GREAT CARE FOR LITTLE KIDNEYS. EVERYWHERE.

IPNA Sister Renal Centers Program

Collaboration across borders to improve access to care.

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Introduction The IPNA Sister Renal Centers Program is a collaborative effort to build capacity caring for children with kidney disease. International expertise is leveraged to provide the most effective care using the most available resources of the region.

Program Aim

Linking developing pediatric renal units in less well resourced regions (EMERGING CENTRE) to experienced pediatric renal units in well resourced regions (SUPPORTING CENTRE) on a 1:1 basis.

Assist in improving:

  • Clinical training of staff (medical, nursing and allied health) involved in caring for children with kidney disease
  • Developing and upgrading services for children and adolescents with kidney diseases
  • Education of the community education on disease awareness and prevention strategies
  • Clinical research development
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About the programs How it works

Criteria
  • Priority is given for Host centers in emerging countries to collaborate with Supporting centers
  • Centres in similar geographic proximity are encouraged
  • Preference is given to a Supporting center that has previously trained IPNA fellows
  • Both the Host center and Mentor center must have applicants who are members of IPNA
Requirements for paired application / Application deadline : April 30, 2023
Host Centre Supporting Centre
Name and position of Applicant with CV
Centre – Name and geographic region Support letter from Hospital CEO
Motivation for application including needs and goals of Host centre Motivation for application – How Supporting Centre can support Host centre for 2 year commitment
Financial plan – with breakdown of how money will be spent
Existing hospital facilities at the Host centre:
  • Number of staff
  • Number of paediatric beds and any dedicated renal beds
  • Hospital facilities including radiology
  • Biopsy and histology capacity
  • Dialysis availability and type
Describe assistance in terms of:
  • Journal subscription or textbooks
  • Webinars
  • Emails/Whatsapp support
Past IPNA fellows Main Language of communication
Duration
  • 2 years paid program
Financial plan
For each successful program the maximal funding is 3000 USD to be spent over a 2 year period
  • 2 x airline flights – 1 to EC and 1 to SC (presumption that EC/SC may be able to provide accommodation for duration of visit)
  • USD 500 for educational meetings: teaching courses (may be able to host a IPNA teaching course) or educational material for staff and parents/patients
  • Teleconferencing facilities or equipment (eg purchasing of laptops, videoconferencing platforms, wifi services)
Progress
  • Reviews with assessments of success and challenges of program at 1 year, 2 years and 1 year post completion of program.
  • Keep developing new programs with a 2-year tenure only.
IPNA Sister Renal Centers Program: Upgrade to ISN Level

Recipients of the IPNA Sister Renal Centre Program will be able to competitively apply to the ISN Sister Renal Center Program at Level B, and subsequently if successful Level A after completion of the IPNA program. Find out more here.

Applications

Application submissions open in February and close April 1 of every calendar year. More details will be announced when the application process opens.

Program applicants who have not identified a supporting center should refer to the list of interested centers available in the button below before completing the application.

Fiona Mackie, IPNA Sister Renal Centers Program Committee Chair

 

status: Applications are now closed.

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If you have any problem with the online application, please send the offline version to office@theipna.org with requested documents attached.

Programs

Puerto Rico – Guatemala
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Puerto Rico – Guatemala

The pilot project of IPNA Sister Renal Centers Program was the partnership between the Supporting Center in Puerto Rico (Dr. Melvin Bonilla-Félix, Director of Center in Puerto Rico) and Emerging Center in Guatemala, directed by Dr. Randall Lou-Meda. 

South Africa – Nigeria
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South Africa – Nigeria

The second project of Sister Renal Centers Program (2019-2021) has started between National Hospital in Abuja/Nigeria and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) & University of the Witwatersrand  in Johannesburg/South Africa. Latest updates about this cooperation will follow soon.

India – Pakistan
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India – Pakistan

The third approved project is the cooperation between Dr Ijaz and the team at KEMU, Lahore, Pakistan and Dr Bagga’s team at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Dr Ijaz’s heartwarming response to the news was: “I owe you the biggest gratitude for accepting our application for IPNA Sister Renal Centers Program. This will surely help us to develop and enhance teaching, training and research activities at our centre. Our part of the world has huge numbers of patients but limited opportunities.”

Singapore – Bangladesh
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Singapore – Bangladesh

Collaboration between Pediatric Nephrology Units in Singapore and Bangladesh was approved in April 2021 as a new IPNA Sister Renal Centers Program. The program runs for 2 years with the possibility to apply for level B of the ISN Sister Center Program.

“We have started our Sister Centre Program on 29 June 2021. We have observed lots of enthusiasm among our junior and senior colleagues. At the end of the teaching session, we all celebrated the opening  session and welcomed IPNA for their support,”

wrote Dr. Hague from Bangladesh.

India – Ghana
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India – Ghana

In 2021 we have been able to award 2 successful applications the IPNA Sister Renal Centers Program grant instead of one. Congratulations go to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana supported by St Johns Hospital Bengaluru, India.

USA – Jamaica
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USA – Jamaica

In 2022, congratulations go to National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippines supported by Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Australia and Cornwall Regional Hospital, Jamaica supported by Children’s National Hospital, Washington/USA. We look forward to hearing about their joint activities!

Australia – Philippines
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Australia – Philippines

The second Sister Center Program approved in 2022 is the collaboration between Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Australia and National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Philippines.

For more information please contact IPNA Office