Small Animal Medicine & Surgery, Small Animal Internal Medicine Service, Veterinary Teaching Hospital
Associate Professor
Dr. Bianca Lourenço is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine with expertise in veterinary nephrology.
She obtained her veterinary degree from the University of Porto and worked in general practice in Newmarket, United Kingdom, before pursuing further training. After rotating small animal internships at the University of Cambridge and North Carolina State University, she completed a Small Animal Internal Medicine residency and a Ph.D. in nephrology at the University of Georgia.
At UGA, she is part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary kidney research group. Her clinical and basic science research focuses on the roles of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and hypoxia in the pathophysiology of chronic kidney disease – research that was recognized with the International Renal Interest Society Award in 2024.
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, 2019
- Integrated Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Science, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal, 2010
Professional Certifications
- Residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine and Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2016
- Rotating Internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, North Carolina State University, 2013
- Junior Clinical Training Scholarship, The Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2012
Teaching
- DVM program: Urinary physiology, medical nephrology, and endocrinology.
Clinical Interests
- Nephrology of companion animals and various internal medicine disorders.
Research Interests
- Mechanisms of progression of canine and feline chronic kidney disease with emphasis on the roles of activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, chronic renal hypoxia, proteinuria, and systemic arterial hypertension.
Publications
- Lourenço BN, Huang JHC, Reno L, Toborowsky C, Coleman AE. Circulating renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system markers in cats with non-hypertensive chronic kidney disease or systemic arterial hypertension. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/42117720/> J Vet Intern Med. 2026 May 4;40(3). doi: 10.1093/jvimsj/aalag079.
- Lourenço BN, Coleman AE, Berghaus RD, Tarigo JL, Schmiedt CW, Brown SA. Characterization of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system in cats with naturally occurring chronic kidney disease. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35352404/> J Vet Intern Med. 2022 Mar;36(2):647-655. doi: 10.1111/jvim.16361.\
- Lourenço BN, Coleman AE, Brown SA, Schmiedt CW, Parkanzky MC, Creevy KE. Efficacy of telmisartan for the treatment of persistent renal proteinuria in dogs: A double-masked, randomized clinical trial. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33165969/> J Vet Intern Med. 2020 Nov;34(6):2478-2496. doi: 10.1111/jvim.15958.
- Lourenço BN, Coleman AE, Tarigo JL, Berghaus RD, Brown CA, Rissi DR, Stanton JB, Brown SA, Schmiedt CW. Evaluation of profibrotic gene transcription in renal tissues from cats with naturally occurring chronic kidney disease. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32468592/> J Vet Intern Med. 2020 Jul;34(4):1476-1487.
