Advisory Council

Arkansas Chronic Kidney Disease Advisory Council (ARCKDAC) Mission Statement

The purpose of this website is to bring Chronic Kidney Disease (CKC) awareness to the public. Studies show that 350,000 people in Arkansas have Chronic Kidney Disease however only one out of 10 (35,000) of those Arkansans know they have it. There are many lifestyle changes that a person can make to improve their kidney function that don’t need medicines or medical procedures. So often, when getting a long term diagnosis people tend to shut down and feel helpless. By educating yourself, you can learn more about your CKD diagnosis and how to protect your kidneys. Taking action may improve your kidney function and delay the need for dialysis. CKD can improve in any stage but the earlier you make changes, the better your outcomes may be.

Remember you are not alone. There are many resources and medical professionals that you can turn to for answers and advice on what is best for you. Many of those resources are listed throughout this site. Even though a CKD diagnosis is not a death sentence, helping even one person improve their kidney health, stay off dialysis or prolong the need for dialysis makes this website an important source for interdisciplinary CKD stakeholders.

This website is brought to you by the Arkansas Chronic Kidney Disease Advisory Committee which is funded through UAMS Translational Research and Baxter Health Care Grants.

Chairs

Andrea Easom, APRN, Chairperson
UAMS Nephrology Division
CKD Family Advocate
EasomAndreaK@UAMS.edu
Dr. Manisha Singh, Co-Chairperson
UAMS Nephrology Division
MSingh@UAMS.edu

Members

Janet Easom
UAMS Nephrology Division
CKD Family Advocate
Jeasom@UAMS.edu
Dr. Nadia Alqurini
UAMS Nephrology Division
NAlqurini@UAMS.edu
Suzanne Alstadt
UAMS Dir. Sponsored Research Admin
CKD Family Advocate
SEAlstadt@UAMS.edu
Marcia Byers
UAMS Regional Programs
MAByers@UAMS.edu
Linda Duval, Mentor
ESRD Network 13 Ex. Director
LDuval@nw13.esrd.net
Christina Fox
UAMS Quality Specialist
CTFox@UAMS.edu
Dr. Gerron Hobby
UAMS Nephrology Division
GPHobby@UAMS.edu
Dr. Sandia Iskandar
UAMS Nephrology Division
Slskandar@uams.edu
Dr. Nishank Jain
UAMS Nephrology Division
NJain2@UAMS.edu
Rachel Johnson
ADH, RNP & DAC
Rachel.Johnson@Arkansas.gov
Kim Keedy
UAMS Renal Clinic RN
KeedyKimberlyA@UAMS.edu
Julie Kettlewell
AFMC Dir. of Quality
JKettlewell@AFMC.org
Katie Leath
UAMS Health Literacy
KJLeath@uams.edu
Mari Mullins
NEA Baptist Dialysis Dir. Jonesboro
Mari.Mullis@bmhcc.org
Mark Nail
Baxter Consultant
Mark_Nail@baxter.com
John O’Keefe, Patient Advocate
jpokeefe@sbcglobal.com
Dr. Dumitru Rotaru
Fort Smith Nephrologist
Dr.Rotaru@gmail.com
Dr. Mick Tilford
UAMS CoPH Professor & Chair Health Policy & Management
tilfordmickj@uams.edu
Bobby Walker, Patient Advocate
bobby.walker43@gmail.com