Christopher Blagg, MD, celebrated professor emeritus of medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the UW School of Medicine and executive director emeritus of the Northwest Kidney Centers, passed away on Thursday, March 31, 2022.
He had a notable career in nephrology and dialysis research and was a champion for and leading authority on home hemodialysis.
After earning his medical degree from the University of Leeds School of Medicine in Leeds, England, he sought to pursue his interest in acute dialysis for patients whose kidneys were temporarily damaged. He settled in Seattle, the heart of kidney treatment advancement at the time, where he learned about the dialysis innovations Belding Scribner, MD, was making for people with kidney failure.
Blagg went on to spend nearly 30 years as the executive director at the Northwest Kidney Centers before entering retirement. He also wrote a book about the early days of dialysis and the introduction to revolutionary treatment to help save the lives of kidney patients.
Blagg’s accomplishments were rightfully recognized with many awards and honors, which include the American Association of Kidney Patients A. Peter Lundin Award for distinguished services to patients, the James W. Haviland Award for outstanding achievement in nephrology, the American Kidney Fund Torchbearer Award and the American Association of Kidney Patients Medal of Excellence.
Blagg was the former president of the American Society of Artificial Internal Organs, the Renal Physicians Association, the Washington State Society of Internal Medicine and the Northwest Renal Society. He served on various committees and advisory groups for organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the Medicare End-Stage Renal Disease Program and the Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, Blagg worked with Congress to create legislation related to kidney disease and published more than 290 papers on the subject during his lifetime.
