(March 5, New York, NY) — The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is pleased to announce that nephrologist and epidemiologist Morgan Grams, MD, PhD, will receive NKF’s prestigious Garabed Eknoyan Award. The Garabed Eknoyan Award honors individuals who have promoted the mission of NKF through exceptional contributions to key NKF initiatives. Through her impressive work as co-chair of Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) and her clinical research in the field of kidney disease, Dr. Morgan Grams exemplifies an unwavering commitment to outstanding, equitable kidney patient care. This esteemed award will be presented to Dr. Grams at the NKF 2024 Spring Clinical Meetings in Long Beach, CA, in May.
“It’s an immense honor to be this year’s recipient of NKF’s prestigious Garabed Eknoyan Award,” said Dr. Grams. “I am humbled by the contributions of Dr. Eknoyan and all of the previous awardees to kidney health. This award serves as a reminder that persistent, collective effort can make a positive difference in the lives of those affected by kidney disease. I am so grateful to all of my brilliant and generous collaborators, and I hope to continue working to improve kidney health and awareness for many years to come.”
As a practicing nephrologist, Dr. Grams is dedicated to enhancing the lives of patients with kidney disease. She is the Susan and Morris Mark Professor of Medicine and Population Health in the Department of Medicine at New York University (NYU), and the co-director of the Division of Precision Medicine, a multidisciplinary research unit aiming to inform the delivery of high-quality, equitable patient care.
Dr. Grams co-leads the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Prognosis Consortium, a 20+-million-participant, global consortium, and she also maintains active research programs in multi-omics of kidney disease as well as pharmacoepidemiology in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the 2018 recipient of the Donald W. Seldin Award given by the American Society of Nephrology/American Heart Association Kidney Council.
Dr. Grams holds a BS degree in biology from Yale University, an MD in medicine from Columbia University, and a PhD in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University. She completed an internal medicine residency at New York Presbyterian-Columbia University and a nephrology fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
“Dr. Grams’ exemplary work in nephrology research while striving to deliver the highest-quality, equitable kidney patient care illustrates how deserving she is to receive the esteemed Garabed Eknoyan Award this year,” said NKF President Sylvia Rosas, MD, MSCE. “Her dedication to research is evident through her involvement on the CKD Prognosis Consortium, NKF’s Scientific Advisory Committee, and as co-chair of the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO). The impact of her research and work as a practicing nephrologist and PhD-trained epidemiologist will be felt for years to come.”
“The NKF does so much good on behalf of patients with and at risk for kidney disease, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with the organization for many years,” said Dr. Grams. “I have always admired the resilience and fortitude of patients with kidney disease. I’m grateful that my job allows me to contribute to this body of research in nephrology and to strive to deliver the highest-quality patient care.”
NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
For the past 32 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 is 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.
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, more than 37 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90 percent don’t know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are about four times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanics experience kidney failure at about double the rate of White people.
NKF Professional Membership
Healthcare professionals can join NKF to receive access to tools and resources for both patients and professionals, discounts on professional education, and access to a network of thousands of individuals who treat patients with kidney disease.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about kidney disease, please visit www.kidney.org/
########