Ebele Umeukeje, MD, MPH, FASN

Ebele Umeukeje, MD MPH, FASN, FNKF is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Vanderbilt Health. She serves as co-Director of the Vanderbilt Program for Population Health and Engagement Research, and she was honored with the Levi Watkins Faculty award at VUMC in 2024.

Dr. Umeukeje played a key role in providing the first systematic-level evidence in support of the removal of race from the estimation of glomerular filtration rate in the United States. Her research aims to reduce the high morbidity and mortality associated with kidney disease by addressing psychosocial determinants to improve self-care in vulnerable populations. She has successfully built her patient-centered research program with combined expertise in motivational interviewing, provider cultural competence, community engagement, health education, and behavioral clinical trials, to address well described, intractable disparities in kidney disease and promote population health.

Through continuous funding by the NIH/NIDDK, Dr. Umeukeje has developed, and currently leads a multi-site behavioral randomized clinical trial, testing the efficacy of a novel, culturally tailored, motivational interviewing-based health coaching intervention, to improve dialysis adherence, optimize kidney health outcomes in vulnerable patients living with ESKD, and reduce undue financial costs and healthcare burden. She has recognized expertise in genetic counseling of APOL1 high risk patients, and community engagement to understand best priorities for kidney health. She volunteers her expertise to promote kidney disease awareness locally. She serves on the editorial boards of several high-impact journals including the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, Kidney 360 journal, and the American Society of Nephrology journals. She currently serves on the American Society of Nephrology Health Care Justice Committee and the American Heart Association Kidney in Heart Disease Science Committee.