When a kidney from a deceased donor becomes available, it is scored on a system called the Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI). How does the KDPI work and is it accurate at predicting possible transplant survival compared to a lower KDPI donation or a living donor? On this episode, we speak with experts to get the facts.

Nichole Jefferson is a kidney transplant recipient and active member of NKF’s Kidney Advocacy Committee. She has attended every Kidney Patient Summit with NKF in Washington, D.C. since 2014, representing the states of Iowa and Texas. Presently, she is the Co-Chair of the NKF Kidney Advocacy Committee’s Diversity & Health Equity Advisory Committee. In this position, she shares her experiences and advocates for kidney disease awareness and needs.  This is a way for her to pay it forward to her community.

Anne Huml, MD, MS is a transplant nephrologist and clinical researcher in the Department of Kidney Medicine within the Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute.  She is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. One of her primary research focuses is on health disparities in kidney disease, particularly on access to kidney transplant. She has worked on research teams to: improve access to the kidney transplant waiting list through the use of patient navigators; evaluate deceased donor organ offers to patients at the top of the waiting list; and investigate access to kidney transplant and transplant outcomes in large, national databases.

Additional Resources 

Transplantation Resources (Transplants For All)

Underutilized Kidneys

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