was a positive experience,” says Weston Bettner, MD, a third-year gastroenterology fellow in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and one of the seven fellows who participated in the first GI Talk workshop. Dr. Bettner says that he would recommend this training to his colleagues and peers. Role playing in front of one’s peers does inherently feel awkward. “But, as with any skill set, fluency in goalsof-care conversations requires practice. End-of-life discussions can be particularly challenging. Practicing in a ‘safe’ environment — where ‘failure’ simply means restarting the simulated scenario — is ideal before having to do it in the real world, where there are no ‘do overs,’” says Dr. Bettner. Prior to attending the GI Talk workshop, Dr. Bettner’s formal training in palliative care in medical school and residency was limited. “In medical school, we had standardized patient interactions, and one session focused on breaking bad news, which involved informing a patient about a new cancer diagnosis,” says Dr. Bettner. “In residency, palliative care training was essentially on-the-job training.” Dr. Bettner indicates he learned that while each palliative care discussion is unique, these conversations can be framed in a systematic way, with the aid of tools such as the NURSE statements for articulating empathy (Naming, Understanding, Respecting, Supporting, Exploring). “I found it helpful almost immediately in my clinical practice to apply the tools and teaching learned in the workshop in conversations with my patients and their family members,” says Dr. Bettner. Further Reading About VitalTalk. https://www.vitaltalk.org/. Arnold RM, Back AL, Baile WF, Edward KA, Tulsky JA. The Oncotalk/Vitaltalk Model. In Kissane DW, Bultz BD, Butow PN, Bylund CL, Noble S, Wilkinson S, eds. Oxford Textbook of Communication in Oncology and Palliative Care, 2nd ed. 2017. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Bansal AD, Leonberg-Yoo A, Schell JO, Scherer JS, Jones CA. Ten Tips Nephrologists Wish the Palliative Care Team Knew About Caring for Patients With Kidney Disease. J Palliat Med. 2018 Apr; 21(4): 546-551. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2018.0087. Childers JW, Back AL, Tulsky JA, Arnold RM. REMAP: A Framework for Goals of Care Conversations. J Oncol Pract. 2017 Oct; 13(10): e844-e850. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2016.018796. Responding to Emotion: Articulating Empathy Using NURSE Statements. 2019. VitalTalk. https://www.vitaltalk.org/guides/respondingto-emotion-respecting/. Recent Publications from Division Faculty Researchers in the Renal-Electrolyte Division are engaged in a diverse array of basic science, translational, and clinical investigations on numerous aspects of kidney development and disease. Below is a selection of recent high-impact publications from faculty members. Gliozzi ML, Espiritu EB, Shipman KE, Rbaibi Y, Long KR, Roy N, Duncan AW, Lazzara MJ, Hukriede NA, Baty CJ, Weisz OA. Effects of Proximal Tubule Shortening on Protein Excretion in a Lowe Syndrome Model. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2020; 31: 67-83. Lam DY, Scherer JS, Brown M, Grubbs V, Schell JO. A Conceptual Framework of Palliative Care Across the Continuum of Advanced Kidney Disease. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2019; 14: 635-641. Dalghi MG, Clayton DR, Ruiz WG, Al-Bataineh MM, Satlin LM, Kleyman TR, Ricke WA, Carattino MD, Apodaca G. Expression and Distribution of PIEZO1 in the Mouse Urinary Tract. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2019, 317: F303-F321. Mehran R, Dangas GD, Weisbord SD. Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury. N Engl J Med. 2019; 380: 2146-2155. Cherukuri A, Mehta R, Sharma A, Sood P, Zeevi A, Tevar AD, Rothstein DM, Post-transplant Donor Specific Antibody Is Associated With Poor Kidney Transplant Outcomes Only When Combined With Both T-cell-mediated Rejection and Non-adherence. Kidney Int. 2019, 96: 202-210. Ong J, Kinsman BJ, Sved AF, Rush BM, Tan RJ, Carattino MD, Stocker SD. Renal Sensory Nerves Increase Sympathetic Nerve Activity and Blood Pressure in 2-kidney 1-clip Hypertensive Mice. J Neurophysiol. 2019; 122: v358-367. | 4 | RENAL-ELECTROLYTE RESEARCH UPDATE | Division Welcomes New Clinical Director The Renal-Electrolyte Division is pleased to welcome our newest faculty member, Director of Clinical Services and Associate Division Chief, Duncan Johnstone, MD, PhD. Dr. Johnstone will work with Divisional and Department of Medicine leadership to oversee the various and expanding clinical activities of the Renal-Electrolyte Division. Dr. Johnstone completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard University. He earned his medical and PhD degrees at the University of Washington in 2001. Dr. Johnstone completed his residency in internal medicine at Northwestern University, followed by a fellowship in nephrology at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Johnstone held appointments at Temple University. While at Temple University, Dr. Johnstone was an associate professor of medicine, and the Nephrology Fellowship Program director and director of the Outpatient Nephrology Clinic. Dr. Johnstone also served as the chair of the Medication Practices Subcommittee at Temple University Hospital. He joined Temple University in 2012 after previously holding appointments at the University