L to R: Edwin Rutsky, MD and Stephen G. Rostand, MDThe Rostand/Rutsky lectureship is an annual presentation delivered at the Fellow's Graduation Ceremony. Speakers for this lectureship are selected by a committee in the Division of Nephrology of distinguished alumni.

Stephen G. Rostand, MD is Professor of Medicine, Emeritus in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine where he has served for more than 35 years. His major interests have been in heart disease in chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and kidney disease, particularly in African Americans. He is also interested in factors contributing to the increased susceptibility of African Americans for cardio-renal disease. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed papers, editorials, and book chapters. In addition, he serves as the Principal Investigator for the UAB Clinical Center for the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK) and its subsequent AASK cohort Study and has since its inception. He has also helped mentor and train numerous post-doctoral fellows in Nephrology.

Edwin Rutsky, M.D. has been an outstanding teacher and clinician in the Division of Nephrology and the Department of Medicine since his faculty appointment at UAB in 1971. The Department of Medicine has recognized his contributions with the naming of the top ten clinician awards as the C. Glenn Cobbs-Edwin A. Rutsky Award for Clinical Excellence. He has been actively involved in several landmark clinical trials including initial studies on the use of recombinant human erythropoietin in patients with end-stage renal disease. He has served on numerous committees in the Department of Medicine and is currently Professor Emeritus in the Division of Nephrology at UAB and remains actively engaged in clinical medicine.