National Kidney Foundation honors Suma Nair, PhD, MS, RD, with Public Service Award
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Key takeaways:
- Nair works to help address inequity in health care, specifically regarding equal access to organ transplants.
- Nair was presented with the award at the NKF Spring Clinical Meetings.
The National Kidney Foundation has awarded Suma Nair, PhD, MS, RD, its Public Service Award for her work in advancing health care equity.
The award was presented at the NKF Spring Clinical Meetings in Long Beach, California.
Nair is the associate administrator for the Health Systems Bureau at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of HHS. She works to strengthen public health care systems and improve access to care for medically underserved communities by increasing access to organ and blood stem cell donation and transplantation, according to a press release. Under her care, HRSA has significantly improved the performance of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), ensuring that patients have timely and equal access to life-saving transplants, according to a press release.
“It is a great honor to be recognized by an organization that is dedicated to advancing health equity, which is a shared personal and professional passion of mine,” Nair said in the release. “This award sends a strong signal of patient and community support for HRSA’s efforts to modernize the OPTN. Everyone who needs a life-saving organ transplant should have the opportunity to have a high quality, patient-centered transplant with the shortest possible wait time.”
Nair has also driven initiatives that help to facilitate vaccine and countermeasure injury compensation, and support Hansen’s disease research and education.
“Dr. Nair has worked tirelessly to help those in need of life-saving organ transplants by leading programs that improve access to care and strengthen public health and health care systems, so she is deserving of NKF’s prestigious Public Service Award,” Sylvia E. Rosas, MD, MSCE, president of NKF, said in the release. “NKF is a strong voice for the needs of patients and families, and we know that Dr. Nair shares our concerns and vision including supporting efforts to modernize the OPTN system. We look forward to our continued collaboration on behalf of all those individuals waiting for a kidney transplant.”
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