PEOPLE > Glenda V. Roberts

Prior to joining the UW Center for Dialysis Innovation and Kidney Research Institute as the Director of External Relations & Patient Engagement, Glenda V. Roberts was an Information Technology executive with over 35 years of experience.  Before going on dialysis, Glenda managed the progression of her disease throughout her career via diet and exercise for over 40 years. Refusing to accept limitations, she enjoyed a fulfilling career, evolving from a software developer to a senior business executive managing multi-million-dollar business units for top-caliber corporations, including General Electric, Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson. Since her transplant in 2010, she’s completed eight half marathons.

Based upon her personal experience with kidney disease, Glenda is a passionate activist for kidney research and patients living with kidney disease. She’s involved in myriad patient-centered national and international health care transformation initiatives.  All are focused on addressing patient preferences and improving patient reported outcomes. She serves on the National Kidney Foundation (NKK) – American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Task Force on Reassessing the Inclusion of Race in Diagnosing Kidney Disease; the only patient on the ASN COVID-19 Response Team and the ASN COVID-19 Response Team Transplant Committee; and as only the second patient to serve on the Canadian Can-SOLVE CKD International Research Advisory Committee. In addition to serving on the CDI Patient Advisory Board, the Patient Advisory Committee for the Kidney Research Institute, and the Home Dialyzors United Advisory Board, Glenda brings the patient voice to a number of NIH/NIDDK government (the APOL1 Community Advisory Board; the Kidney Precision Medicine Project Community Engagement Committee; the APOLLO Community Advisory Committee) and industry (APOL1 Delphi) research efforts.

The President of the United States recognized Glenda as a recipient of the “President’s Volunteer Service Award 2020” for her leadership on COVID-19 initiatives for people living with kidney disease. She has co-authored eight publications related to kidney disease topics in high impact publications including the Nature Reviews Nephrology, Journal of American Society of Nephrology (JASN), the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD), Kidney International (KI), the Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), the Journal of Vascular Access and referenced in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Bachelor of Science, Mathematics
University of Houston
Houston, TX