About

Dr Raymond Bass: Dr. Bass was born and raised in Chicago, educated at the University of Michigan (BA and MD) and completed post graduate training at Washington University in St Louis (Barnes/Jewish Hospital) in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. He came to Washington as a Clinical Associate at the National Institiutes of Health and later served as a Clinical Nephrologist at the Clinical Center at the NIH. After leaving the NIH he remained in Montgomery to practice clinical nephrology. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Nephrology. He is the Medical director at DaVita dialysis centers in Rockville and Germantown. He has focused his attention on the care for patients with chronic kidney disease with the goal of preventing the development of renal failure. He also has been coordinating management programs with many local Urologists for the prevention of kidney stones. In his free time he enjoys reading about history of science, supporting local non-profits that provide services for people with disabilities and traveling to New York and Boston to visit his sons and 4 grandsons.

Dr. Sorana Hila obtained her medical degree from the University of Medicine “Emil Palade” in Targu Mures, Romania. She came in the US in 1999 as a post-doctoral research fellow in immunology at University of Maryland in Baltimore. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency in 2006 at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH and the Nephrology Fellowship in 2008 also at the Cleveland Clinic. Upon fellowship graduation, Dr. Hila worked as a nephrology attending at Glickman Kidney Institute at Cleveland Clinic until 2010 when she relocated to Maryland and joined Montgomery Renal Associates. Dr. Hila is board certified in Nephrology and is an active member of the American Nephology Association and Renal Physician Association. She is expert in management of all aspects of kidney disease and hypertension with a particular interest in chronic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy, kidney stones, polycystic kidney disease, post-renal transplant care and in-center and home dialysis. Dr. Hila provides clinical consultation for nephrology and hypertension at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, MD in addition to four other hospitals in Montgomery County.

She is also the medical director at DaVita Wheaton Dialysis Canter that had received recognition for its high-quality performance. Dr. Hila has been recognized yearly since 2017 as a “Top Doctor” in the Washingtonian Magazine.She lives in Kensington, Montgomery County, Maryland with her husband and their two sons. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, gardening, cooking, reading and mostly spending time with her family and friends.

Dr. Vrinda Mahajan is an experienced board-certified internist and nephrologist and a trained public health worker with a strong clinical and research background. She completed her nephrology fellowship at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, and her internal medicine residency at St Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis, MO. She obtained her master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, concentrating on management, policy, and community health.

Dr. Kathryn Ratanavanich is a native of Maryland, born at Holy Cross Silver Spring and spent her summers on the eastern shore. She completed her undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Maryland, College Park. She spent her early undergraduate years in the areas of research in protein topology, genetics and HIV. She is a graduate of Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in California. She completed her Internal Medicine residency and Nephrology fellowship at Georgetown University. Her interests in nephrology include kidney transplant management, chronic kidney disease, and electrolyte disorders, and home dialysis therapies. After practicing nephrology since 2007 in the DC Metropolitan Area, She joined Montgomery Renal Associates in 2018 and is an active partner. She is a member of the American Society of Nephrology.In addition to her practice at Montgomery Research Associates, she currently serves as Research Investigator with Jadestone Clinical Research with ongoing trials.She has been appointed Medical Director of Nephrology at Medstar Montgomery Medical Center and DaVita Dialysis clinics. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, participating in Boy Scout activities with her son, photography and traveling.

James Amara, MSN, FNP-BC is an ANCC board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. He has extensive experience as a nurse practitioner in primary care, hemodialysis and weight loss and pain management. He is competent and current in adhering to clinical practice guidelines that foster optimal management of patients with chronic kidney disease. His clinical focus is on hypertension and fluid management. James is passionate about the care he provides and believes that optimal healthcare involves partnership between the patient, family, the interdisciplinary team and the provider. He strives to educate her patients about dialysis and management of chronic kidney failure. In his free time, he enjoys reading, listening to music, deejaying, playing chess, basketball and soccer.