New York, NY— April 3, 2018 — Lesley A. (Stevens) Inker, M.D., M.S., has been selected by the National Kidney Foundation as the recipient of the 2018 Garabed Eknoyan Award.
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 — including in specific populations such as the elderly and HIV-positive people. Dr. Inker, a leader in clinical trials end points research, 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. The workshop was undertaken to review the results of a major, multi-year meta-analysis examining the largest compilation of data ever collected on chronic kidney disease.
She has collaborated with NKF leadership on improving chronic kidney disease awareness, including revising the International Classification of Disease diagnostic codes used in the U.S. related to chronic kidney disease, and has worked with the National Institutes of Health on improving best practices for glomerular filtration rate reporting.
“Dr. Inker has worked tirelessly on countless research and public health committees dedicated to improving the lives of patients with kidney disease,” said Michael Choi, M.D., president and chair of the NKF Scientific Advisory Board. “Her contributions to the field of nephrology, and to improving standards of care, have made a significant impact on a national and a global scale. We are incredibly grateful for her service.”
The Garabed Eknoyan Award was 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. The award will be made to Dr. Inker at the NKF 2018 Spring Clinical Meetings, to be held April 10-14, in Austin, Texas.
“It is such an honor to accept this award. Dr. Eknoyan and the all the prior recipients of this award have had tremendous impact in the field and it is a privilege to be able to join this group. I am also pleased to be able to attend the Annual Spring Meetings, where we all gather to learn from each other about the latest advances in care for patients with kidney disease,” said Dr. Inker.
In addition to other leadership roles, Dr. Inker also directs the Kidney Function Evaluation Center, and the Division of Nephrology’s Quality Improvement program.
NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
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.
Kidney Disease Facts
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).
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive and longstanding organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease. For more information about NKF visit www.kidney.org.