Local medical students make an impact in Nephrology research

Left to right: Al-Makki, Fricker and Gunderman at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2023 conference in November.

Three medical students in the Indiana University School of Medicine-West Lafayette and their mentor at Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital have recently published research findings that identify a key area for improvement for outpatient nephrology care for Black patients across the country.

David J. Gunderman, Gabrielle Fricker and Kasyap Kondury, students at the IU School of Medicine-West Lafayette, recently published “Impact of Race-Free eGFR on Racial Disparity in Receiving Timely Outpatient Nephrology Care” in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Additional authors on this study are Sharon M. Moe, MD (IU School of Medicine-Indianapolis) and Akram Al-Makki, MD (IU Health Arnett) who is the principal investigator and corresponding author of the study.

Nephrology is the branch of medicine focused on the kidneys. This observational study examined racial disparities in outpatient nephrology care and found a persistent delay in receiving care for Black patients with chronic kidney disease.

“I chose to work on this project because it shows just how much more work needs to be done in improving health equity in our communities here in Indiana,” says Fricker. She, Gunderman and Kondury are part of the Graduate Medical Education program at Arnett Hospital, which allows medical students to complete all four years of medical education (med school) in Greater Lafayette.

“By highlighting how race-based metrics affect the timeliness of treatment in kidney care, our study contributes to ongoing efforts toward a more inclusive healthcare system,” says Gunderman.

Signifying the importance of their work in this area, Fricker, Gunderman and Kondury, alongside Al-Makki, were invited to present the results of their research at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2023 conference in early November.

“Medical education and research are pillars of IU Health’s commitment to leading the transformation of healthcare. To be asked to present at this prestigious conference is a significant achievement for these students and a testament to the importance of this study,” says Al-Makki, director of Graduate Medical Education at Arnett Hospital.

The full text of the publication can be accessed at: https://rdcu.be/dmyyf.