotransplant: Allo-Sensitized Patient Receiving a 10 Gene-Edited Pig Kidney

  American Journal of Transplantation · 2025-08-01 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Kidney Transplant Recipients with Pre-Existing Diabetes

  American Journal of Transplantation · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dosing of Pegcetacoplan with Plasmapheresis for Treatment of Xenoantibody Mediated Rejection

  American Journal of Transplantation · 2025-08-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Ernesto P. Molmenti

  Renown Health

  27 shared

• Amit Basu

  Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

  23 shared

• Bonnie E. Lonze

  New York University

  23 shared

• Sameer Mehta

  19 shared

• Zoe A. Stewart

  National Jewish Health

  19 shared

• Madhu Bhaskaran

  17 shared

• Asha Alex

  17 shared

• Vasishta Tatapudi

  16 shared