Dr Zena Barakat has been honoured with the prestigious Shaun Summers Clinical Trainee Award at the 2024 Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology (ANZSN) Annual Scientific Meeting in Adelaide. This award celebrates outstanding research contributions by ANZSN members working as clinical or advanced nephrology trainees.

The ANZSN Annual Scientific Meeting is the pinnacle event for kidney health in Australia and New Zealand, bringing together leading minds in nephrology. Under the mentorship of Dr Tim Pianta from Northern Health’s Department of Renal Medicine and the University of Melbourne’s Department of Medical Education, Dr Barakat’s research was deemed the most outstanding by a
Nephrology Advanced Trainee across Australia and New Zealand.

Her presentation was titled ‘Readmission & Mortality After an Admission with Acute Kidney Injury: A Victorian-wide Data-linkage Analysis’.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) strikes when the kidneys abruptly lose function, leading to a dangerous buildup of waste products and an inability to balance electrolytes, acids, and water. This condition can arise from various causes, most commonly a disruption in blood supply or severe inflammation. It’s a stealthy affliction, especially prevalent among older adults and those with high blood pressure, diabetes, and pre-existing kidney disease. AKI is on the rise globally and often flies under the radar, yet it’s strongly linked to increased short- and long- term health complications and mortality.

Historically, Australian understanding of AKI was limited to data from a handful of hospitals, including earlier work by Dr Zena Barakat and Dr Tim Pianta at Northern Health. These studies couldn’t track individual patient outcomes comprehensively. Dr Barakat’s recent research breaks new ground as the first of its kind in Australia and among a select few globally. Her study examined 2.8 million hospital admissions across Victoria over 12 months, identifying approximately 200,000 AKI cases.

Among her findings, Dr Barakat discovered:

1. While AKI is often under-recognised, 11 per cent of patients admitted to Victorian hospitals are diagnosed with AKI.
2. Over two-fifths of these patients experienced a recurrence of AKI within 12 months.
3. New diagnoses of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, or cancer occurred in more than two-thirds of these patients within three years.
4. Approximately 70 per cent of AKI patients were readmitted to the hospital within a year.
5. Sadly, over a quarter of the patients had passed away within 12 months, and more than a third (37 per cent) by the three-year mark.
6. A previously unrecognised link between AKI and subsequent cancer-related deaths was identified.

Dr Barakat’s study has already garnered attention from the scientific community: Read more.

Now, Dr Barakat is channeling her expertise into her Masters of Philosophy (Research) at the University of Melbourne. Her journey began as a research student at the Northern Clinical School, progressed through a Basic Physician Trainee role at Northern Health, and continues with her Advanced Training in Nephrology at Alfred Health. She is a recipient of the Northern Health Foundation Research Small Grant in 2021.

Chief Medical Officer and Chair of the Research Executive Committee, Professor Prahlad Ho, said, “My congratulations to both Dr Zena Barakat and Dr Tim Pianta. This is a significant achievement that underscores their dedication to advancing medical research and improving patient outcomes.”