NKF Honors Tufts Nephrologist with Top Research Award
March 16, 2022, New York, NY — The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) will honor one of the nation’s top nephrologists with the 2022 Dr. J. Michael Lazarus Award for his major contribution to the clinical science and care of dialysis patients.
Daniel E. Weiner, MD, a nephrologist at Tufts Medical Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, will be presented the award at NKF’s 2022 Spring Clinical Meetings in Boston on April 8. The award is presented in honor of Dr. Lazarus, who was a pioneer in kidney replacement therapy research.
“Dr. Lazarus is one of the leaders in making dialysis safer and widely available to people with kidney failure in the United States,” Dr. Weiner said. “So, to receive this award, is an amazing honor. This award highlights how far we, as a community, have come in improving kidney care but it also highlights how much more we can do to help people with kidney disease be able to achieve their life goals.”
Dr. Weiner’s clinical interests include home and in-center dialysis, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease(CKD). His research has focused on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in CKD; clinical trials in CKD, dialysis, and hypertension; decision-making in advanced CKD; and policy. He works closely with the American Society of Nephrology on kidney disease policy. He is Dialysis Clinic Inc.'s Medical Director of Clinical Research, and he is the Editor-in-Chief of the NKF's journal, Kidney Medicine, and the NKF's Primer on Kidney Diseases, the 8th edition of which will be published in early 2022.
“Kidney disease touches so many people and is a complicated diagnosis, so Dr. Weiner’s dedication to cutting-edge research and his advocacy are critical for clinicians and patients every day,” said NKF President Paul Palevsky, MD. “He is relentless in advancing kidney care. I can think of no one better to receive this award.”
At Tufts, Dr. Weiner witnessed the rigorous transition to NKF’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI). He worked as the Deputy Editor of the NKF’s American Journal of Kidney Diseases and has been a longtime advocate of NKF’s work for kidney health, public policy, patient and family outreach and education and science dissemination.
“The kidneys are amazing, touching every aspect of human health, and kidney health requires a deep understanding of how systems interact,” Dr. Weiner said. “What makes me most excited is that I feel I can help people at every stage of kidney disease – help prevent progression and maintain health, help make decisions when kidneys fail, help manage symptoms associated with kidney failure, and help enable high quality and successful kidney replacement therapy for those who elect this treatment. The other aspect that makes me passionate is that every day when I see people with kidney disease, I realize how much we do not know and how much we still have to learn, and I think I can help with this aspect of kidney health. Clinical research and clinical medicine are team efforts, and I have been very fortunate to have worked with so many amazing collaborators over the years,” Dr. Weiner said. “I cannot name them all, but I am incredibly grateful for their support, wisdom, and friendship, particularly that of Dr. Mark Sarnak and Dr. Andy Levey. And most of all, I am grateful for the support from my family.”
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 or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian, 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 more than 3 times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanic or Latino people 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.