Laurel Damashek

Laurel Damashek is the founding Executive Director of the International Society of Glomerular Disease. She brings a unique perspective to the role, being a glomerular disease patient herself. She was diagnosed at age 12 with FSGS and received a transplant from a close friend in 2016. During her kidney disease journey, she became a volunteer and eventually a board member at NephCure. She is deeply dedicated to improving the clinical ecosystem for everyone affected by rare kidney disease. Before dedicating her full-time career to kidney health, Laurel spent 15 years as a project and product manager in various domains of publishing, medical devices, translation and localization, and leading a team developing Anthem Award and Brandon Hall Award-winning ethics and compliance e-learning.

She holds a master’s degree from the University of Toronto, where she was a Junior Fellow at Massey College, and a bachelor’s degree from Smith College. She is proficient in Spanish, German, and Chinese, with reading knowledge of a few other languages. Laurel is based in Massachusetts. In her free time, she enjoys the arts, the outdoors, and playing the cello.

Massachusetts