Clinician in a white coat with glasses standing in front of a wooden backdrop

Christof Westenfelder, MD

Languages spoken: German, English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Internal Medicine

Divisions: Nephrology & Hypertension

Board Certification

  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Nephrology)
  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine)

Christof Westenfelder, MD, FACP, is tenured Professor of Medicine at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center, and Chief, Section of Nephrology at the George E. Wahlen VA Health Sciences Center. As Nephrologist, his clinical interests include General Nephrology, Acute Care Nephrology, and he is conducting a specialized clinic for patients with Kidney Stone Disease at the University Hospital.

Westenfelder received his MD from the University of Kiel-Lübeck, Germany. He received his training in Medicine in Germany (Berlin) and in Medicine and Nephrology from the Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. In the past, Westenfelder served as Chief of the Dialysis Units at the Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine, and the West Side VA Hospital in Chicago, IL. He is a member of the American and International Societies of Nephrology, is a Fellow the American College of Physicians, a member of the Artificial Organ Institute, University of Utah, and numerous other scientific and medical associations.

Education History

Undergraduate Wilhelm's Gymnasium
 BS
Professional Medical University of Munich
 MD
Doctoral Training Christian-Albrecht's University
 Doctorate
Externship St. Marys Health Center
 Externship
Internship Rittbergkrankenhaus
 Intern
Internship Cook County Hospital
 Intern
Internship West Suburban Hospital Medical Center
 Intern
Residency University of Illinois - Chicago
 Resident
Fellowship University of Illinois - Chicago
 Fellow

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Tögel F, Isaac J, Hu Z, Weiss K, Westenfelder (2005). Renal SDF-1 signals mobilization and homing of CXCR4-positive cells to the kidney after ischemic injury. Kidney international, 67(5), 1772-84.
  2. Azizi Z, Lange C, Paroni F, Ardestani A, Meyer A, Wu Y, Zander AR, Westenfelder C, Maedler (2016). ß-MSCs: successful fusion of MSCs with ß-cells results in a ß-cell like phenotype. Oncotarget, 7(31), 48963-48977.
  3. Westenfelder C, Gooch A, Hu Z, Ahlstrom J, Zhang (2017). Durable Control of Autoimmune Diabetes in Mice Achieved by Intraperitoneal Transplantation of "Neo-Islets," Three-Dimensional Aggregates of Allogeneic Islet and "Mesenchymal Stem Cells". Stem cells translational medicine, 6(7), 1631-1643.