Vets First Podcast

Dr. Christie Thomas, a nephrologist at the University of Iowa and the Iowa City VA Healthcare System, joins us on this episode to discuss his favorite organ, the kidney, and why Veterans need transplants. He is a pioneer in the kidney transplant program at the Iowa City VA Healthcare System as well as a being influential in the Hepatitis C positive kidney transplant program. Today Dr. Thomas discusses with us the role of the kidney in the body, some of its surprising roles in human health, as well as how and why kidneys fail.
Dr. Thomas was born and grew up in India, having come to the United States at the age of 2 and returning to India at the age of 4. He did his undergraduate studies in India and postgraduate studies in England. He returned to the United States in his early thirties and was drawn to Iowa City, which had the largest public hospital in terms of the number of beds in the country at the time, as well as the Iowa City VA Healthcare System, which was known for the strength of its research.

Show Notes

Dr. Christie Thomas, a nephrologist at the University of Iowa and the Iowa City VA Healthcare System, joins us on this episode to discuss his favorite organ, the kidney, and why Veterans come to need transplants. He discusses with us the functions of the kidney in the body, some of its surprising roles in human health, as well as how and why kidneys fail. Additionally, he shares with us some details about dialysis and the Hepatitis C positive kidney transplant program we highlighted in our previous episode.

In adults, the most common cause of kidney disease in the United States is diabetes and the second most common cause is presumed to be high blood pressure or hypertension.  The most common hereditary cause of kidney disease in the United States is polycystic kidney disease which affects between 1 and 500 to 1 and 1,000 people. Overall, about 37 million adults in the United States are estimated to have chronic kidney disease with most being undiagnosed. Blood tests are the most common method for detecting kidney disease by looking at kidney function.  Other health consequences of chronic kidney disease include increased occurrence of infections, low red blood cell count, loss of appetite, and depression.  Dr. Thomas highlights all this in detail and more.

Dr. Thomas was born and raised in India, having come to the United States at the age of 2 and returning to India at the age of 4. He did his undergraduate studies in India and postgraduate studies in England. He returned to the United States in his early thirties and was drawn to Iowa City, which had the largest public hospital in terms of the number of beds in the country at the time, as well as Iowa City VA Healthcare System, which was known for the strength of its research.  Since then, Dr. Thomas has come to love Iowa and working with Veterans who he describes as some of the best patients he’s ever had. 

What is Vets First Podcast?

The Vets First podcast is a research-based podcast that focuses on the VA healthcare system and its patients. Instead of being just another research podcast, the Vets First podcast was created with a primary focus on the Veterans and their stories. The hosts, Levi Sowers PhD, and Brandon Rea work to bridge the gap between the state-of-the-art research being performed at Veterans Affairs and the Veterans themselves in an easy-to-understand manner. Importantly, Levi and Brandon want to assist researchers around the country to better understand the needs of Veterans. In this podcast you will hear interviews from Veterans with specific conditions and then hear from VA funded researchers who are studying those very topics as well as other highlighted services the VA provides.

The Department of Veterans Affairs does not endorse or officially sanction any entities that may be discussed in this podcast, nor any media, products or services they may provide.