Miguel Carlos Riella was born on April 11, 1945, in Blumenau in the State of Santa Catarina. His father, Carlos Riella, had Italian ancestry while his mother, Edith Gracher Riella, was of German descent. He is a class of 1968 medical graduate from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). After receiving his diploma, Riella pursued his medical studies in the United States, specializing in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and later, in Nephrology (kidney diseases) at the University of Washington, focusing on Chronic (long-term) Hemodialysis.
Upon returning to Brazil in 1976, the young physician and medical student secured a job at the Evangelical University Hospital of Curitiba (HUEC), where he led efforts to set up two departments, namely the Department of Nephrology and the Department of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. The following year, Dr. Riella established the Chronic Hemodialysis program at the same hospital, which saw its first-ever kidney transplant conducted in 1980. That same year, he kicked-off Brazil’s first Ambulatory Home Care Peritoneal Dialysis program.
Also in 1980, Dr. Riella would go on to publish his first book, “Princípios da Nefrologia e Distúrbios Hidroeletrolíticos” (“Principles of Nephrology and Hydroelectrolytic Conditions”) through the Guanabara Koogan publishing company, currently in its fourth edition. Five years later, the physician and writer’s second book, titled “Suporte Nutricional, Parenteral e Enteral” (“Nutritional, Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition”), also published by Guanabara Koogan, hit bookstore shelves, and as of now, is currently in its second edition.
In the first quarter of 2001, he joined the Fundação Pró-Renal Brasil nutritionist, Cristina Martins, to pen a work by the name of “Nutrição e o Rim” (“Nutrition and the Kidney”), also through Guanabara Koogan and now in its first edition. The latter was translated to Spanish by the Editora PanAmericana publishing house.
Dr. Riella further assisted in setting up the Fundação Pró-Renal foundation, a social welfare organization tailored to researching renal and metabolic diseases. Today, the institution provides medical treatment to over 1,800 patients suffering from kidney diseases, providing medications, free transportation subsidies and nutritional supplements, in addition to having recently inaugurated its Centro de Pesquisa RDH, a research facility dedicated to studying kidneys, diabetes and hypertension.
The lauded nephrologist and scholar is a Member of the Committee for the Advancement of Global Nephrology (COMGAN) Council, and in 2004, was appointed as Chairman of the newly established Interventional Nephrology Committee of the International Nephrology Society (ISN).
Among Dr. Riella’s many medical society memberships, he is part of the Board of Directors of the International Federation of Kidney Foundations, and in April 2007, was elected President for the 2009-2011 term at the same institution. Additional titles include a Board-Certified Member of Internal Medicine at the American College of Physicians in 1973; Fellow of the American College of Physicians-FACP in 1998; President of the Latin American Chapter (LAC) of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD); and President of the Latin American Federation of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition in 1987. In 1995, he was elected President of the Brazilian Society of Nephrology (SBN). And in 1999, he joined the board of the International Society of Nephrology.
Furthermore, Dr. Riella holds the titles of Full Professor of Internal Medicine at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUC/PR); Full Member of Internal Medicine at the Mackenzie Evangelical College of Paraná; and Head of the Evangelical Hospital of Belo Horizonte.
As an academician, the nephrologist has worked as an Associate Editor at the Hemodialysis International journal since 2003 and as the International Editor of the Seminars in Dialysis medical journal.
In acknowledgment of his contributions to the field of medicine, Dr. Riella was honored as a Knight of the Order of Malta in 1998 and as an Honorary Citizen of both the city of Paraná in 2004 and the State of Paraná in 2007, in addition to receiving the Distinguished International Medal from the U.S. National Kidney Foundation in 1996.
He further envisioned the Pancreatic Islet Isolation Laboratory at the Center for Cell Engineering and Transplantation of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná. Starting from 2004, the lab started isolating insulin-producing cells (islets) from the pancreas of brain-dead donors in February 2004 and performed the first-ever clinical implant in December 2005, thereby pioneering pancreatic cell transplantations in southern Brazil.
In October 2004, Dr. Miguel Carlos Riella established the city of Curitiba-based Scribner Institute in honor of his mentor, Belding H. Scribner, a groundbreaking researcher, and physician in the area of global chronic hemodialysis. The institution is dedicated to educating, teaching, and conducting research in the field of nephrology.
Academic number: 635
Chair: 7
Member: Holder
Section: Medicine
Election: 09/08/2007
Inauguration: 23/10/2007
President: Marcos Fernando de Oliveira Moraes
Greeted by: Omar da Rosa Santos
Academic number: 635
Chair: 7
Member: Holder
Section: Medicine
Election: 09/08/2007
Inauguration: 23/10/2007
President: Marcos Fernando de Oliveira Moraes
Greeted by: Omar da Rosa Santos
Miguel Carlos Riella was born on April 11, 1945, in Blumenau in the State of Santa Catarina. His father, Carlos Riella, had Italian ancestry while his mother, Edith Gracher Riella, was of German descent. He is a class of 1968 medical graduate from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). After receiving his diploma, Riella pursued his medical studies in the United States, specializing in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and later, in Nephrology (kidney diseases) at the University of Washington, focusing on Chronic (long-term) Hemodialysis.
Upon returning to Brazil in 1976, the young physician and medical student secured a job at the Evangelical University Hospital of Curitiba (HUEC), where he led efforts to set up two departments, namely the Department of Nephrology and the Department of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. The following year, Dr. Riella established the Chronic Hemodialysis program at the same hospital, which saw its first-ever kidney transplant conducted in 1980. That same year, he kicked-off Brazil’s first Ambulatory Home Care Peritoneal Dialysis program.
Also in 1980, Dr. Riella would go on to publish his first book, “Princípios da Nefrologia e Distúrbios Hidroeletrolíticos” (“Principles of Nephrology and Hydroelectrolytic Conditions”) through the Guanabara Koogan publishing company, currently in its fourth edition. Five years later, the physician and writer’s second book, titled “Suporte Nutricional, Parenteral e Enteral” (“Nutritional, Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition”), also published by Guanabara Koogan, hit bookstore shelves, and as of now, is currently in its second edition.
In the first quarter of 2001, he joined the Fundação Pró-Renal Brasil nutritionist, Cristina Martins, to pen a work by the name of “Nutrição e o Rim” (“Nutrition and the Kidney”), also through Guanabara Koogan and now in its first edition. The latter was translated to Spanish by the Editora PanAmericana publishing house.
Dr. Riella further assisted in setting up the Fundação Pró-Renal foundation, a social welfare organization tailored to researching renal and metabolic diseases. Today, the institution provides medical treatment to over 1,800 patients suffering from kidney diseases, providing medications, free transportation subsidies and nutritional supplements, in addition to having recently inaugurated its Centro de Pesquisa RDH, a research facility dedicated to studying kidneys, diabetes and hypertension.
The lauded nephrologist and scholar is a Member of the Committee for the Advancement of Global Nephrology (COMGAN) Council, and in 2004, was appointed as Chairman of the newly established Interventional Nephrology Committee of the International Nephrology Society (ISN).
Among Dr. Riella’s many medical society memberships, he is part of the Board of Directors of the International Federation of Kidney Foundations, and in April 2007, was elected President for the 2009-2011 term at the same institution. Additional titles include a Board-Certified Member of Internal Medicine at the American College of Physicians in 1973; Fellow of the American College of Physicians-FACP in 1998; President of the Latin American Chapter (LAC) of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD); and President of the Latin American Federation of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition in 1987. In 1995, he was elected President of the Brazilian Society of Nephrology (SBN). And in 1999, he joined the board of the International Society of Nephrology.
Furthermore, Dr. Riella holds the titles of Full Professor of Internal Medicine at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUC/PR); Full Member of Internal Medicine at the Mackenzie Evangelical College of Paraná; and Head of the Evangelical Hospital of Belo Horizonte.
As an academician, the nephrologist has worked as an Associate Editor at the Hemodialysis International journal since 2003 and as the International Editor of the Seminars in Dialysis medical journal.
In acknowledgment of his contributions to the field of medicine, Dr. Riella was honored as a Knight of the Order of Malta in 1998 and as an Honorary Citizen of both the city of Paraná in 2004 and the State of Paraná in 2007, in addition to receiving the Distinguished International Medal from the U.S. National Kidney Foundation in 1996.
He further envisioned the Pancreatic Islet Isolation Laboratory at the Center for Cell Engineering and Transplantation of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná. Starting from 2004, the lab started isolating insulin-producing cells (islets) from the pancreas of brain-dead donors in February 2004 and performed the first-ever clinical implant in December 2005, thereby pioneering pancreatic cell transplantations in southern Brazil.
In October 2004, Dr. Miguel Carlos Riella established the city of Curitiba-based Scribner Institute in honor of his mentor, Belding H. Scribner, a groundbreaking researcher, and physician in the area of global chronic hemodialysis. The institution is dedicated to educating, teaching, and conducting research in the field of nephrology.