National Kidney Foundation of Maryland Announces New Board Members

LUTHERVILLE, Md. –The Lutherville-based National Kidney Foundation of Maryland (NKF-MD) has elected the following individuals to a three-year term on its board of directors:

• Meredith A. Atkinson, M.D. - associate professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and pediatric nephrologist at the Harriet Lane Kidney Center at Johns Hopkins. In addition to providing care for children with kidney problems and kidney transplant recipients, she has received grants and awards from The National Kidney Foundation and The National Kidney Foundation of Maryland (among others) for her clinical research in chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease in children. Elected to the Society for Pediatric Research, she also serves on the Pediatric Section Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition and is a member of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology. After earning an undergraduate degree in biology from Mount Holyoke College and her M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, she completed a pediatrics residency at Johns Hopkins University, followed by a pediatric nephrology fellowship. She also earned a master’s degree in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Atkinson joined the Hopkins faculty in 2007 and has participated in several NKF-MD Kidney Walk events.
• Lauren Asghari - founder and managing director at Alderson Loop. The 12-year technology and marketing consulting services veteran began her career at a staffing company as the corporate contact for managed services projects across the country. She then served leadership and executive roles for a Baltimore-based technology staffing company before establishing Alderson Loop, a provider of Information Technology talent throughout the Washington, DC metro area and the east coast. A Johns Hopkins University alumna, she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in management/entrepreneurship, followed by a master’s degree in communications.
• Gretchen Berlin – partner at McKinsey & Company. A registered nurse with a “lifelong interest in healthcare and general interest in improving healthcare for local populations,” she brings 10 years of experience in the U.S. and U.K. health systems. She currently interacts with healthcare providers and other players across the value chain in her firm’s Healthcare Systems and Services Practice. Previously, she worked for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London. A University of Pennsylvania alumna, she earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing, as well as a Bachelor of Economics in healthcare management from The Wharton School.

About NKF-MD
Serving central and western Maryland, the Delmarva Peninsula and portions of Virginia and West Virginia, the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland is the area’s only voluntary health agency dedicated to preventing kidney and urinary tract diseases, improving the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation. For more information, visit www.kidneymd.org.