Rocco Named to Lead National Initiative on Kidney Disease

February 12, 2008


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The National Kidney Foundation has named Michael Rocco, M.D., M.S.C.E., as the new chair of its Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative. Rocco is a professor of internal medicine-nephrology at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
The quality initiative provides guidelines for clinicians on treating all stages of chronic kidney disease and related complications. Under Rocco’s guidance, the initiative plans to expand its efforts to improve outcomes for patients with kidney disease through a broader range of activities.
Rocco, who has previously served as the initiative’s vice chairman, will oversee such areas as directed research, public policy and conferences on controversial topics in the care of chronic kidney disease.
“Mike Rocco brings a wealth of experience that will serve the National Kidney Foundation’s quality initiative well, as we move beyond guideline development into a new focus on guideline implementation,” said Allan Collins, M.D., the foundation’s president. “Keeping 12 guidelines up to date while creating new programs will be a challenge, but we are confident that with his leadership the quality initiative will have even greater impact than it has today.”
Rocco has been a member of the Wake Forest Baptist faculty since 1991 and has led a wide variety of research studies focused on improving care for patients with kidney failure. He is the Vardaman M. Buckalew Jr. Professor of Nephrology. Rocco earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed a residency in internal medicine there. He completed a fellowship in nephrology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in both internal Medicine and nephrology.

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Media Contacts: Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu,. Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, or Bonnie Davis, bdavis@wfubmc.edu. at 336-716-4587

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Brenner Children’s Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine and Piedmont Triad Research Park. The system comprises 1,154 acute care, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and has been ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report since 1993. Wake Forest Baptist is ranked 32nd in the nation by America’s Top Doctors for the number of its doctors considered best by their peers. The institution ranks in the top third in funding by the National Institutes of Health and 4th in the Southeastern United States in revenues from its licensed intellectual property.

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