ASN's Mission

To create a world without kidney diseases, the ASN Alliance for Kidney Health elevates care by educating and informing, driving breakthroughs and innovation, and advocating for policies that create transformative changes in kidney medicine throughout the world.

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Suzanne Watnick, MD, FASN, BRCU Faculty

Suzanne Watnick, MD, FASN, is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Washington and Chief Medical Officer at Northwest Kidney Centers. She currently practices in the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle.

Dr. Watnick serves on the Quality Committee & Policy and Advocacy Committee of the American Society of Nephrology, and its Home Dialysis Task Force, and has expertise in dialysis, patient advocacy, payment reform, and quality improvement.

Current Position/Titles:

Chief Medical Officer, Northwest Kidney Centers

Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Staff Nephrologist, Puget Sound VA Medical Center, Seattle, WA

Degrees/Training:

B.A., Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 1990

M.D., University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, 1995

Internal Medicine Residency: UCSF, San Francisco, CA, 1995-1998

Nephrology Fellowship: UCSF 1999 & Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 1999-2002

Research/Post-Doctoral Training: Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars? Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 2000-2002

ASN Service:

ASN Dialysis Advisory Group Member, 2006-2011; Chairperson, Abstract Review Committee for ?ESRD: Non-cardiovascular? 2008; Public Policy Board member, 2009-2016; ESRD Bundling Task Force Member, 2009-2010; ASN Virtual Dialysis Curriculum, co-creator, 2010-2012; ASN development group - inaugural Practice Improvement Module for Dialysis, 2009-2010; ASN Task Force - dialysis bundling rule and recommendations to CMS for initial prospective payment for dialysis care; 2009-2010; ASN Hill/Health Advocacy Days, Semi-annually/annually, 2009-present; Abstract Review Committee, ?Dialysis for AKI: Hemodialysis, CRRT, SLED? Member, 2010; Public Policy representative, ASN Post Graduate Education Committee, ASN Public Policy symposia lead for Kidney Week, Leader 2010-2016; ESRD QIP Task Force, American Society of Nephrology, 2011; ASN Training Program Directors Executive Committee, 2011-2016; Subcommittee for Fistula First initiative, Lead, 2011-2012; ASN-Brookings Collaborative Clinician?s Leadership Initiative, Chairperson, 2012; Home Dialysis Benchmarks Workgroup Update, Member, 2012-2013; Ambulatory Dialysis workgroup, TPD group for ASN, Co-Chair, 2013; Inaugural ASN Kidney Self-Assessment (KSAP) module creation team, Member, 2014-2015; Joint ASN/RPA Workforce Taskforce, Member, 2014-2015; ASN AKI-D Workgroup, including CMS commentary on legislation, Member, 2015-2016; ASN MACRA Workgroup, Member, 2015-2016; ASN CKD Comprehensive Care Model Initiative, Member, 2016-2019; ASN Representative on NKF CKD Payment Model Group, Member, 2016-2017; ASN Policy and Advocacy Committee, Member, 2017-2020; ASN Board Review Course, 2017-present; ASN TEP Representative, ESRD PPS Case Mix Adjustment, 2018; ASN Council Nominating Committee, 2020; ASN COVID-19 Home Dialysis Task Force, Member, 2020-present; ASN Quality Committee, Member 2021-present; ASN Co-Representative to Kidney Care Partners, 2021-present; ASN Home Dialysis Task Force, Member, 2021-present.

Leadership positions:

National/International Organizations: Renal Field Advisory Panel, Office of Veterans Affairs, 2006-2016; International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis, Planning Committee North American Chapter, 2009; Board of Directors for Northwest Renal Network 16, 2008-2014; MKSAP 16 Nephrology Development Committee, 2010-2016; International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis-North American Chapter (ISPD-NAC), Council 2011-2017; International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD), 2012-2016; VA DoD CKD Clinical Practice Guidelines, Co-Chair, 2013-14; ABIM Nephrology Board representative, 2014-2017; NKF Annual Meeting Organizing Committee, 2014-2015; Executive Committee of KDIGO, 2017-2020; Steering Committee, KDOQI conference on Patient-Reported Quality Measures for Dialysis Care, 2021-2022

Editorial Boards: Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2008-present; ?Clinical Practice Points?, American Journal of Kidney Disease, 2009-2019; Series Editor: Education Series, Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2014 ? 2016; Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology, Journal evaluation panel member

Merit Review panel: VA Subcommittee for Clinical Research Program, Chronic Kidney Disease, 2008

Education: OHSU Fellowship Program Director, 2008-2016

Honors:

Visiting Professorships: University of North Carolina. Public Policy and Peritoneal Dialysis, Past, Present, and Future. Chapel Hill, NC, 2014; University of Wisconsin, COVID-19 and Dialysis Care ? Home and Away, 2020; University of Pittsburgh, Life in the Time of COVID, 2021.

Awards: OHSU Junior Faculty Housestaff Teaching Award, Internal Medicine, 2008; OHSU Medicine Chief Residents Award 2008; OHSU PA Program Class of 2010 - Excellence in Academic Teaching Award; OHSU Senior Faculty Housestaff Teaching Award, Internal Medicine, 2011; OHSU Nephrology Fellowship Teaching Award, 2016; ASN Distinguished Leader Award, 2022.

Board Certification:

Board Certified in Nephrology, 2001 ? present

Research Interests:

My scholarly interests center around policy and advocacy for people with or at risk for kidney disease, their care partners, and the kidney care team that supports them.

Personal Statement:

The American Society of Nephrology?s ambitious vision ? A world without kidney disease - requires the kidney community to engage in coordinated efforts centered on education, innovation, and advocacy. As an ASN executive councilor, I would lead initiatives that continue to develop ASN as our premier professional home, build relationships with key stakeholders in the US and international kidney community, including groups representing patients and their care partners. We can foster professional growth among kidney professionals by supporting educational opportunities and cutting-edge research framed by principles of equity and inclusion. We are also well-positioned to lead national and international efforts to increase access to person-centered treatments and advocate for policies that advance global kidney health. Only together can we cure kidney disease. I look forward to our journey!