Faculty Spotlight: Darcy Weidemann, MD, MHS
As Chair of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN) Workforce Committee, Darcy Weidemann, MD, MHS, is leading ongoing efforts to grow the pediatric nephrology profession and ensure patients have access to needed pediatric nephrology care. Dr. Weidemann also serves in a leadership role on the ASPN Workforce Summit Task Force, serving as the chair of the Policy & Reimbursement Subcommittee.
The ASPN Workforce Committee’s efforts led to publication of “The Pediatric Nephrology Workforce Crisis: A Call to Action” in the March issue of the Journal of Pediatrics.1
Dr. Weidemann’s own path to pediatric nephrology didn’t follow the typical route. Between her third and fourth year as an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Weidemann took a research year working as a student in residence with Sue Furth, MD, for the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) study.
“It was just an amazing time to be part of CKiD. I was able to be part of the NIH grant renewal process and so I really was just very immersed into what the life of a pediatric nephrologist is for an entire year. I observed not only the clinical aspects and long-term relationships between pediatric nephrologists and their patients, but also witnessed the many other hats we wear, including the role of teacher, mentor, and researcher. “
“One of the most valuable aspects of that research year was seeing how clinical care and research worked together in harmony to move the field forward”, according to Dr. Weidemann. “Clinical care presented the right questions to ask, which were then integrated into research design and analysis and in some cases influenced study modifications.”
Advancing understanding of CKD progression
Driven by that experience and a growing interest in CKD and how it progresses, Dr. Weidemann went on to complete her residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Nephrology at Johns Hopkins. She then joined the faculty at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, which appealed to her because it is the Midwest Clinical Coordinating Center for the CKiD study.
“I'm interested in understanding what leads to chronic kidney disease and particularly how it progresses and what modifiable risk factors we can address to prevent its progression,” says Dr. Weidemann.
At Children’s Mercy, Dr. Weidemann quickly became involved in CKiD research. Her first big research project looked at suPAR, a novel biomarker that may be associated with chronic kidney disease, particularly early in the disease course when traditional biomarkers may miss more subtle signs of kidney disease. Her work was published last year in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.2
She is now in the data analysis phase of a project examining how proton pump inhibitors may affect the progression of chronic kidney disease. PPI's historically have been associated with allergic kidney disease, but newer large-scale adult epidemiological studies suggest they may play a role with chronic kidney disease progression in adults, although it remains unknown whether the same is true for children.
Leading quality improvement and safety
Known as a get-it-done person, Dr. Weidemann’s career has evolved and expanded the past couple of years to include a focus on quality and patient safety. Recent projects include:
- Vaccination Rate in Patients with PPSV223 – Dr. Weidemann led process improvements that demonstrated improved vaccination of high-risk nephrology patients with PPSV23 from a baseline of 47% to 85%.
- SMART Rounding – This project involved the development of a multi-disciplinary rounding checklist to review key patient safety and care coordination and communication details that otherwise might not be discussed daily in rounds. The project started as a pilot on one inpatient unit and was expanded hospital-wide in February 2021.
- Improving Medication Safety in Kidney Disease – This ongoing hospital-wide QI project is aimed at improving dosing of medications in children with kidney disease. The project’s efforts also focus on working with laboratory medicine to bring cystatin C in-house and operationalize the integration of eGFR within the EMR. The project could potentially utilize clinical decision support and hospital IT systems to increase recognition of kidney disease, lead to safer care and optimize medication dosing for children with kidney disease. This is unique in pediatric hospitals, particularly using the newly developed CKiD U24 eGFR equations.
“Ultimately my number one priority is making sure that we can provide the very best care for all of our patients,” says Dr. Weidemann. “I love the interaction with families and the clinical time I spend with my patients, both in the clinic and in the hospital, which help to keep me grounded. Additionally, helping to train the next generation of pediatric nephrologists through my role as associate program director for our fellowship training program is one of the most gratifying aspects of my career.”
To learn more or to connect with Dr. Weidemann, you may reach her at dkweidemann@cmh.edu or connect on Doximity.
- Ashoor I, Weidemann D, Elenberg E, Halbach S, Harshman L, Kula A, Mahan JD, Nada A, Quiroga A, Mahon AR, Smith J, Somers M, Brophy PD; ASPN Workforce Summit Action Groups. The Pediatric Nephrology Workforce Crisis: A Call to Action. J Pediatr. 2021 Mar 31:S0022-3476(21)00271-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.03.033. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33798511.
- Weidemann DK, Abraham AG, Roem JL, Furth SL, Warady BA. Plasma Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) and CKD Progression in Children. Am J Kidney Dis. 2020 Aug;76(2):194-202. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2019.11.004. Epub 2020 Jan 24. PMID: 31987488; PMCID: PMC7374047.