Overview

The Advocacy Committee is established to:

  • Advocate for equitable and timely access to effective therapeutics, treatments,  education and technologies for all Canadians living with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
  • Address systemic barriers to reimbursement and regulatory approval at the federal and provincial levels.
  • Promote policies and practices that improve patient outcomes and align with the best available evidence in nephrology care.
Objectives

The primary objectives of the Advocacy Committee are to:

1. Set priorities for action:

    • Identify Barriers: Analyze and document systemic barriers to access, including delays in regulatory approval and reimbursement processes.
    • Engage Stakeholders: Collaborate with patients, healthcare providers, policymakers, and industry partners to advocate for change.

2. Develop Position Statements: Create evidence-based position statements and policy recommendations to guide advocacy efforts.

3. Influence Policy: Engage with federal and provincial regulatory bodies to advocate for policy changes that improve access to CKD therapies.

4. Raise Awareness: Educate the public, CSN members, and policymakers about the importance of timely access to effective treatments for CKD.

Key Activities

Key Activities of the Advocacy Committee will be to:

  • Conduct Environmental Scan: Review regulatory and reimbursement processes to identify specific barriers to access.
  • Develop Advocacy Tools: Create position statements, white papers, and policy briefs to support advocacy efforts.
  • Engage Policymakers: Meet with federal and provincial policymakers to advocate for policy changes.
  • Collaborate with Stakeholders: Partner with patient advocacy groups, industry, and other medical societies to amplify advocacy efforts.
  • Monitor Progress: Track the impact of advocacy initiatives and adjust strategies as needed.
Terms of Reference

Committee Members

BARR_Bryce

Bryce
Barr

Chair, Advocacy Committee

Bryce Barr

Bryce Barr is a nephrologist and assistant professor at the University of Manitoba with a clinical and research focus on glomerulonephritis. He completed internal medicine training at the University of Calgary, followed by nephrology training at the University of Manitoba. He then completed a fellowship in glomerulonephritis at the University of Calgary and spent time training in the vasculitis clinic at the University of Cambridge. His outpatient clinic is focused on the treatment of glomerulonephritis, in particular lupus and vasculitis, and he is the principal investigator of the Manitoba Glomerular Diseases Registry. He is currently an MSc candidate in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Barr's Bio
ZALUNARDO_Nadia

Nadia
Zalunardo

Vice-Chair, Advocacy Committee

Nadia Zalunardo

Dr. Nadia Zalunardo graduated from UBC Medical School and completed her internal medicine and nephrology training at UBC. Following this, she pursued a postdoctoral research fellowship supported by the Kidney Foundation of Canada, and a Master of Science Degree in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Zalunardo is a Clinical Associate Professor in the UBC Division of Nephrology based at Vancouver General Hospital where she has a varied clinical practice in general nephrology and dialysis, and where she is the medical director of the kidney care clinic. Over the last number of years, she’s gained experience serving and leading on committees focused on quality and advocacy within the Vancouver community of care.

Dr. Zalunardo's Bio
ALLU_Selina

Selina
Allu

Selina Allu

Selina Allu is a Knowledge Translation Broker and Implementation Support Practitioner based at the University of Calgary, Alberta. With nearly two decades of experience in knowledge mobilization, she supports teams across Canada to translate kidney health research into action. Selina plays a lead role in the Can-SOLVE CKD Network, helping research teams plan, adapt, scale, and sustain evidence-based innovations that improve outcomes for people living with kidney disease. With a background in health geography and extensive experience in patient-oriented research, Selina designs engagement strategies, develops practical implementation tools, and builds collaborative platforms that connect science with lived experience and system priorities. She is passionate about health equity, accessible care, community engagement, and co-creating change with patients, caregivers, clinicians, and decision-makers. Selina is also an educator, storytelling coach, and trained World Café host.

Selina Allu's Bio
AMBIKE_Ruchi

Ruchi
Ambike

Ruchi Ambike

Ruchi Ambike was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy, a rare auto-immune kidney disease, in 2001 and it was not until 2023 that she met anyone else with this disease. This experience inspired her to connect and advocate for others living with the condition and facing similar challenges. As the Lead Ambassador to Canada for the IgA Nephropathy Foundation, Ruchi is committed to raising awareness, advocating for Canadian CKD patients, and fostering a supportive community. Professionally, Ruchi is a paediatric speech-language pathologist, Ruchi working with autistic children and their families. Outside of her advocacy and professional work, she enjoys life with her husband, two sons, and two beagles – and embraces every opportunity to live life to the fullest.

Ruchi Ambike's Bio
DWILOW_Michael

Michael
Dwilow

Michael Dwilow

BScPharm BCPS

Dr. Michael Dwillow has worked as a hospital and health‑system pharmacist for just over thirteen years. He began his career in adult inpatient care and has practiced across several clinical areas, including women’s health, surgery, urgent care, and internal medicine, where he spent the majority of his career.

In recent years, Dr. Dwillow’s work has focused on drug information and on serving as a clinic pharmacist at the Health Sciences Centre Renal Health Clinic. In addition to these roles, he serves on the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s Formulary and Pharmacy & Therapeutics Subcommittees, as well as the newly formed Manitoba provincial Formulary Subcommittee.

His primary area of clinical interest is glomerulonephritis.

Dr. Dwilow's Bio
SAMANTA_Ratna

Ratna
Samanta

Ratna Samanta

Dr. Samanta is and Associate Professor at McGIll University; she obtained her Masters degree at Yale University in Chronic Disease Epidemiology and then completed a clinical fellowship in Glomerulonephritis at the University of Toronto. After joining McGill, Dr Samanta started the MUHC GlomeruloNephritis Clinic, and is involved in various multinational clinical trials. She chairs the monthly McGill NephroPathology Rounds, which broadcast to various academic and community sites across Quebec. Dr Samanta also organizes and chairs an annual Montreal-based patient conference to heighten patients’ understanding of glomerular disease and treatment opportunities.

Dr. Samanta's Bio
SINGH_Anurag

Anurag
Singh

Anurag Singh

MBBS, Ph.D., FRCPC

Dr. Singh is a nephrologist with Northern Health and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, at the University of British Columbia, with an affiliate appointment at the University of Northern British Columbia. He also serves as the Medical Director for Kidney Services at Northern Health and as the inaugural Director of the Northern Centre for Clinical Research, a UBC–NHA–UNBC partnership.

His professional interests include improving access to high-quality kidney care for people living in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities; strengthening regional kidney care systems; and promoting culturally safe, relationship-based models of care. Dr. Singh is passionate about collaborative, community-engaged approaches that advance health equity and sustainability within kidney care across northern and underserved regions of Canada.

Dr. Singh's Bio
TAKANO_Tomoko_B-W_Headshot

Tomoko
Takano

Tomoko Takano

Dr. Takano is a nephrologist at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), a Professor of Medicine at McGill University, and a Senior Scientist at the Research institute of the MUHC. Dr. Takano’s research focuses on the pathogenesis of proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome and her work in podocyte biology is internationally recognized. She is also active in-patient care and teaching at all levels. She served as the Chair of the CSN Scientific Committee (2016-2020) and the Local Organizing Working Group for the WCN 2021 (Montreal). She is also one of the founding members of the network of Canadian fundamental kidney researchers (CKD-N) and advocates the role of discovery research in nephrology.

Dr. Takano's Bio
THANABALASINGAM_Susan

Susan
Thanabalasingam

Susan Thanabalasingam

Susan Thanabalasingam is a nephrology fellow at the Ottawa Hospital. She received her medical degree from Queen’s University in 2021 and completed her Internal Medicine residency at Queen’s University. She will be pursuing further specialty training in kidney transplantation, and graduate training in clinical epidemiology. She is interested in research aimed at improving equitable access to nephrology care and kidney transplantation. She is currently supported by a PSI Grant examining the association between social determinants of health and long term outcomes post AKI, with the ultimate goal of developing interventions to address factors associated with poorer outcomes. She intends to work throughout her career toward mitigating systemic barriers experienced by patients with kidney disease. She is excited to collaborate with members of the CSN Advocacy Committee to improve access to nephrology care and kidney health outcomes in Canada.

Dr. Thanabalasingam's Bio
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