National Kidney Foundation Bestows Highest Honor on Maryland Doctor

 

 

New York, NY - December 10, 2019 - 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 the NKF to enhance the lives of patients through action, education and accelerating change.

 

Josephine Briggs, MD, of the Patient-centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Washington, D.C. has been selected as the recipient of the NKF’s highest honor, the  David M. Hume Memorial Award.

 

“I am thrilled to be selected for the Hume award,” Dr. Briggs said. “David M. Hume pioneered renal transplantation, now a mainstay of care of the patient with failing kidneys. I am deeply honored by the decision of the NKF to add my name to the list of leading nephrologists and clinical investigators selected for this prestigious award.”

 

The David M. Hume Award was created in memory of one of the National Kidney Foundation's most distinguished members. In 1954, Dr. Hume was part of the team that performed the first successful kidney transplant at Brigham Hospital in Boston. This award is reserved for a distinguished scientist-clinician in the field of kidney and urologic diseases who exemplifies high ideals of scholarship and humanism in an outstanding manner.

 

“Dr. Briggs' research has provided fundamental knowledge of renal physiology, and in particular, the regulation of the renin-angiotensin system and the role of tubuloglomerular feedback and provided leadership for kidney research at the NIH over more than two decades” said NKF President Dr. Holly Kramer. “We are honored to present her with this award and recognize her incredible work.”

 

Dr. Briggs is currently Interim Executive Director of PCORI, a position she assumed in 2019.  From 2008 to 2017 was Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the leading U.S. Federal agency for research on integrative and complementary health practices. She led the kidney division of the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Disease from 1996 to 2007.

 

In her positions at the NIH she was a strong advocate for nephrology research and was responsible for initiatives that led to several seminal research initiatives, ranging from the CRIC study to the TIME trial.  She currently serves as the editor-in-chief of JASN. Dr. Briggs will receive her award at the  NKF 2020 Spring Clinical Meetings in New Orleans, March 25-29.

 

For the past 28 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 Spring Clinical Meetings will be held March 25-29 in New Orleans.

 

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. 

 

In the United States, 37 million 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.  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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