Scientific Activities Organizer to Receive National Kidney Foundation's Garabed Eknoyan Award

Executive to be honored at 2021 Spring Clinical Meetings for her contributions to NKF's mission

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Each year the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) considers the work of hundreds of specialists, volunteers, and kidney healthcare professionals and selects among them those who most exemplify the relentless efforts of NKF to enhance the lives of patients through action, education, and accelerating change.

Their work is vital to the 37 million adults in the U.S. who are affected by kidney disease and the 1 in 3 people who are at risk. NKF will honor these exceptional men and women at the 2021 Spring Clinical Meetings, which will be held virtually April 6-10. Among those honored this year will be one of our own, Senior Vice President of Scientific Operations Jessica Joseph, MBA, who has led the team that organizes the annual spring clinical meetings for more than a decade, as well as many of the ground-breaking initiatives of NKF.

The Garabed Eknoyan Award was created to recognize an individual who has promoted the mission of NKF in making lives better for people with kidney disease through exceptional contributions to key initiatives of NKF such as the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) or clinical research in the field of kidney disease.

"I am honored and surprised to be recognized by such world-renowned clinicians and researchers," Joseph said. "Supporting the kidney healthcare community as part of this incredible NKF team has been the highlight of my career and I would like to dedicate this award to my staff for leaning into this work. Time and time again, they have pulled off what seems to be impossible, like pivoting so quickly and seamlessly many of our professional education activities to virtual events over the last year. I am incredibly fortunate to work among such devoted colleagues and volunteers throughout my tenure at NKF."

"Jessica Joseph works at NKF on projects that have a deep reach into improving clinical care that include work on NKF's continuing medical education for clinicians, clinical practice guidelines, and kidney health research, and plays a key role in ensuring the success of the NKF's annual Spring Clinical Meetings. Last year, on very short notice, Jessica led the heroic and highly successful conversion of the meeting to a virtual event," said NKF President Dr. Paul Palevsky. "Her work at NKF has touched thousands of lives."

Joseph has worked at NKF since 2004 and is responsible for the strategic planning, execution, and evaluation of the overall business operations and logistics for NKF's national and local professional education and membership activities. She oversees NKF's research grant program, meetings and events, and NKF's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI). She is a member of the American Society of Association Executives.

NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
For the past 29 years, nephrology healthcare professionals from across the country have come to NKF's Spring Clinical Meetings to learn about the newest developments related to all aspects of nephrology practice; network with colleagues; and present their research findings. The NKF Spring Clinical Meetings are designed for meaningful change in the multidisciplinary healthcare teams' skills, performance, and patient health outcomes. It is the only conference of its kind that focuses on translating science into practice for the entire healthcare team. This year's Spring Clinical Meetings will be held virtually April 6-10.

NKF Professional Membership
Healthcare professionals can join NKF to receive access to tools and resources for both patients and professionals, discounts on professional education, and access to a network of thousands of individuals who treat patients with kidney disease.

Kidney Disease Facts
In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90 percent don't know they have it. 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. is at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People who are Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are almost 4 times more likely than Whites to have kidney failure. Hispanic or Latino people are 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanic or non-Latino people to have kidney failure.

About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org.

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SOURCE National Kidney Foundation