Kidney Disease & African Americans – Nichole Jefferson’s Story
In this episode we discuss kidney disease and how it disproportionately affects African Americans. We cover Nichole Jefferson’s story, a black woman who was unable to get on the kidney transplant list due to a diagnostic kidney test that overestimates Black people’s kidney function compared to non-Blacks.
And we highlight the Northwestern Medicine African American Transplant Access Program (AATAP), which works to address the disparity in access to transplantation experienced by the Black community.
Visit the AATAP website, https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/organ-transplantation/african-american-transplant-access-program, to learn more about how the program helps Black people navigate complex diagnoses and the transplantation process.
If you would like to suggest a topic we should discuss, share your own personal story, or shoutout an organization or individual please email us at [email protected].
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Resources:
How a clinical tool meant to predict kidney function could be hurting Black patients by Sojourner Ahébée
https://whyy.org/segments/how-the-egfr-tool-could-be-hurting-black-patients/
Black or ‘Other’? Doctors may be relying on race to make decisions about your health by Jacque Smith and Cassie Spodak, CNN
Black K.A.R.E. Kidney Awareness, Resources, and Education https://www.pdempowers.com/black-kare
Audio of Nichole Jefferson:
Can a formula be racist? She says one put her health at risk by Athena Jones, Jessi Esparza, and Natalia V. Osipova, CNN
