Elke Schäffner

Elke Schäffner is professor of nephrology and health care research, as well as an epidemiologist at the Institute of Public Health, Charité−Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany where she is also deputy director. She played a pivotal role in establishing a new Master of Science Program in Public Health at the Berlin School of Public Health. Her primary fields of research are renal epidemiology and aging, with a particular focus on chronic kidney disease in an aging society and biomarkers for assessing kidney function. She is principal investigator of the landmark Berlin Initiative Study, a population-based cohort study investigating the epidemiology of kidney disease in more than 2000 elderly patients over a decade. The study has provided unparalleled high-quality primary data about the natural course of kidney function in elderly persons. Dr. Schaeffner joins the editorial board of American Journal of Kidney Diseases as international editor. In 2022, he was awarded the distinguished leader award of the American Society of Nephrology and was elected an executive board member of the German Society of Nephrology.