Dr. Matthew James

Award: KRESCENT New Investigator Award
Institution: University of Calgary
Year: 2012-2015

Lay Summary

Dr. Matthew James is a new investigator at the University of Calgary. He obtained his M.D. at the University of British Columbia and completed a KRESCENT Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Nephrology Clinical Research with Dr. Brenda Hemmelgarn at the University of Calgary, where he also obtained his Ph.D. in Health Services Research and Epidemiology.

Dr. James’ goal is to find ways to reduce Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) frequency and improve outcomes for patients with AKI in Canada. AKI is common in patients undergoing surgery and certain diagnostic imaging procedures, and is associated with serious complications including the need for dialysis. It often can be prevented by good medical care, and early detection can improve its consequences.

Dr. James’ research will provide valuable data for patients and health care providers, and will focus on advancing population health, health services research, and clinical knowledge translation in these areas of AKI. As part of his research, he will also develop a novel database that will support ongoing study of AKI. The results obtained from this research study will help inform the design of new interventions intended to improve the adverse hospital outcomes associated with acute kidney injury in Canada.