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Kidney Education Outreach Program


Welcome to the UNC Kidney Center’s KEOP!

One in nine North Carolinians have a condition that makes their kidneys slow down. It’s called chronic kidney disease (CKD) and it includes over 26,000 people who rely on dialysis to treat kidney failure (also called end-stage kidney disease). Most people with CKD do not know they have it. To promote knowledge about how kidneys work, and awareness about personal risk factors for developing CKD, we encourage people to ask, “HEY DOC, HOW ARE MY KIDNEYS?.”® Doing this early, before symptoms develop, is important because there are treatments that can slow or stop the progression of CKD to kidney failure.

The KEOP’s evidence- and community-based efforts are focused on the counties with the highest rates of end-stage kidney disease. However, we collaborate with all communities interested in hosting local conversations and/or screening events.

The primary ways we raise awareness about CKD and the importance of organ donation are:

  • CKD Screenings
  • Community Conversations

Mission Statement

The mission of the UNC Kidney Center’s Kidney Education Outreach Program (KEOP) is to reduce the burden of kidney disease for patients, families and communities in North Carolina.

Our Goals:

For Patients and Families

  • Increase awareness and understanding about CKD and organ transplantation.
  • Conduct screenings for CKD and its risk factors
  • Help overcome obstacles to the prevention and management of CKD

For Healthcare Providers

  • Increase knowledge and understanding of CKD among health care providers.
  • Serve as a resource to facilitate the care of patients with CKD.

For Communities

  • Engage and empower communities to create systems and practices for preventing and managing CKD.
  • Help develop community-based sustainable programs to curb the burden of CKD.
For information about holding an information or screening session in your community, or partnering with KEOP to encourage citizens and primary care physicians to become better informed about kidney disease, please contact: Abhijit (Abhi) Kshirsagar, MD MPH, Program Director at 919-445-2684 or sagar@med.unc.edu (preferred).