ROCKVILLE, Md., July 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Katherine M. Wang, M.D., a second-year nephrology fellow at Stanford University, has been named the American Kidney Fund (AKF) Clinical Scientist in Nephrology (CSN) fellow for 2018-2019. The CSN grant from AKF will fund her research to study the effects of intensive treatment of hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease and factors associated with the inability to achieve lower systolic blood pressure targets. Dr. Wang’s research—“SPRINTing to intensive blood pressure targets: when, for whom, and how?”—includes a secondary analysis of data collected in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). The study demonstrated that patients with hypertension who were treated to achieve a lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) than standard targets had a reduced risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events, and a lower risk of death overall. Dr. Wang will have access to newly released data from SPRINT to help her identify determinants and consequences of being unable to reach the lower, more intensive SBP target and how this relates to cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular outcomes in patients with kidney disease.

A patient-oriented portion of Dr. Wang’s research will study patients with hypertension seen at Stanford Health Care, comparing the SPRINT protocol for blood pressure measurement with other modalities used in routine clinical practice.

“My research as an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow will provide valuable insights into patient subgroups that may pose significant challenges in terms of achieving more intensive blood pressure targets,” Dr. Wang said. “I am grateful to AKF and its commitment to fostering health care access, health literacy, and the prevention and early detection of kidney disease.”

Dr. Wang’s AKF Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship began July 1 and is funded in part by a family foundation’s anonymous donation, an educational grant from Amgen, and individual donors.

Her research will be conducted under the mentorship of Glenn M. Chertow, M.D., MPH, the Norman Coplon/Satellite Healthcare Professor of Medicine, and Tara I. Chang, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor of Medicine. Dr. Chertow was an AKF Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellow 25 years ago.

Dr. Wang is a graduate of the University of Rochester and completed her medical school and residency training in internal medicine at Albany Medical College. She is a second-year nephrology fellow at Stanford University, working toward a Master of Science Degree in Health Policy.

The CSN program strives to improve the quality of care provided to kidney patients and promotes clinical research in nephrology. It enhances the training of nephrologists who want to pursue an academic career and whose primary professional commitment is to scholarship in the provision of patient care. Dr. Wang joins a distinguished list of CSN fellows whose work in nephrology research has been advancing patient care since 1989.

“The American Kidney Fund’s Clinical Scientist in Nephrology program has supported promising clinical research to improve the care and treatment of kidney patients since it was established almost three decades ago,” said LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of the American Kidney Fund. “Young researchers like Dr. Wang are vital to the ability of the kidney care community to advance the science and care of people living with kidney disease.”

For more information about the American Kidney Fund and the CSN program, visit www.kidneyfund.org .

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About the American Kidney Fund

As the nation’s leading independent nonprofit working on behalf of the 30 million Americans with kidney disease, the American Kidney Fund is dedicated to ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. AKF provides a complete spectrum of programs and services: prevention outreach, top-rated health educational resources, and direct financial assistance enabling 1 in 5 U.S. dialysis patients to access lifesaving medical care, including dialysis and transplantation. AKF holds the highest ratings from the nation’s charity watchdog groups, including Charity Navigator, which includes AKF on its “top 10” list of nonprofits with the longest track records of outstanding stewardship of the donated dollar, and GuideStar, which has awarded AKF its Platinum Seal of Transparency.

 

For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org , or connect with us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

Alice Andors American Kidney Fund 240-292-7053 aandors@kidneyfund.org