Deidra Crews Named Next President of the American Society of Nephrology 

Deidra C. Crews, MD, ScM, FASN will be the next president of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Crews, the deputy director for Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, will assume the role for one year on January 1, 2024. Crews states that, during her term, she "look[s] forward to our work ahead as ASN advances kidney-related research, innovation, care, and policy."

Throughout her career as a nephrologist, Crews has distinguished herself as a leader in the field. Since 2008, Crews has authored/co-authored over 200 articles on chronic kidney disease, dialysis, nephrology, and health equity. In addition to her role as deputy director of CHE, Crews co-leads the new Johns Hopkins O’Brien Center to Advance Kidney Health Equity. She is also a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (SOM), where she serves as associate director for faculty development in the Division of Nephrology. 

“I look forward to our work ahead as ASN advances kidney-related research, innovation, care, and policy," says Crews.

The central focus of Crews’ career has been advancing equity in kidney disease and hypertension outcomes by focusing on social drivers of health inequities. Her research aims to advance equity by exploring ways to lessen the burden of kidney disease among socially disadvantaged populations by addressing social and behavioral risk factors and optimizing care processes for people with advanced kidney disease. 

Crews’ research has been widely recognized throughout the field and has earned her several honors, including the Johns Hopkins University President’s Frontier Award - a $250,000 award granted to “an exceptional scholar…on the cusp of transforming their field” - (2018), the W. Lester Henry Award for Diversity and Access to Care from American College of Physicians (2019), the ASN Distinguished Leader Award (2019), election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (2020), and election to the National Academy of Medicine (2023). 

Since joining ASN as an internal medicine resident, Crews has served as a member of the NKF-ASN Task Force on Reassessing the Inclusion of Race in Diagnosing Kidney Diseases, a member of the Kidney Week Education Committee (which she co-chaired in 2021), and a member of the Continuous Professional Development Committee. She has also served as a member of the Chronic Kidney Disease Comprehensive Care Model Task Force, chair of the Chronic Kidney Disease Advisory Group, and chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. 

The ASN has nearly 21,000 health professionals representing 140 countries who are dedicated to leading the fight against kidney diseases, according to an ASN press release. As president, Crews intends to increase ASN’s focus on eliminating health disparities, stating “it’s important that we accelerate the momentum we’ve had in recent years to eliminate disparities in access to care and in outcomes associated with kidney diseases.” She also stresses the importance of empowering patients and healthcare workers to create the best – and most equitable – health outcomes. Says Crews, “We need to ensure that all patients have a voice in their care and that health care professionals receive the support they need to continue making a profound difference in patients’ lives.” 

Congratulations, Dr. Crews!