Don’t miss the opportunity to interact with kidney experts from anywhere you choose on your phone or computer. Whether it’s from home, while you’re having dialysis or even on vacation, you can participate in Kidney Action Week! Join us for our second annual Kidney Action Week which connects you with kidney patients, top nephrologists, dietitians, patients, caregivers and other kidney experts to provide information, tools and resources to help you prevent kidney disease or take the best care of yourself if you have it. You can choose from a week-long schedule of events focusing on all aspects of kidney health: kidney disease prevention, dialysis and transplantation, kidney disease management, eating well and more!
Welcome to Kidney Action Week 2021 from American Kidney Fund President & CEO, LaVarne Burton
Speakers:
• LaVarne Burton – President and CEO, American Kidney Fund
Session Info:
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Finding Answers for the Unknown Causes of Kidney Disease: A Roadmap for Change
Session Info:
This session will be a companion session to the July 27 professional webinar. It will be aimed at patients and their caregivers and will walk patients through the key findings of the Roadmap, what it means for them and tips they can put into practice now to get a definitive diagnosis as to what caused their kidney disease.
The Unknown Causes of Kidney Disease project and Roadmap are made possible thanks to our Title Sponsor, Sanofi Genzyme, our Lead Sponsors, Natera and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and our Champion Sponsors Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. and Travere Therapeutics.
Speakers:
• Dr. Ogo Egbuna, MD, MSc, FASN – Executive Medical Director, Vertex PharmaceuticalsÂ
• Jack Johnson – Executive Director, Fabry Support & Information Group
• Dr. Delphine Tuot, MDCM, MAS – Associate Professor, UCSF Division of Nephrology at ZSFG
• Dr. Manish Maski, MD, MMSc – Global Medical Head, Rare Nephrology, Sanofi Genzyme
• Trudy McKanna, MS, CGC – Director of Medical Education, Natera
• Michael Spigler, MCHES – VP of Patient Services & Kidney Disease Education, AKF
Hypertension, Diabetes and Kidney Disease: Understanding the Connection
Session Info:
This will be a joint webinar between the American Kidney Fund, the American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association. The connections between Hypertension, Diabetes and Kidney Disease will be discussed. A cardiologist, endocrinologist and nephrologist will all provide an overview to patients and their caregivers about the interplay between the three diseases. Patients will be provided with tips on how to manage these three diseases and have effective communications with their providers. The audience will be able to ask questions of the three participating specialists.
Speakers:
• Dr. Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH; Asst. Prof. of Medicine in Cardiology, Duke Clinical Research Institute
• Dr. Samuel Dagogo-Jack, MD, DSc; Dir., Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, UT Health Science Ctr
• Dr. Pablo Garcia, MD – Nephrologist
• Melanie Paris, M.A., MPH – Senior Director of Health Initiatives and Education, AKF
The Importance of Clinical Trials: Why Participant Diversity Makes a Difference
Session Info:
Dr. Kirk Campbell will give an overview of clinical trials and the importance of a diverse pool of trial participants. He will be joined by Patrick Gee, who will give his own perspectives about participating in clinical trials and advice he has for patients who are considering it. The speakers will work to dispel myths and answer questions from the audience.
This session is made possible thanks to generous support from AstraZeneca and GSK.
Speakers:
• Dr. Patrick Gee, Sr., PhD, JLC – Founder & CEHD, iAdvocate, Inc.
• Dr. Kirk Campbell, MD – Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Melanie Paris, M.A., MPH – Senior Director of Health Initiatives and Education, AKF
Home Dialysis and the Patient Experience: Could Home Dialysis be for You?
Session Info:
Many people living with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) have either never thought about doing dialysis at home, are reluctant or think they do not qualify. Although home dialysis offers many with ESRD more energy, a more flexible diet, more energy, and more work options, there is still relatively low usage, especially among Blacks and Latinos. This session will feature doctors who specialize in home dialysis and AKF ambassadors who use home dialysis. Experts on home dialysis will discuss the barriers to home dialysis and what can be done to overcome them.
Speakers:
• Dr. Rachel Perlman, MD, FACP – Clinical Associate Professor, Specialty in Nephrology and Internal Medicine at University of Michigan Health
• Leigh-Ann Williams, MPH, MS – AKF Ambassador & Research fellow, Dillard University
• Nieltje Gedney – Executive Director, Home Dialyzors United
• Dr. Graham Abra, MD – VP, Medical Affairs & Home Therapy, Satellite Healthcare
Know Your Kidney Health Care Team: Effective Communication for the Best Health Outcome
Session Info:
Effective communication and shared decision-making is a key component to patient-centered care. In this session, experts and a patient will give advice on how kidney patients and caregivers can actively work with their doctors and treatment team for improved outcomes. Patients and caregivers will leave this session empowered to serve as their own advocate and get answers to questions about their care.
Speakers:
• Dr. Julie Wright Nunes, MD, MPH – Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan Health System
Dr. Hall, a practicing nephrologist, will give an overview of diabetic kidney disease and its management, including recent treatment innovations. A particular focus will be on patients with diabetic kidney disease stages 3a and 3b. They will be joined by a dietitian who will talk about the challenges of the dietary management of diabetes and chronic kidney disease. A patient will also join the group and will provide practical advice from their own experiences. Audience members will be encouraged to participate and submit questions for the panelists. Dr. Hall, a practicing nephrologist, will give an overview of diabetic kidney disease and its management, including recent treatment innovations. A particular focus will be on patients with diabetic kidney disease stages 3a and 3b. They will be joined by a dietitian who will talk about the challenges of the dietary management of diabetes and chronic kidney disease. A patient will also join the group and will provide practical advice from their own experiences. Audience members will be encouraged to participate and submit questions for the panelists.
This session is made possible thanks to generous support from Boehringer Ingelheim / Lilly.
Speakers:
• Dr. Yoshio Hall, MD, MS – Professor, Division of Nephrology, University of Washington
• Amanda Lane, MS, RD – Renal Registered Dietitian, University of Florida Health
Ask a Nephrologist: Audience Q&A with Dr. Akhtar Ashfaq
Session Info:
Get answers to your questions about preventing and managing kidney disease! This interactive session will give kidney patients and their loved ones to ask questions of one of the nephrologists from the American Kidney Fund’s Medical Advisory Committee, Dr. Akhtar Ashfaq.
Speakers:
• Dr. Akhtar Ashfaq, MD – Internist and Nephrologist
• Michael Spigler, MCHES – VP of Patient Services & Kidney Disease Education, AKF
Congressional Briefing: Increasing Kidney Transplants in Communities of Color
Session Info:
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light what we in the kidney disease world have known for a long time: health disparities among communities of color leads to the higher incidence of disease and mortality in these populations.
This is especially striking with regard to kidney disease, particularly in the Black community. While Black people are only 13% of the US population, they make up more than a third of the people with kidney failure. The most effective treatment for most people with kidney failure is a kidney transplant. But unfortunately, the health disparities that lead to higher incidence of kidney failure also lead to difficulties in accessing kidney transplants.
Our briefing will focus on the challenges that people from communities of color face in getting transplants and what we can do about it, such as increasing living organ donation.
We are grateful to AstraZeneca for their Title support of AKF’s health equity programming.
Speakers:
• LaVarne Burton – President and CEO, American Kidney Fund
• Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) – Assistant Whip for House Leadership
• Frances Ashe-Goins, RN, MPH, FAAN – Adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina; Former Deputy Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and AKF Board Member, Columbia, SC
• Dr. Joseph Keith Melancon, MD – Chief of the GW Transplant Institute and professor of surgery at The George Washington University Hospital
• Dr. Ken Sutha, MD, PhD – Instructor of Pediatric Nephrology, Stanford University, and AKF Ambassador, Palo Alto, CA
Ask a Nephrologist: Audience Q&A featuring the “Cooking Doc” – Dr. Blake Shusterman
Session Info:
Dr. Blake Shusterman, aka The Cooking Doc, will provide insights about kidney disease and will also discuss how to manage kidney disease through healthy eating. Dr. Blake will bring his expertise as a practicing nephrologist and his “Change Your Buds” message to Kidney Action Week through an interactive question and answer session that will cover general questions about kidney disease, and cooking tips, recipe ideas, food substitution ideas
Speakers:
• Dr. Blake Shusterman, MD – Organization Nephrologist & The Cooking Doc, Carolina Nephrology
• Melanie Paris, M.A., MPH – Senior Director of Health Initiatives & Education, AKF
Viewers in this session will receive an overview of gout and its connection to chronic kidney disease. Common myths and misperceptions about gout will also be addressed as patients tell their own chronic kidney disease and gout stories. The panelists will answer questions from the audience, providing their insights on these conditions. A wide range of resources for patients, caregivers and their healthcare team will be offered to session participants.
This session is made possible thanks to support from Horizon Therapeutics plc.
Speakers:
• Dr. Lawrence Edwards, MD, MACP, MACR – CEO, Gout Education Society
• Ellery Payton, Jr. – American Kidney Fund Ambassador
• Theresa Caldron, RN – American Kidney Fund Ambassador
• Josie Cooper – Executive Director, Alliance for Gout Awareness
All About ADPKD (Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease)
Session Info:
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease or, ADPKD, is a genetic disease that causes clusters of cysts to grow on the kidneys. In most people who have ADKPD, it eventually progresses to cause end stage renal disease, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant.
In this session, the panelists will provide an overview of ADPKD, diagnosis, treatment and management, and advice on speaking to family about the genetic components of this disease.
Participants will leave with a broad understanding of ADPKD, and information to empower their conversations with their medical care team, caregivers, and other family members.
This session is made possible thanks to generous support from Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Speakers:
• Dr. Chris Rusconi, PhD – Chief Research Officer, PKD Foundation
• Dr. Chun Lam, MD – Sr. Dir., Global Clinical Development, Nephrology, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical
The Kidney Transplant Process: What You Need to Know
Session Info:
The living kidney donor process can seem overwhelming for both the kidney donor and recipient. In this session, the panelist, including a nephrologist, a transplant coordinator, social worker, and AKF patient ambassadors will talk about the process, what it entails and why we are still seeing living kidney donor disparities in Black and Latino kidney patients. Together they will provide advice for overcoming these barriers and answer questions from participants about the process.
We are grateful to AstraZeneca for their Title support of AKF’s health equity programming.
Speakers:
• Dr. Elaine Ku, MD, MAS – Associate Professor, Divisions of Nephrology and Pediatric Nephrology, University of California, San Francisco
• LeighAnn Saylor – Caregiver and American Kidney Fund Ambassador
• Michael H. Saylor – Patient and American Kidney Fund Ambassador
• Helen Christensen, RN, MHA – Living Kidney Donor Facilitator, UCSF
• Dr. Katherine Wang, MD, MS – Associate Physician, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Division of Renal Medicine
A kidney transplant is a gift of life that must be protected. In this session, patients will learn how to care for their kidney transplant through medicine, testing, healthy eating, lifestyle changes and more. Viewers will also be able to get answers to their questions from a transplant nephrologist and a transplant dietitian.
Speakers:
• Dr. Silas Norman, MD, MPH – Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan
Many kidney patients are also managing depression, anxiety disorders and other mental health conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this problem even worse through economic struggles, fears of contracting the virus and social isolation. A psychologist and social worker who specialize in the care of kidney patients as well as a dynamic patient advocate will join forces to talk about what patients and caregivers can do to maintain their mental health and thrive with kidney disease. This interactive session will also feature a question-and-answer session.
This session is made possible thanks to generous support from Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Speakers:
• Dr. Daniel Cukor, Ph.D. – Director, Behavioral Health, The Rogosin Institute
• Dawn P. Edwards – Wellness Ambassador, The Rogosin Institute
• Hannah Graves, LMSW – Transplant Outreach Social Worker, Piedmont Transplant Institute
• Carlos Aparicio, MSW, LCSW-C – Director of Health Initiatives, AKF
Many kidney patients are also managing depression, anxiety disorders and other mental health conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this problem even worse through economic struggles, fears of contracting the virus and social isolation. A psychologist and social worker who specialize in the care of kidney patients as well as a dynamic patient advocate will join forces to talk about what patients and caregivers can do to maintain their mental health and thrive with kidney disease. This interactive session will also feature a question-and-answer session.
This session is made possible thanks to generous support from Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
AKF works on behalf of the 37 million Americans living with and at risk for kidney disease. From prevention to life after a transplant, AKF supports people wherever they are in their fight against kidney disease.
