Dr Suren Kanagasundaram

Dr Suren Kanagasundaram is a Consultant Nephrologist and clinical lead for the Haemodialysis Service at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital. Suren specialises in acute kidney injury, haemodialysis, renal replacement therapy and sustainable healthcare.

He returned to Newcastle on his appointment as a Consultant in 2004 after completing undergraduate and early postgraduate training in Manchester and higher specialist training on the West Yorkshire rotation.

During his time in specialty training, he spent 3 years as the Saturo Nakamoto Hemodialysis Research Fellow at the Cleveland Clinic, USA, where NIH-sponsored work on renal support for acute kidney injury (AKI) formed the basis of his doctoral thesis. He maintains an interest in both AKI and haemodialysis through an active research programme and has authored a range of original articles and textbook chapters in both fields:

He was an expert advisor to the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) for their 2009 report into AKI care, co-authored the 2011 UK Renal Association clinical practice guideline for AKI and was the lead author for the current version, published in 2019:

Suren maintains an ongoing, professional commitment to improving the environmental impact of healthcare; he currently leads Newcastle Hospitals’ Renal Green group, provides clinical representation on the Trust’s Executive Oversight Group for the Climate Emergency and is now in partnership with the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition and industry, undertaking deep, life-cycle analyses of renal service environmental impacts.

“Newcastle Hospitals Climate Emergency – 11 minutes teach-in”

He co-founded the Newcastle Hospitals staff Green Gym, which undertakes conservation activities across the region and which was a finalist in the Trust’s inaugural Celebrating Excellence Awards in 2019.

He and the team were honoured to be nominated for the Trust’s quarterly Personal Touch Award (in Q3, 2015) and subsequently win the annual team award for 2016.