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

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Dr. Lisa Weber is a fascinating and extremely busy person, a nephrologist and dialysis medical director in Wichita, Kansas. Dr. Weber has a multifaceted career involving caring for CKD and transplant patients in the city of Wichita, and travelling to oversee dialysis clinics in the surrounding areas. She attended medical school at the University of Kansas and completed Nephrology Fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. We talk about some of the joys and challenges of practicing as a rural nephrologist and how she “wears a lot of hats” by necessity.