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Kidney disease foundation names UVA Health a Center for Excellence in the U.S.

Rebecca Barnabi

uva health UVA Health has been named a Center of Excellence for providing patient-focused, comprehensive care for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

The designation is from the PKD Foundation, a foundation dedicated to battling polycystic kidney disease. Founded in 1982, the foundation has funded more than 1,300 research projects with $1.5 billion in research funds for basic, translational and clinical research, nephrology fellowships and scientific meetings with the goal to discover and deliver treatments and cure PKD.

UVA Health is one of 28 centers in the United States with the designation.

“Creating a brighter future for the PKD community has always been our goal, which we can achieve through strong partnerships with organizations like UVA Health who are doing the incredible work of bringing a patient-centered approach to ADPKD care,” Dr. Chris Rusconi, interim CEO and chief research officer of the PKD Foundation, said in the press release. “We congratulate UVA Health and look forward to working closely with them to help those affected by ADPKD to find better care, maintain and improve their quality of life, and plan for the future. Together we will ensure better patient outcomes as we move closer to our vision of ending PKD.”

As a common, life-threatening genetic disease, ADPKD happens when fluid-filled cysts form and grow in both kidneys and eventually lead to kidney failure. UVA Health treats patients with ADPKD in its Charlottesville clinic with comprehensive care including patient education, genetic counseling, clinical trials, dialysis and kidney transplants.

“It is a great honor for UVA to join the PKD Foundation as a Center of Excellence and give patients access to the very best care,” Dr. Mitchell Rosner, a kidney specialist and director of UVA Health’s clinic, said. “UVA has a long tradition of multi-disciplinary care that brings specialists in different areas together to optimize care of the patient and this was recognized in our Center of Excellence selection.”

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.