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Jeffrey C. Fink, MD, MS

Academic Title:

Professor

Primary Appointment:

Medicine

Secondary Appointment(s):

Epidemiology & Public Health

Administrative Title:

Division Head, General Internal Medicine

Location:

22 South Greene Street, Room N3e03

Phone (Primary):

(410) 328-4822

Fax:

(410) 328-5685

Education and Training

He went to medical school at Case Western Reserve University and completed his Internal Medicine and Nephrology Fellowships at University of Washington in Seattle.  Between his residency and fellowship training, he worked as a General Internist at Tufts University and University of Southern California.  During his fellowship, he obtained a Master's of Science in Epidemiology at University of Washington School of Public Health.

Biosketch

1987-88           Internship in Medicine, Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle             

1988‑90           Resident in Medicine, Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle              

1990-92           Assistant Professor, Medicine, Tufts University                                            

1992-93           Assistant Professor, Medicine, University of Southern California                 

1993-94           Clinical Nephrology Fellow, Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle     

1994-96           Research Nephrology Fellow, Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle

1996-02           Assistant Professor, Medicine and Epidemiology (secondary) University of Maryland, Baltimore   

2002-2011       Associate Professor, Medicine and Epidemiology (secondary) University of Maryland, Baltimore

2011-               Professor, Medicine and Epidemiology (secondary) University of Maryland, Baltimore

2014-               Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Research/Clinical Keywords

Chronic kidney disease, Clinical Epidemiology, Patient Safety

Highlighted Publications

    Seliger SL, Zhan M, Hsu VD, Walker L, Fink JC. Chronic Kidney Disease Adversely Influences Patient Safety. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008 Dec;19(12):2414-9.

    Fink JC, Brown J, Hsu VD, Seliger SL, Walker L, Zhan M.  CKD as an under-recognized threat to patient safety.  Am J Kidney Disease; 2009 53(4): 681-8  

    Fink JC, Joy MS, St Peter WL, Wahba IM,  Finding a common language for patient safety in chronic kidney disease Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2012, 7:689-695.

    Hartley IR, Ginsberg JS, Diamantidis CJ, Zhan M, Walker L, Rattinger RB, Fink JC.  Consideration of ICD-9 code-derived disease-specific safety indicators in CKD.  Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2013; 8:2123-31.

     Chapin E, Zhan M, Hsu VD, Seliger SL, Walker LD, Fink JC. Adverse safety events in chronic kidney disease: the frequency of “multiple hits”. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol; 2010 5: 87-94.  

    Ginsberg JS, Zhan M, Diamantidis CJ, Woods C, Chen J, Fink JC.  Patient-reported and actionable safety events in chronic kidney disease. J Am Soc Nephrol, 2014, 25:1564-73

    Additional Publication Citations

    ORCiD ID:  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5622-5052

    PubMed: Fink JC

    Research Interests

    Dr Fink’s ongoing clinical studies include the NIDDK-funded Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study (U01 DK61022) and the Safe Kidney Care program.  Ongoing study initiatives include eSKC (R21 DK096204), which evaluates the effectiveness of an interactive voice response system (IVRS) to monitor kidney disease patients’ safety related symptoms. The VA-based Coordinated Care Health Tele-monitoring program (R34 DK102177) evaluates means of reducing adverse safety events in veterans with CKD.  Most recently he was funded to co-direct the VA Patient Safety Center of Inquiry to evaluate initiatives designed to improve the safety of kidney disease patients.  He will also direct the NIH-funded and related initiative to examine if a "Sick-day protocol" will improve outcomes in chronic kidney disease (R18 DK110955)

    Dr. Fink also has a strong interest and a substantial track record in the clinical epidemiology and study of health services utilization in kidney disease. He has conducted several epidemiological analyses of existing databases including the USRDS and national VA data. He recently completed analyses of the national VA data set examining trends in chronic kidney disease practice patterns and determining the link between chronic kidney disease and patient safety indicators (R21 DK075675). He was the principal investigator on the CRIC-Safety ancillary study (R01 DK090008), which retrospectively examines the frequency of safety events in the CRIC cohort.

    Clinical Specialty Details

    Dr. Fink founded and coordinates the Early Renal Insufficiency (ERI) program (at the Baltimore VA and University of Maryland Medical System) and the VA Renal Inter-disciplinary Safety Clinic which These are staffed by himself, 3 additional doctors, pharmacist and a nurse practitioner. The ERI and RISC are part of an enriched disease management program which has offered patients several opportunities for participation in clinical research.

    Awards and Affiliations

    1999                            American Society of Nephrology, Carl W. Gottschalk Research Award

    2005                            Fellow, American Society of Nephrology

    2011                            Fellow, National Kidney Foundation

    2016                            Fellow, American College of Physicians

    Grants and Contracts

    10/01/01 – 04/30/23   Site Investigator, 20% effort (PI: Appel)

    NIDDK UO1, DK61022

    Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study

    CRIC is a multi-center cohort study examining the natural history of persons with chronic kidney disease (n = 3939). Dr Fink is the site PI overseeing study activities on 256 local enrollees and serving as a member of the study steering committee.

    9/1/13 – 8/30/17          Principal Investigator, 20% effort (Fink)    

    (NCE)                          NIDDK 1R21 DK096204     

    Patient safety monitoring in kidney disease with an eDiary

    This grant proposes to evaluate an interactive voice response system to record patient-experienced safety events among pre-dialysis CKD and ESRD patients outside the clinic and dialysis unit. 

    8/1/14-7/30/17             Principal Investigator, 20% effort (Fink)

    (NCE)                          NIDDK  1R34DK102177-01

    Care Coordination/Telehealth to address patient safety in CKD

    This study will examine the efficacy of a health kiosk designed to record adverse safety events in reducing poor outcomes in CKD

    10/01/15 – 9/30/2018  Co-director, 5/8ths VA appointment (co-PI with L Katzel)

    Baltimore VA Patient Safety Center of Inquiry (PSCI)

    Baltimore PSCI is a VA center funded by the VA National Safety Center with the objective of developing novel innovations for improvement of adverse safety events of veterans with chronic kidney disease

    9/1/16 –  9/30/2018     Principal Investigator, 20% (PI: Fink)

    NIDDK R18 DK110955

    Can a sick-day protocol improve CKD outcomes?

    This study will us a remote capture IVR-based protocol to evaluate the feasibility of a sick-day protocol to minimize acute kidney injury in CKD patients treated with RAAS blockers and diuretics. 

    Professional Activity

    1998-2007       ESRD Network 5, Medical Review Board

    1999-               National Kidney Foundation of Maryland, Medical Advisory Board

    2001                Editorial Board, American Journal of Kidney Disease

    2002                National Kidney Foundation, Spring Clinical Meeting, Planning Committee

    2002-2006       Chairman, Maryland Kidney Commission

    2009-2010      

    2003-2004       National Kidney Disease Education Program, Baltimore Co-Chairman

    2004-2007       Editorial Board, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

    2006-               University of Maryland, Institutional Review Board

    2006-               University of Maryland, GCRC Advisory Committee

    2009                Associate Editor, American Journal of Kidney Disease

    2011-               Associate Editor, Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology