The Silent Killer: The Lack of Awareness Surrounding Chronic Kidney Disease | Mihir Kumar | TEDxUSC

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects approximately 1 in 7 US adults, or about 37 million people, of whom 90% often don’t know they have it until they develop the later stages of the disease. In this talk, Mihir explores why CKD is so under-discussed and how, fortunately, there are many ways to quickly and affordably get tested for the disease. The lack of chronic kidney disease awareness in the United States, despite its enormous prevalence and associated costs, takes major toll on the US healthcare system and its patients. Fortunately, through proper education about the causes for this lack of awareness and through non-profit organizations that host free kidney screenings, Mihir hopes to explain how we can begin to make a difference.

Mihir recently graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Human Biology, B.A. in Economics, and a minor in Mathematical Finance. He served as the Co-President of the USC Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program (KDSAP) and currently serves as a Trustee on KDSAP’s National Governing Board and on the National Coordination Committee. Through establishing partnerships with several local non-profit and community organizations in the Los Angeles area, Mihir has learned about the power of raising awareness for CKD and is deeply passionate about continuing to fight against the disease through awareness, education, and screening-based efforts. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx