Researcher Spotlight: Anum Bilal

Anum Bilal
Assistant Professor – Renal Medicine
2022 FAME Grant Awardee

What is your professional background? 
I graduated from Agha Khan University in Pakistan. I completed my internal medicine residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak Michigan and then moved to New York State to complete my fellowship in Nephrology at Albany Medical Center. I have been working at the Emory Clinic as well as on inpatient service at EUH for three years. 

In what division do you work, and who is your mentor? 
I work in the division of Nephrology. My mentor is Dr. Anju Oommen, who has been a great source of support and a champion for this project. 

Tell us about your FAME grant project, why it is important, and what it means to you to receive funding?
Recent studies show that anemia in CKD is generally poorly treated in the U.S, despite clear guidelines, and a review of our own data shows that we are underutilizing our resources. My project deals with improving anemia management in the pre-dialysis kidney disease population in our clinic. In recent years, the strain on our resources with COVID has underlined the breaks in our systems. We hope to check that with this project. The funding means recognition of this problem and allocating time and resources to reviewing our protocols and expanding it to be more effective.

What do you like most about Emory? 
That it provides sense of community and an opportunity to work on projects such as this.

What is your favorite movie or TV show? 
The Lord of the Rings series are probably my favorite movies.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy spending time with my family, hiking, eating out and discovering new restaurants, watching detective dramas with my husband, and reading. 

What is a fun fact about you? 
I have a 2-year-old and a 2-month-old and am loving it.