Hi, I'm Swetha Raju — the patient, researcher, and advocate behind NephroNourish.

I started here the way a lot of my readers do — with a diagnosis, a lot of questions, and not enough answers. Being diagnosed with CKD at six years old meant learning early how complicated it can be to navigate a chronic condition — understanding what was happening in my body, making decisions about my care, and trying to make sense of information that didn't always feel accessible. And much of that learning, understanding, and navigating was something I had to figure out on my own. By the time I started my master's in clinical nutrition at Columbia, I already knew what it felt like to be on the wrong end of the research-to-practice gap — knowing that good research exists, but not always knowing what it means for your care, your next appointment, or your everyday life.

NephroNourish was created to help close that gap.

Here, I share research, resources, and perspectives across kidney health, clinical nutrition, and metabolic science — including peer-reviewed publications, video abstracts, practical resources, and conversations that connect emerging evidence with the questions people actually have.

My work has also given me the opportunity to contribute as a peer reviewer for journals across nephrology, nutrition, chronic disease, and autoimmune disease, as well as through one-on-one nutrition consulting and patient education.

Alongside my research and education, I'm an American Kidney Fund Ambassador and Certified Kidney Health Coach. I serve on the National Kidney Foundation's Medical Advisory Committee and as an NKF peer mentor, and I'm also involved in community and patient support with NephCure. A complete list of my credentials and affiliations is included below.

But at the center of all of it is the same person who started this journey at six years old: a patient who wanted better answers.

NephroNourish is for patients, caregivers, clinicians, researchers, and anyone curious about the science that shapes our health. My goal is to make complex evidence more accessible without losing the human side of what it means to navigate the realities of living with disease — to make the research clearer, kinder, and actually useful for whoever needs it.

Because better science should mean better days.

Most people don't need more information. They need someone to help make it mean something.