Diet Related Inflammation and Kidney Function Decline in Racial/Ethnic Minorities

PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT: The primary purpose of this proposal is to provide Tanya Johns, MD, MHS, a clinical investigator in the Department of Medicine (Division of Nephrology) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/ Montefiore Medical Center, with the skills and mentored guidance necessary to develop into an independent clinical researcher and a nationally recognized expert focused on reducing health disparities in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dr. Johns’ research proposal examines the relationship between dietary patterns and inflammation, and its association with kidney function decline in racial/ethnic minorities. Growing evidence suggests that pro- inflammatory dietary patterns may adversely impact kidney health; but this has not been fully investigated, especially in minority populations who bear an excess burden of CKD. Dr. Johns will leverage large, well- established NIH funded cohorts of racial/ethnic minorities with longitudinal data to test the association of diet- induced inflammation with kidney function decline. She will also examine the effects of the Multicultural Healthy Diet (anti-inflammatory dietary pattern) intervention on CKD risk, and the feasibility in individuals with established CKD. Specifically, she aims to: 1) characterize dietary patterns in community-dwelling African Americans (n= 5,306) and Hispanics (n= 16,415) and its associations with systemic inflammation and kidney function decline; 2) evaluate the effect of the Multicultural Healthy Dietary (MHD) intervention on CKD risk in an ongoing clinical trial of older predominately racial/ethnic minority participants (n= 277); and 3) conduct a small pilot study (n= 20) to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a MHD-like intervention in racial/ethnic minorities with CKD. To successfully complete these research aims and transition to independence, Dr. Johns has developed a comprehensive 3-year research program that includes: i) mentorship from a multidisciplinary team with expertise in nutrition, longitudinal data analyses for cohort studies, clinical trials, comparative effectiveness studies, and health disparities research; ii) completion of courses in nutritional epidemiology, biostatistics, comparative effectiveness research, and clinical trials; iii) dissemination of her work through presentations at national research meetings and publications in high impact journals; iv) grantsmanship activities geared towards writing a competitive R01 by the end of her award period. Each member of Dr. Johns’ mentorship team has a long track record of successfully mentoring junior investigators, and is fully committed to working together to help her achieve career benchmarks and attain research independence. The resources at Albert Einstein provides an ideal environment in which to complete her training and research goals. With the knowledge and expertise gained from her research and career development activities, Dr. Johns will be well poised to evaluate novel risk factors for CKD, which will inform the development and implementation dietary or other interventions to halt kidney disease initiation and progression in racial/ ethnic minorities. With this award, Dr. Tanya Johns will be well prepared for a career as an independent clinical investigator. (30 lines; Limit 30 lines of text)