Life as a Nephrology Professional

Celebrating 45 Years of the International Society for Renal Nutrition and Metabolism (ISRNM)!

November 2023 marks the 45^th anniversary of the International Society for Renal Nutrition and Metabolism (ISRNM)! To celebrate, our host is joined by a team of editors and authors from the Journal of Renal Nutrition’s 45th Anniversary ISRNM Special Supplement, which highlights key themes including plant-dominant diets, microbiome modulation, and how to approach nutrition in patients who select conservative care. Join this discussion on key takeaways from three JRN articles and learn how clinicians can turn this research into action to improve patient experiences and outcomes.

 Articles features in the episode include:

• New Insights Into Dietary Approaches to Potassium Management in Chronic Kidney Disease
• Targeting the Gut Microbiota in Kidney Disease: The Future in Renal Nutrition and Metabolism
• Nutritional and Dietary Management of Chronic Kidney Disease Under Conservative and Preservative Kidney Care Without Dialysis

Host: Natasha Dave, MD

Guests: Kam Kalantar-Zadeh, MD, PhD, MPH; Angela Wang, MD, PhD; Brandon Kistler, PhD, RD, MS; Keiichi Sumida, MD, MPH, PhD; Kelly Lambert, PhD, MS

Fatigue before, during, and after Hemodialysis: An AJKD Article Review

This episode deep-dives into a recent AJKD article entitled Fatigue in Patients Receiving Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Review. Our host is joined by a current hemodialysis patient and two of the article’s co-authors to explore and share all about interdialytic and postdialysis fatigue. Listen in as our host and contributors ask the tough questions and review the data around interventions ranging from dialysate composition and temperature to treating depression. Most importantly, hear how the research intersects with a kidney patient’s lived experience in this episode of the Life as a Nephrologist podcast.

Contributing Authors:  Dr. Susan Hedayati and Dr. Parker Gregg

Contributing Patient:  Dr. David Perchinsky

Podcast Host:  Dr. Natasha Dave

Magnesium: Still the ”Forgotten Electrolyte”?

In this episode, our host is joined by members of the Kidney Medicine editorial team and author, Dr. Chintan Shah, to tackle the “forgotten electrolyte”, magnesium. The panel highlights the importance and relevance of magnesium through discussion of four published journal articles, including:

• SGLT2 Inhibitors in Management of Severe Hypomagnesemia in Patients Without Diabetes: A Report of 4 Cases 
• Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors and Management of Refractory Hypomagnesemia Without Overt Urinary Magnesium Wasting: A Report of 2 Cases
• Dialysate Magnesium and Coronary Artery Calcification, Bone Mineral Density, and Cramping in Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Quasi-experimental Study
• Serum Magnesium Levels and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial Participants

Host: Sam Kant, MD

Guests: Daniel Weiner, MD, MS; Jenny Shen, MD, MS; David Drew, MD, MS; Chintan Shah, MD

Exploring Innovations in Nephrology Education from Undergrad to CME

Increased prevalence and treatment modalities for kidney disease, shifts in priorities, clinical demands, and changes in funding have altered how we approach nephrology education. We are witnessing a massive shift in how education is delivered and implemented; innovative methods now exist outside the classroom and beyond the medical wards. Our focus in this episode is a journal issue of Advances in Kidney Disease and Health*, entitled Nephrology Education for the 21^st Century. The study of nephrology is already a daunting undertaking; how can we develop novel ways of teaching at all levels of higher education? Co-editors Drs. Niralee Patel and Staci Leisman join host Dr. Sam Kant to discuss and explore examples of restructured nephrology curricula and learning methods in undergraduate, graduate, fellowship, and continuing medical education spaces.

*Formerly called Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease.

GN Guidelines: 2021 NKF Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative Commentary (KDOQI)

This episode explores the 2021 NKF Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative Commentary (KDOQI) on the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guideline for glomerular diseases. The KDOQI commentary provides discussion on issues that are specific for implementation of the KDIGO guidelines in US healthcare settings. Tune in is as our host Dr. Natasha Dave dives into the commentary with Co-Chairs Dr. Bill Whittier, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and Dr. Laurence Beck, Boston Medical Center.

There and Back Again: The Journey of a Manuscript

In this episode, journey with us on an expedition filled with unexpected challenges, daunting obstacles, and arduous travels: the journey of a manuscript on its way to publication. Guiding us there and back again are the editors of Kidney Medicine, National Kidney Foundation’s open access journal focused on clinical medicine in nephrology and hypertension, which includes original research, case reports, and review articles.

 

Host: Sam Kant, MD

Guests: Daniel Weiner, MD, MS; Jenny Shen, MD, MS; David Drew, MD, MS

AJKD 40th Anniversary: The Power of Patient Engagement

This is the final episode of a series celebrating the 40th anniversary of the American Journal of Kidney Disease, an official journal of the National Kidney Foundation. AJKD is recognized worldwide as a leader in clinical nephrology content, publishing original investigations describing the latest findings related to kidney diseases, hypertension, dialysis therapies, and kidney transplantation. Join us as we discuss how the AJKD has helped bring the patient experience and patient voice to researchers and clinicians in order to enhance the quality of research ideas and improve the quality of care delivered.

 

Host: Sam Kant, MD

Guests: Harold Feldman, MD, Dena Rifkin, MD, MS & John Ortiz

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.

 

 

 

Advocating for Patients - AJKD Policy Podcast

In this episode, we are joined by a hardworking group of individuals who are passionate about advocating for patients with kidney disease. Our guests 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. They explain some of the current policy challenges facing the kidney disease community today. Furthermore, they discuss the future of slowing progression of CKD as well as shifting kidney replacement therapies from the default in-center hemodialysis to home dialysis and transplantation. Join us as we regenerate excitement for the future in advocacy.

Our guests include:

Miriam Godwin, the 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

Dan Weiner, Associate Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and Editor-in-Chief of Kidney Medicine. Dan is a familiar friend of AJKD, having also served as Deputy Editor for ten years, and then as Policy Forum Editor for another five years.

 

Resources

• Policy Forum collection
• USRDS
• KidneyX
• NKF Advocacy Blog
• AJKD 40^th Anniversary Celebration

AJKD Educational Tools

Welcome to another episode celebrating the 40^th 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.

 

 

Resources and links:

• Atlas of Renal Pathology
• Core Curriculum
• Reviews
• Quizzes
• AJKDBlog.org
• Editorial Internship – Apply by April 30!
• NKF Professional Membership

Our guest’s favorite articles:

• Pathologic Classification of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis: A Working Proposal (2004) Vivette D D'Agati, Agnes B Fogo, Jan A Bruijn, and J.Charles Jennette, MD
• Clinical Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease in Chronic Renal Disease (1998) Robert N. Foley, Patrick S. Parfrey, and Mark J. Sarnak
• Management of Acute Kidney Injury: Core Curriculum 2018 Peter K. Moore, Raymond K. Hsu, and Kathleen D. Liu
• Principles of Kidney Pharmacotherapy for the Nephrologist: Core Curriculum 2021 Sheryl F. Vondracek, Isaac Teitelbaum, and Tyree H. Kiser