Heather Walker
Research title: Kidney failure risk in multimorbidity – establishing validation in a population with multimorbidity and frailty and communication of kidney failure risk to patients and carers
Research summary
I am a renal and general medicine trainee in NHS Tayside with a SCREDS Clinical Lectureship post in Renal Medicine at the University of Dundee. I undertook my undergraduate training at the University of Dundee and obtained a Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMSc) in Forensic Medicine in 2011 and my medical degree (MBChB) with honours in 2013. Within my postgraduate training I have undertaken an Academic Foundation post and more recently secured the SCREDS position, allowing me to develop my skills and participate in research alongside my clinical training.
Research interests
My research interests include the use of routinely collected data to study the epidemiology of kidney disease and improve patient outcomes and renal healthcare at a population level. My long term aim is to focus on research in population health and renal epidemiology in both acute and chronic kidney disease and the multimorbidity that occurs in many of these patients, with the aim of changing professional practice, policy and patient outcomes with routinely collected data.
Current research
- The representation of multimorbidity and frailty in the development and/or validation of kidney failure risk prediction models in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD)
- Validation of the kidney failure risk equation in the Kidney Failure Risk Equation (KFRE) in individuals with multimorbidity and/or frailty
- Exploration of patients and healthcare professionals perspectives of the use of KFRE and shared-decision making in healthcare in individuals with multimorbidity and/or frailty
- Implementation of KFRE in routine clinical practice and health inequalities in CKD care
