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NKDEP Announces New Director
NKDEP has been searching for a director to succeed Dr. Thomas Hostetter, who is now with Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Andrew Narva has accepted the position of NKDEP Director, starting officially in October of this year. Dr. Narva comes to NKDEP from the Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency of the Public Health Service that provides health care to approximately two million American Indian and Alaska Natives, including communities with the highest rates of ESRD in the U.S. Dr. Narva established the IHS Kidney Disease Program in 1989 with the goal of improving care for AI/AN with CKD. As the IHS Chief Clinical Consultant for Nephrology, Dr. Narva has provided direct care in New Mexico as well as technical consultation and support to tribes and IHS throughout the country. He promoted collaborative relationships with the National Kidney Foundation, ESRD Networks, USRDS, and NKDEP, serving since 2001 as a member of its Steering Committee. In 2002 he was recognized by the IHS National Council of Clinical Directors as the Physician Leader of the Year and by the United States Public Health Service as the Clinical Physician of the Year. In 2003 he received the USPHS Distinguished Service Medal, the highest recognition awarded to commissioned officers.
2006 Family Reunion Initiative Kicks Off
NKDEP has kicked off the second year of its African-American Family Reunion Initiative. The
goal of the initiative is to encourage African-American families to discuss the connection between diabetes, high blood pressure, and
kidney disease at reunions and other family gatherings.
This year, NKDEP has expanded the Kidney Connection Guide—the centerpiece of the initiative. It now includes additional tips
for planners and fact sheets on diabetes and high blood pressure. The Guide can be found on the Family Reunion website (www.nkdep.nih.gov/familyreunion).
Promotional materials for organizations that would like to inform their members about the initiative, including sample newsletter articles
and announcements, an HTML email, and web banners, are available at www.nkdep.nih.gov/familyreunion/partners.htm.
In other Family Reunion Initiative news, we are pleased to report that the Family Reunion website was awarded an "Outstanding" Plain
Language Award from NIH in 2005!
High Demand for New Spanish-language Brochure
We’ve had great success getting the word out about NKDEP’s new Spanish-language
resources, which include a brochure and website (www.nkdep.nih.gov/espanol) that debuted
in February. The materials provide science-based information on the risk factors for kidney disease, the basic principles of kidney function,
and the importance of early testing. Working with Hispanic organizations across the country, NKDEP disseminated almost 25,000 copies
in the one month.
To order the brochure, visit the Resources section of the NKDEP site at www.nkdep.nih.gov/resources or call 1-866-4 KIDNEY. If you
would like quantities of more than 200, please contact Christen Horn at christen.horn@ogilvypr.com.
Getting the Word Out About NKDEP’s Dialysis Center Materials
To promote our Help Your Family Prevent Kidney Failure materials
for dialysis and kidney transplant patients, NKDEP is working with the Forum of ESRD Networks to send a mailing to more than 5,000 dialysis
centers nationwide. The mailing aims to inform centers about the free materials, and includes a Resources Sheet describing the NKDEP
materials as well as other NIDDK materials for dialysis patients. NKDEP’s Help Your Family materials encourage dialysis
patients to talk to their family members about their risk for kidney disease due to family history. To view or order the materials, please
visit the Resources page of the NKDEP website at www.nkdep.nih.gov/resources or
call 1-866-4 KIDNEY.
Cover Story for Creatinine Standardization Program
NKDEP’s Creatinine Standardization Program was the cover story in the April
issue of Clinical Laboratory News. The article
outlined the goals and challenges of the program. The Creatinine Standardization Program encourages laboratories and manufacturers
of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) systems to standardize their measurement of serum creatinine and utilize the revised
MDRD equation to calculate estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), a measure of kidney function.
If you are interested in receiving periodic electronic updates about the Creatinine Standardization Program, contact us at csp@info.niddk.nih.gov or
sign up on the Laboratory Professionals page of the NKDEP website at www.nkdep.nih.gov/labprofessionals.
NKDEP Committee Structure Reorganized
NKDEP has been working to reorganize its Steering Committee and Working Group structure to better
meet the current needs of the program. The former Steering Committee has been transitioned into a Coordinating Panel that will meet once
a year to share information on organizational activities relating to kidney disease and related conditions. A list of Coordinating Panel
members will be posted on the NKDEP website this month.
NKDEP has formed two new Working Groups. The Evaluation Working Group will help guide NKDEP's development of program evaluation measures,
data collection, and analysis. The Dialysis Center Working Group will help determine the best way to engage ESRD patients in educating
others at risk for kidney disease.
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