Dr. Saunders is an Assistant Professor in the Section of General Internal Medicine. Since coming to the University of Chicago, she has completed a combined internal medicine-pediatrics residency, a research fellowship in hospital medicine, clinical medical ethics fellowship at the MacLean Center and medical education (MERITS). In addition to her clinical work in GIM, she serves as the Research Subject Advocate for the Institute of Translational Medicine and the University’s Living Donor Advocate Physician where she works with potential living donors to make sure they have the appropriate medical and psychosocial evaluation as well as a full understanding of the risks of living donation. Dr. Saunders’ research focuses on reducing disparities and improving the quality of care received by patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). She is currently NIH-funded to develop and test an educational module for hospitalized patients with advanced CKD in order to increase their knowledge about and preparation for renal replacement therapy. She is also the Assistant Dean of Multicultural Affairs at the Pritzker School of Medicine.
Interactive Computer-Adaptive Chronic Kidney Disease (I-C-CKD) Education for Hospitalized African American Patients: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.
Interactive Computer-Adaptive Chronic Kidney Disease (I-C-CKD) Education for Hospitalized African American Patients: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 Apr 17; 14:e66846.
PMID: 40245387
CKD Knowledge and CKD Report Card Use During a Nephrology Encounter: A Randomized Trial.
CKD Knowledge and CKD Report Card Use During a Nephrology Encounter: A Randomized Trial. Kidney Med. 2025 May; 7(5):100991.
PMID: 40321972
Trends in Co-morbid Dementia and Chronic Kidney Disease.
Trends in Co-morbid Dementia and Chronic Kidney Disease. J Gen Intern Med. 2025 Jan 14.
PMID: 39809960
Changing Perceptions of Health Care Among Patients With Kidney Disease.
Changing Perceptions of Health Care Among Patients With Kidney Disease. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Nov 04; 7(11):e2447343.
PMID: 39589747
Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Cardiovascular Events in Adults With CKD: The CRIC Study.
Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Cardiovascular Events in Adults With CKD: The CRIC Study. Kidney Med. 2024 Nov; 6(11):100901.
PMID: 39822580
Association of Race and Ethnicity With High Longevity Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation Under the US Kidney Allocation System.
Association of Race and Ethnicity With High Longevity Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation Under the US Kidney Allocation System. Am J Kidney Dis. 2024 Oct; 84(4):416-426.
PMID: 38636649
Chicago Neighborhood Context and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Maternal Diabetes.
Chicago Neighborhood Context and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Maternal Diabetes. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2025 Feb; 12(1):520-530.
PMID: 38157197
Prediction of chronic kidney disease progression using recurrent neural network and electronic health records.
Prediction of chronic kidney disease progression using recurrent neural network and electronic health records. Sci Rep. 2023 12 13; 13(1):22091.
PMID: 38086905
Racial Disparities in Living Donor Kidney Transplantation-How Can We Bridge the Gap?
Racial Disparities in Living Donor Kidney Transplantation-How Can We Bridge the Gap? JAMA Netw Open. 2023 12 01; 6(12):e2347808.
PMID: 38100112
Frailty and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Adults With CKD: Findings From the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study.
Frailty and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Adults With CKD: Findings From the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study. Am J Kidney Dis. 2024 02; 83(2):208-215.
PMID: 37741609