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Life as a Nephrologist

Life as a Nephrologist

A podcast on the nephrology profession

Join us as we explore nephrology as a career, providing insight into why people pursue it. We'll explore the day-to-day life of nephrologists at different points in their careers. We'll discuss what makes nephrology exciting, challenging, and a field that physicians should pursue.
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Episodes

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Increasing Access to Home Therapies
Too many kidney patients face significant barriers to accessing lifesaving care. Research shows longer, more frequent dialysis done in the home yields better kidney health outcomes and improved quality of life for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Yet, patients do not have equal access to this treatment option. Join us as we unpack disparities in today’s kidney disease treatment paradigm and discuss the steps, we, as nephrologists, need to take to alleviate access issues and help make the options of in-home treatment a reality for more patients.
 
Host: Sam Kant, MD

Guests: Dinushika Mohottige, MD, MPH, Jenny Shen, MD, Jesse Roach, MD, and Melissa Bensouda 

 

Advocating for Patients - AJKD Policy Podcast

This episode is the third within a series celebrating the 40th anniversary of the American Journal of Kidney Disease, which is the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation. Today we focus on the ways in which AJKD has communicated health policy updates in the last four decades and discuss key developments in kidney disease and health policy our guests:

  • Miriam Godwin, NKF Health Policy Director
  • Sharon Moe, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Indiana University and a Past President of the ASN
  • Bruce Robinson, Professor of Medicine at the University of Michigan and the Arbor Research Collaborative for Health
  • Daniel Weiner, Associate Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. He served as Deputy Editor of AJKD for ten years, and then as Policy Forum Editor for another five years. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Kidney Medicine.

 

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AJKD Educational Tools

Welcome to another episode celebrating the 40th year of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. This episode will focus on AJKD’s education features. We are joined by Dr. Jeff Berns, the Deputy Editor of AJKD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a Past President of the National Kidney Foundation, Dr. Agnes Fogo, Editor of the Atlas of Renal Pathology and Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University, Dr Ashgar Rastegar, Core Curriculum Editor, and Professor of Medicine and Global Health at Yale University, and Dr. Debbie Chen, former AJKD Editorial Intern and a research fellow at the University of California at San Francisco. Our guests discuss how AJKD provides education to the nephrology workforce including those who are in training. These educational tools include the Atlas of Renal Pathology, the Core Curriculum, AJKD quizzes and blog, NephMadness and the AJKD Editorial Internship. Finally, they wrap up by sharing their favorite classic paper from AJKD, which are all linked at the bottom of this episode’s description in PodBean.

 

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KDOQI CKD Guidelines 20th Anniversary
This podcast will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the very first clinical practice guideline for CKD which included recommendations for CKD classification and staging. We are joined by Dr. Kerry Willis, Chief Scientific Officer of the NKF, Dr. Andy Levey Professor of Medicine at Tufts Medical Center and Joe Coresh, Professor of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Mike Rocco, Chair of KDOQI and Professor of Medicine at Wake Forest Medical Center. The original workgroup for the CKD guideline published in 2002 in AJKD was chaired by Dr. Andy Levey and Dr. Coresh from Johns Hopkins for the adult section of the guideline and by Dr. Rob Portman for the Pediatric portion. This guideline had a profound impact on the clinical care of both adults and children with kidney disease and it also was a major catalyst for CKD research
 
 
 

Happy 40th Anniversary AJKD!
On this episode, our guests discuss how AJKD has pursued and met objectives over the past 40 years. Specifically, we will discuss how the AJKD has not only influenced the care of patients with kidney disease but helped NKF support its mission. We will discuss how AJKD helped to shape kidney disease research and clinical care and help grow patient centered care.
 
We are joined by four outstanding colleagues and speakers who will share their thoughts and experiences with AJKD and its impact on clinical care, research, education, and policy.
 
 
 

Removing Race from Kidney Disease Diagnosis
The NKF-ASN Task Force on Reassessing the Inclusion of Race in Diagnosing Kidney Diseases has recently released its final report that recommends a new, race-free approach to estimate eGFR. In this collaborative episode with the ASN, the Task Force discusses how they approached the work and what efforts are being made to ensure the new equation is implemented as quickly as possible. Our guests, Dr. Cynthia Delgado, Dr. Lesley Inker, Dr. Joe Vassalotti and Tod Ibrahim discuss the goals of the Task Force and how the healthcare team came together to come up with a solution that better served kidney patients.
 
 
 

COVID-19 Vaccine in Transplant Recipients with Dr. Dorry Segev
Dr. Dorry Segev has recently concluded multiple studies that looked at the immune response to COVID-19 vaccination in kidney transplant recipients. In this episode, Sam Kant (our new Life as a Nephrologist co-host) and Dorry Segev discuss these pivotal studies including the process, results, and directions going forward. Lastly, they discuss breakthrough infections.
 
 
 

Critical Care Nephrology: Challenges and Opportunities
In this episode, we are discussing critical care nephrology, a dynamic and developing field which has seen an increase in popularity in the last decade. Our guests include a mix of junior and senior faculty, which is a testament to how this field is expanding.
 
Amanda Dijanic Zeidman and Michael Heung have recently authored the ACKD article “The Workforce in Critical Care Nephrology: Challenges and Opportunities” which is the topic of this episode’s discussion (issue will be published online soon). They are also joined by Jay Koyner and Javier Neyra (critical care nephrologists) and Matthew Broyles a critical care anesthesiologist.
 
They discuss their journeys to critical care, why anesthesiologists or nephrologists might be interested in critical care, pros of receiving critical care training, how anesthesiology has supported this subspecialty, how to support nephrologists that are interested in critical care and more! They wrap up with resources, communities, and courses for trainees and nephrologists interested in critical care. Listen in to this discussion from this great community with diverse backgrounds!
 
 
 

Providers and their LGBTQ+ patients – the importance of creating an affirming environment
For many in the LGBTQ+ community, fear of discrimination and harassment can get in the way of seeking medical care when they are sick and can put them at increased risk of serious health problems, including kidney disease. In this episode, we discussed how to create an inclusive and affirming environment in a healthcare setting for LGBTQ+ patients such as how a provider earns trust, what qualities a gender affirming provider has, understanding patient’s identities, how you can make your dialysis units more comfortable for LGBTQ+  patients, and how HCPs can participate in advocacy.
 
 
 

The NKF Patient Network
After almost two years of collaboration with volunteer advisory committees—comprised of nephrologists, patient advocates, and researchers in academia and the private sector—the NKF Patient Network is live! Tune in to this episode where our professional and patient guests explain how The Patient Network journey started, the purpose of creating it, and how it will benefit both patients and clinicians.
 
 
 

Palliative Care and Nephrology with Dr. Holly Koncicki
On this episode, Corey is joined by our guest, Holly M. Koncicki, Associate Professor of Nephrology and Palliative Care at Mount Sinai. Dr. Koncicki is in the Division of Nephrology and Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
 
 
 

Women in Nephrology
In this episode, we are joined by women who have traversed the leadership ladder. This group includes a current President, two incoming presidents of nephrology societies and an industry executive.
 
 
 

International Medical Graduates in Nephrology: A Guide for Trainees and Programs
In this episode, we discuss the recently published ACKD article, “International Medical Graduates in Nephrology: A Guide for Trainees and Programs” Our guests are the authors, Javier Neyra, Maria Clarissa Tio, Silvia Ferrè and the co-editors Matthew Sparks and Samira Farouk.
 
Although international medical graduates are offered opportunities for training and professional growth that are beyond those available in their countries of origin, they typically encounter barriers to transition from training to practice and early-stage career development. The authors describe the exchange visitor and temporary worker visas granted to foreign trainees in the U.S, focusing on the transition from training to nephrology practice and/or research. They provide recommendations and encourage trainees to seek continuous support from their programs/sponsors and assistance from immigration representatives at their training institutions. This episode provides a positive message that there are many pathways to arrive at the desired post-training destination and emphasizes how additional funding opportunities are there! Ultimately, these authors will not let you navigate blindly.
 
 
 

Telehealth with Eric Wallace, M.D., FASN
This episode we bring on Eric L. Wallace, M.D., FASN, Director of Home Dialysis at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Medical Director of Telehealth. Telehealth allows patients to teleconference and/or have telephone conversations with their existing doctor(s). In today’s environment, with many provider offices still closed, this may be a good solution and/or alternative for patients to continue their existing care under the direction of their provider via teleconference. Dr. Wallace discusses his journey to becoming an expert in telemedicine and the challenges that come with the territory. He explains how you can accomplish a lot over the phone in nephrology, but there can be issues with technology, internet connection (especially for patients in rural areas), and tech literacy. Lastly, he explains how socioeconomics play a huge role in Telehealth, public health and public education issues, techniques to improve your phone calls with patients, and the future of Telehealth.
 
 
 

AJKD Editorial Interns
This episode features the the second cohort of interns from the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD) Editorial Internship Program. This one-year program is an opportunity for nephrology fellows to participate in journal editorial processes. Tune in to learn more about their experience!
 
The 2020 interns are:
Harish Seethapathy - Massachusetts General Hospital
Bethany Roehm - Tufts Medical Center
Amy Yau - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Ryann Sohaney - University of Michigan
 
The application for the 2020-2021 is due May 30, 2020! Applicants need to be current first year neph fellows or second year fellows staying on for a third year, with an interest in academic writing and publishing.
 
 
 

Kidney Medicine with Dan Weiner (Life as a Nephrologist Series)
In this episode, Editor-in-Chief Daniel E. Weiner, MD, MS, discusses Kidney Medicine, a peer-reviewed, open access journal focused on clinical research in nephrology and hypertension launched in 2019. Listeners will more about how Kidney Medicine provides content that encompasses all clinical nephrology while additionally providing a platform for highlighting the patient-reported outcomes research and qualitative research that are essential for improving patient care. Follow @KidneyMed on Twitter and visit kidneymedicinejournal.org to check out the current issue and submit manuscripts!
 
Please help us welcome our new host of "Life a Nephrologist", Corey Cavanaugh, DO! Corey Cavanaugh, DO, is a nephrologist specializing in glomerular diseases or diseases that impact the kidneys. These include lupus, vasculitis, membranous nephropathy and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), among others. Cavanaugh attended medical school at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University, where he met his wife. They both completed their internal medicine training at the University of Louisville. Cavanaugh then went on to pursue a nephrology fellowship at Yale University before settling in Virginia.
 
 
 

Pediatric Nephrology (Life as a Nephrologist Series)
I’m delighted to share a conversation we recorded between two wonderful people, Dr Patty Seo Mayer and Dr JJ Zaritsky. Dr Seo Mayer is Medical Director of Pediatric Nephrology at Inova Children’s Hospital and Pediatric Specialists of Virginia, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Dr. Zaritsky is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University and Chief of Pediatric Nephrology at Nemours duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE. They have an engaging discussion about pediatric nephrology as a newer field of medicine and describe the people who are drawn to it as naturally empathetic problem solvers.
 
 
 

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Meet your hosts

Natasha Dave

Natasha N. Dave, MDNatasha N. Dave, MD, is a nephrologist at the Bruce W. Carter Miami Veterans Affair Medical Center. After high school, she attended the American University of Antigua where she graduated from a combined medical school program. She completed her internal medicine residency training at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago and then completed her Nephrology fellowship and chief year at Baylor in Houston. Post-fellowship she joined Baylor as an assistant professor of medicine primarily practicing at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center prior to moving to Miami.
 
Dr. Dave's other clinical and educational interests include mentorship, social media/educational content generation and as her Twitter profile (@NatashaNDave) suggests electrolytes. She serves on the Executive Council of Women in Nephrology and is involved in a number of online projects and roles that begin after she completed a one year social media internship with the Nephrology Social Media Collective (NSMC). Some of these roles include being a faculty contributor for the Renal Fellow Network and American Journal of Kidney Diseases blogs as well as partaking in committees with the American Society of Nephrology, Nephrology Business Leadership University, Kidney Medicine journal and NSMC. Outside of medicine her other passions include long distance running, meditation and travel.

Sam Kant

Sam Kant, MDSam Kant, MD, is a transplant nephrology fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has completed nephrology fellowship at Johns Hopkins, internal medicine residency and chief residency at University of Maryland. His research interests include ANCA vasculitis, transplantation and has been a recipient of multiple awards in the realm of education. He is also the chair of the American College of Physicians Young Physician Council, co-editor of the Renal Fellow Network and editorial board member of American Society of Nephrology Kidney News. Additionally, he is a member of the planning committee for the National Kidney Foundation Scientific Meeting 2022.

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