Kathryn Akong, M.D.

Bio

Dr. Kathryn Akong oversees the Cystic Fibrosis Transition Program in the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, in which young cystic fibrosis patients "graduate" to adult-centered care. She is also the associate director of the Cystic Fibrosis Center and an assistant professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Dr. Akong has been recognized for many aspects of her work in cystic fibrosis, most recently receiving a Women Who Take Our Breath Away award from the local Cystic Fibrosis Foundation chapter, an honor that celebrates the important role that women play in the fight to cure and control the disease. She also received an award from the national Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for the care of young adult cystic fibrosis patients. For her research, she received a postdoctoral research grant from the UC San Diego Clinical and Translational Research Institute for her innovative work on neutrophil function in cystic fibrosis.

Recruited as the Division of Respiratory Medicine's first fellow in 2009, Dr. Akong subsequently earned a faculty appointment. She received her medical degree and a doctoral degree in genetics and molecular biology from the University of North Carolina and completed her residency training in both pediatrics and internal medicine at UC San Diego and Rady Children's.