Jan. 5, 2022, New York, NY — Each year The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) considers the work of hundreds of specialists in the field of Nephrology and selects among them those who most exemplify the relentless efforts of NKF to enhance the lives of patients through action, education, and accelerating change.
The prestigious awards are presented to the recipients during the annual gathering of clinicians and kidney health professionals at the NKF 2022 Spring Clinical Meetings, which will be held from April 6-10, 2022, in Boston.
The Garabed Eknoyan Award was created to recognize an individual who has promoted the mission of NKF in making lives better for people with kidney disease through exceptional contributions to key initiatives of NKF such as the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) or clinical research in the field of kidney disease. This year’s recipient is Bernard Jaar, MD, of the Nephrology Center of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
“It is an extraordinary privilege to be recognized with this award in honor of Dr. Eknoyan, a giant in the field of nephrology,” Dr. Jaar said. “I am very thankful to the NKF for this recognition. I would like to dedicate this award to my mentors—people who have helped shape my career and opened doors to new opportunities. But I also want to thank my colleagues at the Nephrology Center of Maryland who have enthusiastically supported my academic ‘escapades’ over the years. Finally, and most importantly, I thank my spouse Dora for her unwavering support and without whom I would not be here today.”
Dr. Jaar is a practicing nephrologist on the part-time faculty in the Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine with a joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is also an Associate Faculty member of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Jaar practices medicine at the Nephrology Center of Maryland in Baltimore.
“Dr. Jaar lives the mission of NKF and is an example in our profession worth emulating,” said NKF President Paul Palevsky, MD. “It is our honor to recognize his years of work educating nephrologists on kidney care through manuscripts, book chapters, editorial work, and of course his work on the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative Guidelines.”
Dr. Jaar holds a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Nephrology, and the National Kidney Foundation. He serves on the Editorial Board of several nephrology journals and has authored or coauthored over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters.
Dr. Jaar is a past chair of the State of Maryland Commission on Kidney Disease. He is also a past chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland, an immediate past chair of the National Kidney Foundation Education Committee, and vice-chair for Education of the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) Guidelines. Currently, he is chair of the Exam Writing Committee of the American Board of Internal Medicine Sub-Specialty in Nephrology.
“NKF is a very special and unique organization because of its unparalleled dedication to all health care professionals involved in kidney health, while also being extremely important to patients and their families,” Dr. Jaar said. “I am proud of my contribution to the mission of the NKF supporting my local affiliate, NKF of Maryland and Delaware, but also of my work with the KDOQI group and the NKF Education Committee. I am very fortunate to work with such dedicated professionals, who work tirelessly to help improve the lives of patients with kidney disease.”
All awards will be presented at the NKF’s Spring Clinical Meetings in Boston, April 6-10.
NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
For the past 30 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 event will be held in Boston, April 6-10.
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, 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. 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/African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black/African American people are more than 3 times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanics/Latinos are 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure.
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 (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.