National Kidney Foundation Honors Leading Researchers, Clinicians, Patient Advocates and more at its 27th Annual Spring Clinical Meetings

 

New York, NY—April 3, 2018—At the National Kidney Foundation’s (NKF) 27^th Annual Spring Clinical Meetings, the foundation will bestow its highest honors to some of the nation’s leading kidney disease researchers, clinicians, patient advocates, government officials and corporate partners.  The awards will be presented on April 11 and 12 during the Spring Clinicals Meetings at the Austin Convention Center.

 

Glenn M. Chertow, M.D., has been selected by the National Kidney Foundation as the recipient of the foundation’s highest honor, the 2018 David M. Hume Memorial Award, created in memory of one of the foundation’s most distinguished members. This award is reserved for a distinguished scientist-clinician in the field of kidney and urologic diseases who exemplifies high ideals of scholarship and humanism in an outstanding manner. Dr. Chertow is a professor of medicine at Stanford University and chief of Stanford University School of Medicine's Division of Nephrology. His research has centered on clinical epidemiology, health-services research, decision sciences and clinical trials in acute and chronic kidney disease. He has been the author or co-author on more than 500 peer-reviewed manuscripts, with critical findings shedding light on acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, and associated complications, including those related to cardiovascular disease, bone and mineral metabolism and nutrition.

 

Krista L. Lentine, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected as the recipient of the Dr. Shaul Massry Distinguished Lecture, established to honor Dr. Massry for his scientific achievements and contributions to the kidney health care community and to the National Kidney Foundation. Dr. Lentine is a professor of medicine and is the medical director of living kidney donation at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. She is a clinical scientist whose work is grounded in novel integration and application of national registries, administrative claims data, and other electronic health information to address topics in transplant epidemiology, outcomes, economics and policy. Dr. Lentine’s research and advocacy have been crucial to the development of new standards that advance a defensible system of practice for living kidney donation. Dr. Lentine will be presenting the Shaul Massry Distinguished Lecture, “Balancing Risk and Autonomy in Living Kidney Donation — A New Framework for Shared Decision Making,” on Wednesday, April 11 at the Austin Convention Center.

 

Jeffrey M. Berns, M.D., has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Donald W. Seldin Distinguished Award. This award was established to recognize excellence in clinical nephrology in the tradition of one of the foremost teachers and researchers in the field, Dr. Seldin.  Dr. Berns is a professor of medicine and pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards. He is also associate chief of the Renal, Electrolyte, and Hypertension Division; director of the Nephrology Fellowship Training Program; and associate dean for Graduate Medical Education. Dr. Berns is highly regarded as a distinguished researcher, outstanding physician and mentor; and has served as immediate past president of the National Kidney Foundation. Dr. Berns has authored over 200 articles and book chapters, and currently serves as co-deputy editor of NKF’s American Journal of Kidney Diseases and Nephrology as well as editor-in-chief and Dialysis Section co-editor for UpToDate.

 

Lesley A. (Stevens) Inker, M.D., M.S., has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Garabed Eknoyan Award, created to recognize individuals who have promoted NKF’s mission to make lives better for people with kidney disease through their exceptional contributions to key NKF initiatives, such as the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative or clinical research in the field of kidney disease. Dr. Inker is an attending physician and the director of the Kidney and Blood Pressure Center in the William B. Schwartz, M.D. Division of Nephrology at Tufts Medical Center, and an associate professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.  Dr. Inker’s extensive research has established her as an expert in the implementation of estimated glomerular filtration rate by clinical laboratories, as well as an expert in estimating and measuring kidney function. She is a leader in clinical trials end points research, and also served as co-chair of the trial level analytical team for the recent joint workshop with NKF, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency on End Points for Clinical Trials in Early Chronic Kidney Disease.

 

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Corporate Innovator Award, which was established to recognize industry partners that advance the field of nephrology by addressing an unmet medical need, or improving upon an existing practice, therapeutic or technology. In November 2017, Keryx Biopharmaceutical’s received expanded FDA approval of Ferric citrate (Auryxia) tablets to include the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in adult patients with chronic kidney disease who are not on dialysis, making it the only oral treatment option developed and approved specifically for these patients.  Ferric citrate was originally approved in September 2014 for the control of serum phosphorus levels in adult patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis.

 

Alan S. Kliger, M.D., has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 J. Michael Lazarus Distinguished Lecture. This award was established to honor Dr. J. Michael Lazarus for his major contributions to the clinical science and care of dialysis patients, and to recognize individuals whose research has yielded novel insights related to renal replacement therapy. Dr. Kliger is a clinical professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, and also serves as vice president and medical director of clinical integration at Yale New Haven Health System. Dr. Kliger is nationally recognized for his clinical expertise in kidney function and care, and for his commitment to patient safety and to improving quality of care.  On Friday, April 13, Dr. Kliger will be presenting the Lazarus lecture on “Quality and Safety in Dialysis: Emphasis on Achieving Zero Preventable Infections”.

 

Andrew S. Narva, M.D., has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Public Service Award. The NKF Public Service Award honors those who have dedicated their careers to public service and who have helped shape public policies or government programs that improve outcomes for kidney patients. Dr. Narva is the director of the National Kidney Disease Education Program at the National Institutes of Health. He also previously served as director of the Kidney Disease Program for the Indian Health Service, where he was instrumental in instituting interventions that halved the rate of diabetes-related kidney failure among tribes. Dr. Narva continues to serve as the chief clinical consultant for nephrology for Indian Health Service. He also continues to provide care for patients at Zuni Pueblo through a telemedicine clinic and at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

 

Harry Senekjian, M.D. has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Medical Advisory Board Distinguished Service Award.  The NKF Medical Advisory Board Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals for their educational activities and community service in promoting the mission of NKF on a local level. Dr. Senekjian recently joined the clinical faculty of the University of Utah and is the current chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the NKF of Utah and Idaho (NKFUI), a volunteer role he has held for the past twenty years. Dr. Senekjian engenders the highest respect not only for his scientific expertise, but for the extraordinary altruistic and loving care he provides to his patients.

 

Risa Simon has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Celeste Castillo Lee Patient Engagement Award, established in honor of Celeste Castillo Lee.  It is the highest honor given by NKF to a distinguished kidney patient who exemplifies the foundation’s mission and Lee's legacy of putting patients at the center of all aspects of healthcare through their involvement with NKF and community partners. Ms. Simon is a motivational speaker, mentor, author and patient advocate. She is also a preemptive kidney transplant recipient and the founder and CEO of Simon Says Seminars, Inc.; The Proactive Path; and the non-profit TransplantFirst Academy. Ms. Simon’s personal experience with kidney disease prompted her to take initiative in her own care by proactively seeking a living donor; she now advocates for others to do the same.  Ms. Simon currently serves as an NKF peer mentor and patient advocate.

 

Angela Yee Moon Wang, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Joel D. Kopple Award, which honors an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of renal nutrition. Dr. Wang is a clinician-scientist at the University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital and currently serves as president-elect of the International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism. She is an international authority and a distinguished speaker on topics including renal nutrition, vascular calcification, cardiovascular disease and heart failure in chronic kidney disease and dialysis. Her research has made a significant impact revealing the integral connections between nutrition, kidney and heart health; and has elucidated the causes of protein energy wasting syndrome, which is one of the most frequent and most dangerous complications for patients suffering from kidney failure.

 

For the past 27 years, nephrology healthcare professionals from across the country have come to NKF’s Spring Clinical Meetings to learn about the newest developments related to all aspects of nephrology practice; network with colleagues; and present their research findings. The NKF Spring Clinical Meetings are designed for meaningful change in the multidisciplinary healthcare teams’ skills, performance, and patient health outcomes. It is the only conference of its kind that focuses on translating science into practice for the entire healthcare team.  This year’s Spring Clinical Meetings will be held April 10-14 at the Austin Convention Center.

 

30 million American adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease—and most aren’t aware of it. 1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and family history of kidney failure. People of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are 3 times more likely than Whites, and Hispanics are nearly 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to develop end-stage renal disease (kidney failure).