Andrew Levey

Dr. Levey’s research interests include measurement and estimation of kidney function, epidemiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and of cardiovascular disease and nutrition in CKD, and treatments to slow the progression of CKD and reduce morbidity in patients treated by dialysis and kidney transplantation. Dr. Levey has a long history of participating in multicenter clinical trials and cohort studies. For the past 15 years, he has been at the forefront of the development of equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from serum creatinine, cystatin C and novel filtration markers using large databases, including the widely-used Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations. He leads CKD-EPI and is a founding member of the Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium (CKD-PC). The use of GFR estimating equations to estimate kidney function and inform prognosis has transformed research, clinical practice, and public health in CKD.

Additional areas of interest include patient care, training in research and education, and health care policy related to CKD. Dr. Levey is a widely recognized authority on clinical practice guidelines in CKD and has contributed to guideline development, implementation, quality improvement and public policy in this area. He is the Principal Investigator of the Division’s NIDDK-supported training grant (T32) in clinical trials, epidemiology and outcomes research. He was formerly Associate Editor for kidney disease and hypertension for the Annals of Internal Medicine and is current Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

Training + Education

Boston University School of Medicine; Montefiore Medical Center; Tufts Medical Center

Board Certifications

Internal Medicine, Nephrology

Honors + Awards

• 2018, "Top Doctor," Boston Magazine
• 2017, "Top Doctor," Boston Magazine
• 2016, Member, Association of American Physicians
• 2015, "Top Doctor," Boston Magazine
• 2015, "Highly Cited Researcher," Thomson Reuters
• 2013 Belding H. Scribner Award from the American Society of Nephrology
• 2012, David M. Hume Award from the National Kidney Foundation
• 2011, NKF Spring on the Park Gala honoree
• 2007, Faculty Recognition Award (25 years of service) from Tufts University School of Medicine
• 2004, Distinguished Faculty Award from Tufts University School of Medicine

Publications + National Presentations

1. Tangri N, Grams ME, Levey AS, Coresh J, Appel LJ, Astor BC, Chodick G, Collins AJ, Djurdjev O, Elley CR, Evans M, Garg AX, Hallan SI, Inker LA, Ito S, Jee SH, Kovesdy CP, Kronenberg F, Lambers Heerspink HJ, Marks A, Nadkami GN, Navaneethan SD, Nelson RG, Titze S, Sarnak MJ, Stengal B, Woodward M, Iseki K, for the CKD Prognosis Consortium. Multinational assessment of accuracy of equations for predicting risk of kidney failure: a meta-analysis. JAMA 2016; 315:164-174; PMID:26757465.

2. Grams ME, Sang Y, Levey AS, Matsushita K, Ballew S, Chang AR, Chow EKH, Kasiske BL, Kovesdy CP, Nadkarni GN, Shalev V, Segev DL, Coresh J, Lentine KL, Garg AX, for the Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium. Kidney-failure projection for the living kidney-donor candidate. New Engl J Med 2016; 374:411-421. Epub 2015 Nov 9; PMID:26544982.

3. Levey AS, Becker C, Inker LA. Glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria for detection and staging of acute and chronic kidney disease in adults: a systematic review. JAMA 2015; 313:837-846 (includes Appendix published online); PMID:25710660.

4. Levey AS, Inker LA, Matsushita K, Greene T, Willis K, Lewis E, de Zeeuw, Cheung AK, Coresh J. GFR decline as an end point for clinical trials in CKD: a scientific workshop sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation and the US Food and Drug Administration. Am J Kidney Dis 2014; 64:821-835.

5. Levey AS, Inker LA, Coresh J. GFR estimation: from physiology to public health. Am J Kidney Dis 2014; 63:820-834. Epub 2014 Jan 28; PMID:24485147.

6. Shlipak MG, Matsushita K, Arnlov J, Inker LA, Katz R, Polkinghorne KR, Rothenbacher D, Sarnak MJ, Astor BC, Coresh J, Levey AS, Gansevoort RT, for the CKD Prognosis Consortium. Cystatin C versus creatinine in determining risk based on kidney function. N Engl J Med 2013; 369:932-943.

7. Inker LA, Schmid CH, Tighiouart H, Eckfeldt JH, Feldman HI, Greene T, Kusek JW, Manzi J, Van Lente F, Zhang YL, Coresh J, Levey AS, for the CKD-EPI Investigators. Estimating glomerular filtration rate from serum creatinine and cystatin C. N Engl J Med 2012;367:20-9.

8. Levey AS, Coresh J. Chronic kidney disease. Lancet; Epub 2011 Aug 15; doi:10.1016/50140-673(11)60178-5.

9. Chronic Kidney Disease Consortium (Matsushita K, van der Velde M, Astor BC, Woodward M, Levey AS, de Jong PE, Coresh J, Gansevoort RT). Association of estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in general population cohorts: a collaborative meta-analysis. Lancet 2010; 375:2073-2081. PMCID:PMC3993088; PMID:20483451.

10. Levey AS, de Jong PE, Coresh J, El Nahas M, Astor BC, Matsushita K, Gansevoort RT, Kasiske BL, Edkardt KU. The definition, classification and prognosis of chronic kidney disease: a KDIGO Controversies Conference report. Kidney Int 2011;80:17-28.

11. Levey AS, Stevens LA, Schmid CH, Zhang YL, Castro AF, Feldman HI, Kusek JW, Eggers P, Van Lente F, Greene T, Coresh J, for the CKD-EPI (Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration). A new equation to estimate glomerular filtration rate. Ann Int Med 2009; 150:604-612. PMCID:PMC2763564; PMID:19414839.

Interests

Dr. Levey's interests are in patient care, research, clinical practice guidelines, training in research and education, and health care policy related to chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Clinical

His patient care interests are in CKD, diabetic kidney disease, polycystic kidney disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Research

His research interests include measurement and estimation of kidney function, epidemiology of CKD, treatments to slow the progression of CKD, cardiovascular disease in CKD, nutrition in CKD, and assessment of outcomes in patients treated by dialysis and kidney transplantation. Dr. Levey has been at the forefront of the development of equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from serum creatinine using large databases, including the widely-used Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study equation. He is now leading the NIDDK-sponsored CKD Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) to pool databases from other studies to develop improved estimating equations based on serum creatinine and cystatin C. In addition, he has a long history of participating in multicenter clinical trials and clinical investigations. He was the principal nephrologist co-investigator for the NIDDK-sponsored MDRD Study, a randomized trial of diet and blood pressure control in CKD. He was Principal Investigator for the ACE Inhibition in Progressive Renal Disease (AIPRD) Study Group, a collaboration of investigators who have pooled individual patient data on clinical trials of ACE inhibitors in nondiabetic kidney disease. He was Principal Investigator for the NIDDK-sponsored Hemodialysis (HEMO) Study, comparing the standard dose of dialysis with high dose of dialysis. He was also the principal nephrologist co-investigator for the AHRQ-sponsored CHOICE Study, a Patient Outcomes Research Team, studying kidney failure treated by dialysis. More recently, he has served as a member of the Executive Committees of the Trial to Reduce Cardiovascular Events with Aranesp Therapy (TREAT), comparing erythropoiesis stimulating agents to placebo for treatment of anemia in diabetic kidney disease and Folic Acid for Vascular Outcome Reduction in Transplantation (FAVORIT), comparing folic acid to placebo in kidney transplant recipients.

Clinical Practice Guidelines

Dr. Levey is a widely recognized authority on clinical practice guidelinesin CKD. He led the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Task Force on Cardiovascular Disease in 1998. He was the Chair for two NKF Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiation (KDOQI) Work Groups. “Chronic Kidney Disease: Evaluation, Classification and Stratification of Risk” was published in 2002. “Hypertension and Antihypertensive Agents in Chronic Kidney Disease” was published in 2004. He is a member of the ongoing KDIGO Workgroups on Acute Kidney Injury and Chronic Kidney Disease Update. He has led three Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) conferences. In 2004, the conference addressed definition and classification of CKD and in 2006 the conference addressed public health approaches and initiatives. In 2009, the conference addressed prognosis in CKD.

Training

Dr. Levey’s interests in training are focused primarily at the level of post-graduate fellowship training and mentoring junior faculty. He directs the large research fellowship-training program of the Division. He is Principal Investigator of the Division’s 15-year NIDDK grant (T32) “Epidemiology, Clinical Trials and Outcomes Research”. The research training program is also funded by grants and contracts from foundations and industry.

Policy

Dr. Levey’s contributions to policy are focused primarily on guideline implementation, quality improvement, and public policy related to CKD. He was a member of the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) of the NIDDK. He has been the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Kidney Diseasessince 2006, and was formerly Associate Editor for Kidney Disease and Hypertension for the Annals in Internal Medicine. He co-chaired the 2007 technical expert panel sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on “Comprehensive Public Health Strategies for Preventing the Development, Progression, and Complications of Chronic Kidney Disease” and the 2008 workshop sponsored by NKF and Food and Drug Administration on “Proteinuria as a Surrogate Outcome in Chronic Kidney Disease.”