Menu
Every year this meeting is hosted by Kidney Foundation of Central PA and Penn State College of Medicine Continuing Education Office. We look forward to an exciting meeting and hope that as many of you as possible will be able to attend in person. We look forward to welcoming you to the beautiful city of Hershey, PA.
This meeting will provide a platform for all who are engaged in providing care to kidney patients from across the state, to exchange the latest knowledge and expertise related to diagnosis, treatment, and research.
President, Dallas Renal Group
Renal Social Worker, FMC
Robin Asick is a Board licensed Masters Prepared Social Worker. She has worked as a social worker with Fresenius Kidney Care for over 25 years, working with people with kidney disease and their families. She has published various articles on renal topics and has a special interest in the Patient and Family Peer Mentor Program. She is a board member of the Kidney Foundation of Central PA (KFCP) and enjoys volunteering her time to support people living with kidney disease. She is also a past recipient of the KFCP Award for Clinical Excellence (ACE).
Professor of Vascular Surgery, PSH
Dr. Aziz is Gilbert & Elsie Sealfon Professor and Chief of Vascular Surgery at Penn State University. He also serves as the program director of integrated vascular surgery residency program at the Penn State Health. His clinical interests are endovascular and open vascular surgery operations. He is the founder of Penn State Vascular Surgery Outcomes Research Team (VSORT), focused on outcomes base research for vascular surgery procedures.
Dietitian, Nutritionist
Julia Baker, RD, LDN is a nutrition specialist practicing in Berwick, PA. Shei has received an education on and advises people on matters of food and nutrition, considering how they both impact health.
Executive Director, QIRN4
Chris brings many years of experience working on health care initiatives to his role as Executive Director. He is responsible for supervising daily operations and coordinating efforts with partners and stakeholders. He also serves as the Executive Director for Quality Insights Renal Network 3, serving New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Unit Director Transplant Services, UPMC
Becca Brown is the Unit Director in the Transplant Department at UPMC Harrisburg. She has been a Registered Nurse for over 30 years; the first decade in critical care, the next two in transplant. She received her BSN from York College Of Pennsylvania and MSN from Liberty University. She is a member of the International Transplant Nurse’s Society and NATCO, the Organization for Transplant Professionals.
Becca served on the Astellas Advisory Board as a consultant to help improve medication adherence in transplant patients. She was a faculty member for NATCO, helping to develop the Certified Clinical Transplant Coordinator Review Course and faculty for the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance, planning and moderating educational offerings for transplant and organ procurement professional staff. She currently serves on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) KPD Advisory Council and has helped develop several professional educational presentations about Kidney Paired Exchange. Becca has given numerous presentations about Kidney Transplantation, Living Kidney Donation and Paired Kidney Exchange.
Associate Professor of Medicine, PSH
Dr. Umar Farooq received his medical degree from King Edward Medical College (Pakistan). He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Nephrology Fellowship at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Currently Dr. Farooq is serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He also holds the office of Associate Chief Medical Officer at the same hospital. Dr. Farooq is involved in medical student, resident, fellow and faculty education. He serves as core clinical faculty for the Nephrology Fellowship and previously served as associate program director for fellowship training and divisional director for both medical student clerkship and medicine resident clinical rotations. He is actively involved in organizing the annual continuing medical education Kidney Updates event. He serves on the board of The Kidney Foundation of Central Pennsylvania, and Infection Prevention & Control Foundation.
Executive Director, KFCP
Phyllis Hicks served as a volunteer and board member of the KFCP for several years, before accepting the position as Executive Director of the Kidney Foundation of Central Pennsylvania (KFCP) in July 2017. She has more than four decades of experience in academic, corporate, community, and clinical/specialty nursing practice areas. A graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Phyllis has lived in the Harrisburg area for more than 30 years. She has served as President of the Board of the World Surgical Foundation (local non-profit that
sponsors surgical medical missions abroad) chaired and co-chaired the Pinnacle Health Gala, and has served on the board of the National Civil War Museum. Her community involvement includes volunteer being a spokesperson for the American Heart/Stroke Association and supporting the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team as a nurse volunteer. As Executive Director of the KFCP she works with the KFCP team to support patients and families living with CKD through education, advocacy, and support.
Associate Director, Nephrology Fellowship
Dr. Gurwant Kaur is a nephrologist in Hershey, Pennsylvania and is affiliated with Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Kaur completed her internal medicine residency at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, Paterson, N.J., and her nephrology fellowship at the University of Missouri. Board-certified in nephrology and hypertension, Kaur joined Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center as an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Nephrology in 2017. She was appointed associate program director for the nephrology fellowship in 2019, is the director for medical students’ and residents’ nephrology rotation and academic coach for internal medicine residents.
Kaur leads the regional Kidney Transplant Symposium as a course co-director on an annual basis and has been a speaker at regional and national meetings. She is active in the community, volunteering for Bethesda Mission in Harrisburg and delivering kidney health awareness talks among the African American community.
Director, Division of Addiction Medicine
Director Nephrology Fellowship, PSH
Dr. Ronald P. Miller is a nephrologist in Hershey, Pennsylvania and is affiliated with Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Miller did his Internal Medicine Residency at Naval Medical Center – Portsmouth, and Nephrology and Hypertension Fellowship at University of California at San Diego. He is course director for the renal medicine course at Penn State College of Medicine, director of the Nephrology Fellowship at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and a master educator for the Internal Medicine Residency at the medical center. He has been in practice for more than 20 years.
Nephrology Associates of Central PA
Dr. Patel grew up in the Harrisburg area and currently a managing partner at Nephrology Associates of Central Pa. He did his bachelors of science in biochemistry at Philadelphia University. With an interest in medicine, he went to St Matthews University for medical school and specialized in internal medicine at Temple-Memorial Hospital in Johnstown, PA. He furthered his training and subspecialized in Nephrology at Penn State Medical Center in Hershey PA. He enjoys the complexity and problem solving associated with Nephrology. He has extensive experience in managing electrolytes disorders, dialysis (hemodialysis and home dialysis), glomerulonephritis, transplant patients, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, kidney stone, cystic kidney diseases and plasmapheresis. He currently is medical director of multiple dialysis facilities in the area. He was part of the medical advisory board for Penn State Health Hampden Campus and currently sits on the physician medical advisory board for Fresenius Kidney Care and represents western Pennsylvania.
President Board of Directors, KFCP
CRNP, Nephrology Associates Central PA
Kristy Washinger is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She has worked as a CRNP at Nephrology Associates of Central PA since 2009. Clinically she has a special interest in patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). She has published various articles on renal disease and enjoys education patients and medical professionals on various renal topics. She is also a board member of the Kidney Foundation of Central PA (KFCP) and enjoys volunteering her time to support patients living with kidney disease, especially with the Patient and Family Partner Program (PFPP). She is also a past recipient of the KFCP Award for Clinical Excellence (ACE).
Umar Farooq, MD, MS, FASN
Irfan Agha, MD, MRCP (UK)
Chris Brown
Sarah S. Kawasaki, MD
Faisal Aziz, MD, FACS, FSVS
Julia Baker, RD, LDN
Barbara Terry, MS, BSN, RN
Phyllis Hicks, BSN, RN
Robin Asick, MSW, LSW, NSW-C
Kristy Washinger, MSN, CRNP
Rebecca Brown, MSN, RN, CCTC
Doreen W. Bett, DO
Rajiv Sharma, MD
Umar Farooq, MD, MS, FASN
Ronald P. Miller, MD
Surju Patel, MD, MHA
Doreen W. Bett, DO
Gurwant Kaur, MD, FASN
Umar Farooq, MD, MS, FASN
