Our Story

Dr. Li-Li Hsiao, KDSAP Founder

The Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program (KDSAP) was created and founded by Li-Li Hsiao, MD, PhD, in February 2008. The first KDSAP chapter is registered at Harvard College, where Dr. Hsiao has served as the official advisor since the program’s inception until November, 2020, then resumed the duty in September 2022.

KDSAP has two key objectives: student career development and community outreach. KDSAP is a student-run organization targeting college students and aims to provide opportunities for community outreach to raise public awareness and promote early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In addition, KDSAP offers many innovative programs to benefit its student members, including speaker series each semester that expose students to scientific and medical professions while facilitating the development of mentor-mentee relationships. Members may also participate in community outreach and develop leadership skills by organizing, managing, and running monthly kidney health screenings in medically underserved communities.

In Community outreach, KDSAP is designed to partners with physician volunteers and community members by providing kidney screenings and health education, free of charge, to underserved populations. KDSAP’s monthly kidney health screenings are held at churches, community centers, elder homes, nursing homes, homeless shelters etc. throughout medically underserved communities.

In cultivate student career development, our screenings not only develop student volunteer’s leadership and professionalism but provide hands-on clinical experience to student volunteers and an avenue to serve those who lack adequate access to healthcare. And, through our on-campus discussion panels, physician shadowing program, and others, students practice leadership and mentorship while raising awareness of CKD in the campus, confirming their interests to pursue a medical-related career in the process.

KDSAP’s first screening at Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England (CCBA), Boston MA on 10/3/2009

KDSAP is one of the first models that strategically targets undergraduate students early in their educational career to help address the current nephrology work-force shortage. KDSAP has gained nationwide and international attention and has a growing number of chapters around the US. Visit our Chapters page to see where they are.

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