Bio
Dr. Kurella Tamura holds joint appointments at Stanford and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System. She is a practicing nephrologist and clinical investigator whose research is broadly interested in evaluating the safety, effectiveness, and quality of kidney disease treatments in real-world populations. Her work aims to improve patient-centeredness and efficiency and reduce ineffective or harmful practices. Much of her work for the past decade has critically examined health system practices, models of care, and health policies for advanced chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. Her work utilizing patient-centered outcomes to assess the effectiveness of dialysis is cited by guidelines on dialysis initiation from the Renal Physician’s Association, Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes, and the American Board of Internal Medicine Choosing Wisely campaign.
Before her appointment as Director of the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center, she served in leadership roles for the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Early Evaluation Program, a nationwide kidney disease screening program; and as co-PI of the United States Renal Data System Special Study on Palliative and End of Life Care, a national resource for understanding the use of, and disparities in access to palliative care in end-stage kidney disease. Her research program has been supported by multiple NIH and VA awards, including a K24 Midcareer Mentoring award from the NIA. Currently, she serves as an Associate Editor at the Clinical Journal for the American Society of Nephrology
