Philadelphia Doctor Honored by National Kidney Foundation

 

New York, NY—April 3, 2018 — Jeffrey S. Berns, M.D., has been selected by the National Kidney Foundation as the recipient of the 2018 Donald W. Seldin Distinguished Award.

 

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.

“As a distinguished researcher, outstanding physician, mentor and past president of the National Kidney Foundation, Dr. Berns has served as a staunch patient advocate who pushes all of us to work just a little harder to improve the lives of patients with kidney disease,” said Michael Choi, M.D., president and chair of the NKF Scientific Advisory Board.

 

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. Donald W. Seldin. The award will be made to Dr. Berns at the NKF 2018 Annual Spring Clinical Meetings to be held April 10-14, in Austin, Texas.

 

“It will be an honor to attend the Spring Clinical Meeting this year with my esteemed colleagues,” Dr. Berns said. “I am humbled to be the recipient of this award. Dr. Seldin’s legacy in helping to establish the field of nephrology, and as a clinician and scientist, is unmatched. Throughout much of my career, he was the nephrologist that nephrologists aspired to emulate.”

 

At the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Medicine, Dr. Berns is associate chief of the Renal, Electrolyte, and Hypertension Division; director of the Nephrology Fellowship Training Program; and associate dean for Graduate Medical Education. He also maintains a general nephrology practice at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and for many years has been recognized as one of Philadelphia Magazine’s “Top Docs” in nephrology.

 

Dr. Berns has authored over 200 articles and book chapters, and currently serves as co-deputy editor of the NKF’s American Journal of Kidney Diseases and Nephrology as well as editor-in-chief and Dialysis Section co-editor for UpToDate. He previously served on NKF’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative and Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes anemia clinical practice guideline workgroups; and as NKF/KDOQI vice-chair for Clinical Practice Guidelines and Commentaries. He is chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine Nephrology Subspecialty Board and immediate past-president of NKF. 

 

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. 

 

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).

 

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