Kidney Health Australia is the peak body for kidney disease in Australia, and the patient voice on kidney related issues. For the latest information on kidney disease statistics, treatments or research, or to find out about other kidney conditions, please contact us.
We can also reach out to our kidney community to put forward the patient perspective on issues related to kidney disease.
For media enquiries, speak to our Kidney Media team on 0434 801 485 or 0493 459 614 or email kidneymedia@kidney.org.au.
Kidney Health Australia welcomes Professor Brendan Murphy AC to the Board of the national peak body. Professor Brendan Murphy AC has joined the Board of Kidney Health Australia after recently retiring from his position as Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care which he held from July 2020. Prior to his appointment as Secretary, Professor Murphy was the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for the Australian Government and, previously, the CEO of Austin Health in Victoria.
Kidney disease will be detected earlier thanks to new cardiovascular guidelines and an online risk calculator, highlighting the close link between kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. Not updated since 2012, the new guidelines identify the importance of kidney disease as a major risk factor for heart disease, reinforcing the need for GPs to do a Kidney Health Check before completing their cardiovascular assessment.
On 21 June, together with Queensland Health and the Gold Coast Hospital, we launched the Gold Coast Big Red Kidney Bus. The Gold Coast is a world-renowned holiday destination and from August you can book the free dialysis sessions on the respite chair on the bus and take a much-needed holiday to this beautiful destination. Read the media release here.
Kidney disease has been brought into sharp focus during Kidney Health Week with the death of the queen of rock music, Tina Turner.
The global superstar had suffered from high blood pressure since 1978, and after a stroke in 2009 discovered she had lost 35 per cent kidney function. Tina went onto dialysis for nine months before receiving a kidney transplant in 2017 when her husband Erwin Bach donated one of his kidneys.
The Big Red Kidney Bus will be equipped with three haemodialysis spaces and start travelling throughout the Gold Coast in mid-2023.
This 18-month pilot program between Queensland Health and Kidney Health Australia will provide more accessible treatment and teach patients how to carry out dialysis at home.
Lucy Westerman has now commenced her role of Executive Officer of the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance. She will be working with our team to identify key opportunities to influence government health policy and develop joint recommendations to reduce the burden of chronic disease in Australia.
ACDPA comprises Cancer Council Australia, Heart Foundation, Diabetes Australia, Stroke Foundation, Kidney Health Australia, and Lung Foundation Australia.
Congratulations to Prof Carol Pollock, Chair of Kidney Health Australia, on being awarded the Alfred Newton Richards Award by the International Society of Nephrology. This award recognises outstanding basic research in kidney-related fields and will be formally recognized at the ISN World Congress of Nephrology 2023, from March 30 – April 2, 2023, in Bangkok, Thailand. Professor Pollock has over 440 publications published in basic research and clinical medicine and over 29,000 citations.