About the Team
The National Kidney Foundation's patient education materials are developed and reviewed by a dedicated team of professionals who possess extensive knowledge and clinical experience with kidney diseases. The team is composed of experts in kidney care, including clinicians and other specialists with a broad variety of backgrounds and experiences. Their collective expertise ensures that the information provided is delivered in a manner that prioritizes person-first language, health literacy and numeracy principles, and equity in the language, style and tone of the content. This commitment to high-quality, evidence-based, actionable education empowers people living with kidney disease through essential knowledge that they need to manage their kidney health.
Andrew Bzowyckyj, PharmD, BCPS, CDCES
Andrew is a Scientific Director on the NKF Kidney Learning Solutions team. In this role, he is responsible for developing educational content and programming for patients and healthcare professionals on a wide range of kidney diseases and related conditions. He is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and a certified diabetes care and education specialist. Prior to joining the NKF in 2022, he was a professor of pharmacy practice for over a decade while also practicing as a clinical pharmacist and diabetes educator in the primary care and endocrinology settings. He continues to teach as an adjunct professor at the A.T. Still University Arizona School of Health Sciences in the online post-professional Doctor of Audiology program. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Connecticut and completed his residency training at the University of Minnesota.
Kelley Canavan, LMSW
Kelley Canavan is the Patient Programs Director for the National Kidney Foundation. Her responsibilities include leading and managing the development of patient transplant education, including THE BIG ASK: THE BIG GIVE live programs, the Kidney Learning Center as well as co-leading the NKF Peer Mentoring program. Prior to joining NKF, she held a dual role as the Patient Navigator where she educated waitlisted patients on how to find a living donor and was also the Living Donor Social worker where she performed psychosocial evaluations and assisted potential donors throughout evaluation. She earned her Master's in Social Work from the University of South Carolina and is currently a LMSW.
Keyerra Charles, MPH, CHES
Keyerra Charles is the Senior Director of Health Equity at the National Kidney Foundation. In this role she is primarily responsible for the development and implementation of a health equity strategy and ensure its integration across the organization. She earned a bachelor’s degree in health science from the State University of New York College at Brockport and a master’s degree in public health from Morgan State University. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist and has expertise in chronic disease management and community health. Keyerra lives with kidney disease and adds her lived experience to her passion for health equity. She considers herself a lifelong learner and is committed to championing health equity.
Haley Jensen, MPH, MBA
Haley Jensen is Senior Director of Transplant Programs for the National Kidney Foundation. She is responsible for leading growth and strategy for transplant educational programs, as well as overseeing organization-wide initiatives to ensure Transplants for All through research, innovation, awareness, and professional education. Prior to joining NKF in 2021, Haley ran a value-based care management program for patients living with kidney disease. She earned her Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Health from Boston University.
James Papanikolaw, MA
James is a Senior Scientific Director, Content Development for National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Learning Solutions (KLS) team. He oversees the development of educational content for patients and healthcare professionals in multiple formats from conceptualization to completion. These programs include multiple topics on kidney disease and related conditions. Programs for health professionals include multiple disciplines in nephrology and primary care. James has prior experience in publishing and scientific programming. He has a Master of Arts in biology.
Mary Reilly
Mary Reilly is the Senior Content Strategy Director. She brings over 30 years of expertise in content publishing and strategy to her role at the National Kidney Foundation. As the leader of patient education content for kidney.org, Mary specializes in developing comprehensive, user-focused strategies that prioritize accessibility, cultural relevance, and evidence-based guidance. Her work encompasses creating innovative frameworks to ensure content aligns with patient needs while supporting broader organizational goals.
Gail Torres, MS, RD, RN
Gail is the Senior Clinical Communications Director in the Kidney Learning Solutions (KLS) department. She is a nurse and nutritionist who worked in healthcare for over twenty-five years before joining the National Kidney Foundation 13 years ago. Her experience spans a variety of settings, including clinical care, administration, research, and public health. In her current role, she applies her clinical expertise in the development of patient, professional, and consumer-facing educational programming, and resources.
Council on Renal Nutrition
For Nutrition Content
The NKF Council on Renal Nutrition (CRN) functions as a professional council within the framework of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) to provide support for development and review of educational content published by the NKF. The council is comprised of registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) who are experts in caring for people with chronic kidney disease, end-stage kidney disease, and other diseases. More about the Council on Renal Nutrition (CRN): kidney.org/professionals/CRN/aboutcrn