Vallabh “Raj” Shah, PhD, Distinguished and Regents’ Professor in The University of New Mexico’s Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Internal Medicine, and Mark Unruh, MD, chair of Internal Medicine, will study risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) among Native Americans in the southwestern U.S. to determine whether any progress is being made
Shah — who has worked with Native Americans for more than 25 years — and Unruh formed a consortium of investigators with extensive experience in studying chronic diseases, including diabetes and kidney disease.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently announced a five-year $3.5 million grant to fund the consortium in hopes of improving the understanding of potential risk factors for CKD and cardiovascular disease progression, as well as the impact of the disease among Native Americans.