Mexico City, November 6, 2026.— Valeria B. Galán Trujillo and André Méndez Bolaños Cacho, both alumni of the School of Health Sciences at the Universidad Panamericana, were selected for the American Society of Nephrology’s (American Society of Nephrology, ASN).
Kidney STARS (Students and Residents) aims to introduce students and medical residents to the field of nephrology by providing opportunities to explore career paths, receive mentorship, and build relationships with specialists. The program also offers support for attending the ASN’s annual conference.
As part of this selection, both participated in ASN Kidney Week 2026, one of the most important international conferences in nephrology, which brings together thousands of kidney health professionals and was held October 22–25 in Denver, Colorado, United States.
A Review of Lifestyle and Kidney Health
Valeria, a graduate of our university, is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) as part of a collaborative program between the Panamericana School of Medicine and the University of Texas.
During the conference, she participated as a co-author of a systematic review on the impact of lifestyle interventions based on the “Life’s Essential 8” (LE8), a framework proposed by the American Heart Association (AHA).
This framework includes eight components:
- Feeding
- Physical Activity
- Exposure to nicotine.
- Dream.
- Body Mass Index.
- blood lipids.
- Glucose.
- Blood pressure.
The review focused on patients with diabetic kidney disease—a complication of diabetes that impairs kidney function—and evaluated the effects of these interventions on kidney function and cardiometabolic health.
Predictive models for early detection
For his part, André, a medical graduate and researcher in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Universidad Panamericana, presented a study on the development of predictive models to identify reduced kidney function in Mexican patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The research aims to contribute to the early detection of chronic kidney diseasethrough tools that can identify patients at higher risk and optimize the use of diagnostic tests, particularly in resource-limited settings.
The study was conducted under the direction of Dr. Gregorio T. Obrador Vera, Director General of Health at Panamericana, in collaboration with researchers from other institutions.
An international experience
Valeria and André's participation in Kidney Week allowed both alumnito learn aboutthe latest scientific advances in nephrology and interact with international specialists and researchers.
His work addresses two complementary perspectives on kidney health: the impact of lifestyle interventions and the development of tools for the early detection of changes in kidney function.
These experiences reflect the commitment of the University of the West ( Universidad Panamericana ) and its School of Health Sciences to medical education, scientific research, and international academic outreach.
Learn more about the School of Health Sciences at: https://www.up.edu.mx/educacion-universidad-facultad-de-ciencias-de-la-salud/
