Embargoed for release until October 30, 2015 6:00 a.m. EDTContact: Kurtis Pivert (202) 699-0238[email protected]
Newswise — ASN Foundation for Kidney Research Announces Research Fellowship Program is Fully EndowedPolycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation becomes 6th organization inducted into the ASN Foundation’s Founders Circle to fund groundbreaking, innovative kidney research• Kidney disease is a growing public health threat affecting more than 20 million Americans.• Since 1996, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the ASN Foundation for Kidney Research have awarded more than $35 million to clinicians, researchers, and educators to advance innovations that can improve care for patients with kidney diseases.
The ASN Foundation for Kidney Research announced today that the Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship Program has been fully endowed. Launched in 2012, the ASN Foundation added the Program to its portfolio and made a $20,000,000 commitment to fund future generations of nephrology researchers. With the most recent contribution from the Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation, the Program has reached its goal of guaranteeing research funding for nephrology fellows in perpetuity.
“The ASN Foundation for Kidney Research is pleased to announce the full endowment of the Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship Program,” said Foundation Chair and ASN Past President Sharon M. Moe, MD, FASN. “This program is key to fostering the careers of junior investigators and driving the innovative research needed to advance new understandings of, and therapies for, kidney diseases.”
Kidney disease is the 9th leading cause of death in the United States, and research and innovation are critical to improving the lives of the more than 20 million Americans and millions more worldwide burdened by it. With a lead gift of $10,000,000 from Fresenius Medical Care, the foundation established the Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship Program. The Program funds 10 new and 10 continuing fellowships annually, and recipients receive $100,000 over two years to conduct original, meritorious research projects.
The ASN Foundation is proud to announce the latest named fellowship.
The Jared J. Grantham Research FellowshipThanks to the generous support of the PKD Foundation and ASN, this fellowship honors Jared J. Grantham, MD, for his contributions to understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of polycystic kidney disease. Dr. Grantham is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Kansas Medical Center and Founding Director of The Kidney Institute. In 1982 he cofounded the PKD Foundation, which has invested more than $38 million to fund clinical and scientific research, fellowships, and meetings.
“The PKD Foundation believes that fellowships are a critical way to usher in the next generation of physician scientists,” said PKD Foundation CEO Jackie Hancock Jr., CFRE. “Our partnership with the ASN Foundation for Kidney Research to establish the Jared J. Grantham Research Fellowship demonstrates our collaborative efforts to solve the critical need in nephrology research that we believe will move us toward therapies for PKD.”
With its contribution, the PKD Foundation becomes the 6th member of the ASN Foundation Founders Circle, joining Fresenius Medical Care, ASN, the American Renal Patient Care Foundation, Inc., Amgen, and Baxter. The ASN Foundation for Kidney Research is honored to continue to fund the novel and innovative research that will improve the health of millions of people worldwide.
The ASN Foundation for Kidney Research was established in 2012 and funds the Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship Program, the Career Development Grants Program, the William and Sandra Bennett Clinical Scholars Program, and the American Society of Nephrology–Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program. For more information on the ASN Foundation for Kidney Research or its Grants Program please visit www.asn-online.org/foundation, contact [email protected], or call (202) 640-4660.Founded in 1966, and with nearly 16,000 members, the American Society of Nephrology leads the fight against kidney disease by educating health professionals, sharing new knowledge, advancing research, and advocating the highest quality care for patients.
The PKD Foundation is the only organization in the United States solely dedicated to finding treatments and a cure for polycystic kidney disease (PKD) to improve the lives of those it affects. This is done through promoting programs of research, education, advocacy, support, and awareness on a national level, along with direct services in local communities across the country. Their vision is that one day no one will suffer the full effects of PKD. Visit www.pkdcure.org to learn more about PKD and the Foundation.
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