Nephrology

UCLA Nephrology Racial and Health Equity Committee (RHEC)

UCLA Nephrology Racial and Health Equity Committee (RHEC)

About RHEC: The UCLA Racial and Health Equity Committee (RHEC) was created to identify factors that contribute to disparities in clinical care delivery and to provide meaningful solutions in order to achieve equitable care and improve clinical outcomes for our kidney patients.

In the Unites States, more than 37 million adults have some form of chronic kidney disease that disproportionately impacts the lives of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black and African Americans, Hispanic and LatinX, as well as American Indians and Native Americans. While the disparities have been known for some time, they became even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic even  Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening health disparities and social determinants of health, especially for people with kidney diseases.

Mission: To increase education, and provide strategies to deliver effective care and improved racial and health equity for vulnerable kidney populations that have been systematically discriminated against, especially Black/African Americans, Hispanic/LatinX and American Indians/Native Americans.

Vision: To comprehensively address systemic challenges and obstacles to delivery of care to vulnerable kidney patients, by providing education, awareness and direction to diverse providers through development and intervention on relevant topics related to racial and health equity.

Chair

  • Susanne B. Nicholas, MD, MPH, PhD

Members

  • Zachary Bruss, DO
  • Hamid Hajmomenian, MD
  • Mohammad Kamgar, MD
  • Erik Lum, MD
  • Ephantus (Joe) Njue, RN
  • James Wilson, MD
  • Julie Yabu, MD

Administrative Staff

  • Ruth Manley – Van Veldhuizen

Library:

UCLA Nephrology Racial and Health Equity Committee Reading list

  1. Implicit bias training: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
  2. Vyas et al. Hidden in Plain Sight-Reconsidering the Use of Race Correction in Clinical Algorithms. NEJM 2020
  3. Diao et al. Clinical Implications of Removing Race from Estimates of Kidney Function. JAMA 2021
  4. Norris et al. Removal of Race from Estimates of Kidney Function. First, Do No Harm. JAMA 2021
  5. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson (on audible)