# Impact of Health-related Social Needs on Dialysis Outcomes

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2022 · $185,125

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Dr. Tessa Novick, an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the University of
Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, is a nephrologist, trained social worker and health services researcher
whose career goal is to become an independent investigator in patient-oriented research focused on improving
care for marginalized populations with kidney disease. This K23 award will provide Dr. Novick with training and
mentored research experience in the following areas: (1) using complementary advanced epidemiological and
qualitative methods to understand the scope and nature of a problem to inform interventions; (2) health
disparities and community based participatory research; (3) intervention and clinical trial development,
execution and interpretation. To achieve these goals, Dr. Novick has assembled a mentoring team comprised
of primary co-mentors: Dr. Deidra Crews, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at
Johns Hopkins University, who is an internationally recognized leader in kidney disease disparities and
interventions to address them; Dr. Elizabeth Jacobs, Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas
at Austin Dell Medical School, who is internationally regarded for her work investigating health-care disparities,
interventions to address social determinants of health, and advancing culturally competent care for diverse
populations. The focus of the proposed mentored research is on understanding how health-related social
needs of patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) impact their care and how they might be addressed.
ESKD affects over 700,000 Americans, and requires substantial patient engagement in order to achieve
optimal outcomes. Health-related social needs are individual-level social determinants of health, such as
unstable housing, food insecurity, transportation and utility needs. Dr. Novick hypothesizes that health-related
social needs impair patient engagement, and are associated with higher acute care utilization and mortality. Dr.
Novick further hypothesizes that dialysis patients will identify acceptable interventions to address health-related
social needs, and interventions being tested in the general population using community health workers and
organizations that bridge patients to community resources are feasible in the dialysis population. Dr. Novick will
test these hypotheses using a series of complementary studies that (1) leverage data from the Veterans Health
Administration and United States Renal Data System; (2) gain an in-depth understanding of the problem using
qualitative research methods; and (3) refine an intervention that uses community health workers to connect
dialysis patients with community resources.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10450063
- **Project number:** 5K23DK127153-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Tessa Novick
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $185,125
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10450063

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10450063, Impact of Health-related Social Needs on Dialysis Outcomes (5K23DK127153-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10450063. Licensed CC0.

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