PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) prevalence is socially patterned and geographically clustered. Emerging
studies have suggested that various neighborhood characteristics, such as social disadvantage, food
environments, and walkability, contribute CKD incidence and progression as well as its disparities. However,
existing research has several limitations, including systematic misclassification of neighborhood exposures,
inadequate assessment of secular changes in neighborhood factors, and lacking careful considerations of co-
occurring neighborhood conditions as confounders or effect modifiers. Moreover, no study has examined the
causal effects of neighborhood changes, although identifying specific neighborhood characteristics, particularly
built environments, as modifiable factors to address CKD burden is a promising avenue for health equity work.
The goal of this K01 award is to address gaps in the literature while also supporting the candidate’s goal of
transitioning to an independent scholar focused on identifying and addressing upstream neighborhood
determinants of CKD. Through formal coursework, workshops, mentored research, and attendance at scientific
conferences, Dr. Kim will gain expertise in the social and spatial epidemiology of CKD outcomes, and will
pursue methodological training in quasi-experimental study design, EHR-based analyses, and rigorous
ascertainments of outcomes using computable phenotyping. Building on Dr. Kim’s prior training as a
social/spatial epidemiologist, these complementary training and research aims will allow Dr. Kim to elucidate
nuanced causal mechanism of neighborhood effects on CKD and will provide him with a combination of
methodological tools that can be flexibly applied to future research questions at the nexus of CKD
epidemiology and health disparities.
The proposed research will leverage EHR data from a national cohort of U.S. veterans to examine associations
between various sets of neighborhood characteristics and CKD outcomes within a novel quasi-experimental
framework, exploiting individual-level changes in neighborhood characteristics based on residential mobility.
The proposed aims 1) quantify the individual and joint impacts of neighborhood characteristics on CKD
incidence/progression, 2) examine potential causal pathways between neighborhood characteristics and CKD
via its clinical causes, and 3) conduct a quasi-experimental study of the causal impacts of changing built
environments on CKD incidence/progression. This work is in line with NIDDK’s strategic goals to elucidate
drivers of population disparities in CKD and to leverage natural experiment conditions. By providing salary
support, training, and a formal mentorship structure, this award will facilitate Dr. Kim’s transition to an
independent career focused on the study of spatial epidemiology of CKD.