When Bay Area primary care doctor Vanessa Grubbs discovered that her boyfriend wasn’t getting the donated kidney that he desperately needed, she decided to give him one of her own. During the process, Grubbs discovered racial disparities in the way donated kidneys are allocated: Approximately 1 in 3 transplant candidates are African American, but they receive only 1 in 5 of all donated kidneys. Grubbs joins us in studio to tell the story of her journey from kidney donor to, ultimately, kidney doctor. We’ll also hear about the dialysis industry and why critics think it is overly aggressive and in need of further regulation. We’ll also check in with a Washington Post reporter about the latest with the health care debate on Capitol Hill.
Guests:
Vanessa Grubbs, associate professor of medicine and a nephrologist, University of California San Francisco; author, “Hundreds of Interlaced Fingers: A Kidney Doctor’s Search for the Perfect Match”
Mike DeBonis, congressional reporter, Washington Post