A Message from the FY26 Chief Fellow for Health Equity for the Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division
I am Martin Akutek. It is an honor to be the 2025-2026 Chief Fellow for Health Equity. My first experience with healthcare disparities was during my time in Ghana, where I was born and raised. The difference in health outcomes stemmed from the physical lack of access to healthcare facilities. This lack of access motivated me to volunteer in remote areas, where I could help provide essential medical services to underserved populations. These experiences shaped my understanding of how structural barriers can profoundly impact health outcomes.
When I moved to the United States to begin residency, I quickly recognized that health inequities exist here as well, though for different reasons. Here, disparities were not just driven by geographic isolation, but also by social and systemic factors such as socioeconomic status, racial inequities, and limitations in insurance coverage. Having witnessed these patterns, my goal was to understand these drivers of health disparities wherever they occur.
As the Chief Fellow for Health Equity, I am leading a health equity project focused on improving care for patients with end-stage renal disease who have been involuntarily discharged from outpatient dialysis units. These individuals often face significant barriers in accessing regular dialysis treatments, which can lead to repeated hospitalizations, missed treatments, poor health outcomes, and lack of access to transplants. By recognizing and describing the problem, I hope to explore policies, interventions, and support systems that can better serve this vulnerable group. My goal is to find sustainable strategies that ensure continuity of care and enhance health outcomes for this population.
Additionally, I am participating in the BLOOM Health Equity Pathway, which equips me with tools to identify, understand, and address inequities in healthcare delivery. I have had the opportunity to collaborate with providers from different medical specialties to explore how to combine clinical training with advocacy, research, and community engagement. I hope to carry these skills forward in my career, working toward a healthcare system that provides equitable and accessible care for all patients.
A Message from Dr. Yuvaram Reddy
Welcome to the Penn Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division!
We are committed to addressing the well-documented disparities in kidney disease through clinical care, quality improvement, medical education, and research. To accomplish this goal, we aim to:
- Provide high quality training in health equity
- Advance efforts to ensure equal opportunities are available for people at all levels within the Division
- Leverage rigorous research methods to understand and address health inequities.
As part of our commitment towards advancing these goals, we are proud to sponsor a Chief Fellow for Health Equity. Every year we will encourage second-year fellows to apply for the position to work closely with the faculty within the Division to advance our goals. They will receive structured training and mentorship to facilitate a health equity project focused on quality improvement, research, medical education, or community engagement. Since 2022, we have had several fellows in this role who have gone on to complete projects, receive grants and awards for their projects, and present findings at local events and national conferences.
If you are passionate about health equity or you are committed to ensuring people are treated with mutual empathy and respect please know that we at the Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division value your interests and are dedicated to training the next generation of leaders in health equity.
Sincerely,
Yuvaram Reddy, MBBS, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Apply to the Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Fellowship Program
If you are an underrepresented minority, a disabled applicant or an applicant who is disadvantaged culturally, socially and/or economically, we strongly encourage you to apply to our fellowship program. If you have any questions or concerns about your application or eligibility, please contact: