Houston's Sankar Dass Navaneethan, MD, MS, MPH, Named NKF's Garabed Eknoyan Award Winner

Honor to be presented at the National Kidney Foundation 2025 Spring Clinical Meetings 

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) has awarded Sankar Dass Navaneethan, MD, MS, MPH, with the Garabed Eknoyan Award. He is the Garabed Eknoyan MD Endowed Professor of Medicine, Associate Chief at Section of Nephrology, Chief of Renal Section at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, and Co-lead for the Resources Module of the Consortium for Translational and Precision Health, at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. 

Each year NKF considers the work of hundreds of specialists in the field of nephrology and selects among them those who most exemplify the relentless efforts of the NKF to enhance the lives of patients through action, education and accelerating change. 

The Garabed Eknoyan Award was created to recognize an individual who has promoted the mission of the National Kidney Foundation 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.

"It is an absolute privilege to be recognized with this award named after Dr. Garabed Eknoyan, an icon in Nephrology whose work has touched the lives of many with kidney disease and I am thankful to the National Kidney Foundation for this honor," said Dr. Navaneethan. "This award highlights the need for collective effort as a community to combat the rising kidney disease burden that impacts our patients and their family. I would like to thank all my collaborators, team members, institution and family for their unwavering support over the years." 

Dr. Navaneethan is a clinician scientist with major research interests in clinical trials in diabetic kidney disease, obesity and intentional weight loss in chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease in kidney disease, health services research and systematic reviews in Nephrology. He has been a pioneer in utilizing electronic medical records to optimize care delivery in kidney disease population. 

"Dr. Navaneethan lives and breathes NKF's mission," said Dr. Kirk Campbell, President of the National Kidney Foundation. "We are proud to recognize him for his dedication to improving the health and well-being of others, through his innovative work and compassionate care. He has made a significant impact on the lives of countless individuals, setting a remarkable example of what this award represents." 

Dr. Navaneethan serves on various committees of the National Kidney Foundation, Including his current role as Chair of the NKF 2025 Spring Clinical Meetings Program Committee and Co-Chair of the KDOQI commentary on the KDIGO CKD guidelines. He is involved in multiple clinical studies, receiving independent funding from both the NIH and Veterans Administration. He currently serves as an associate editor for the American Journal of Kidney Diseases and has been appointed to editorial boards of other leading nephrology journals. He is also a workgroup member of the KDIGO DM and CKD guidelines, VA/DoD CKD Guidelines and ASN guidance statement on obesity and kidney disease. 

NKF will honor Dr. Navaneethan and all other awards winners at the 2025 Spring Clinical Meetings in Boston, April 9 - 13. 

NKF Spring Clinical Meetings
For the past 30 years, nephrology healthcare professionals from across the country have come to the NKF 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 and interprofessional 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 April 9-13 in Boston. 

Kidney Disease
In the United States, more than 35 million adults are estimated to have kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney disease (CKD)—and approximately 90 percent don't know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. Black or African American people are about four times as likely as White people to have kidney failure. Hispanics experience kidney failure at about double the rate of White people. 

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. Visit https://www.kidney.org/membership to learn more and join our community today. 

About the National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about kidney disease, please visit www.kidney.org/.

SOURCE National Kidney Foundation