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IPNA Currents #1/2021

Dear Members and Friends
 
Greetings from the IPNA Office as we move forward into this new year. Although many of us are still working overtime in trying to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in our hospitals and clinics, I am encouraged that our IPNA programs continue to take place as a result of  the efforts of a number of dedicated committee members, both  Councilors and  volunteers. This year, we will be revamping the IPNA webpage to make it more exciting and informative, there will be more IPNA webinars on-line as well as virtual teaching courses, and the IPNA Evidence-based Workshop should be extremely informative, with free registration for all members. World Kidney Day is also around the corner, and each year IPNA organizes a contest to encourage activities highlighting WKD  by providing USD 5,000 to a pediatric nephrology center(s) from a developing country who has developed an exceptional WKD program. You can find more information on how to apply in this newsletter issue. I would also like to encourage all of you to get connected with our social media efforts at IPNA_PEDNEPH on Twitter to share your experiences with colleagues around the world!
 
Thank you for continuing your involvement with IPNA and its activities, and we certainly look forward to meeting face-to-face  in Calgary in September 2022 for the 19th IPNA Congress in Pediatric Nephrology.


With Warm Regards,

IPNA Membership

Meet the New IPNA President

IPNA is proud to announce Franz Schaefer from Germany as the new President-Elect from 2022-2025. During his Presidency he plans to continue the IPNA efforts to successfully address the care for all children with Kidney disease. Congratulations!

"I was really overwhelmed to receive so many congratulations from around the globe," says Franz Schaefer. "I am deeply grateful for all the trust and support and hope I can stand up to the expectations. I am looking forward to joining IPNA leadership and starting new projects to further advance the value of our society in supporting pediatric nephrology in all regions of the world."  

Pediatric Nephrology Around the World

Pediatric nephrology is a well-established discipline in many countries around the world. However, there are still countries where pediatric nephrology services are not available or still in their infancy.

With help from international organizations like IPNA and ISN, and also from wealthier neighboring countries, many pediatricians from countries with less advanced economies have received training in pediatric nephrology and have returned to their home countries to serve children with kidney disease.

This series – compiled from the many articles contributed by IPNA members over the last few years about Pediatric Nephrology in their own countries, either written in their own capacity or on behalf of their national pediatric nephrology community – documents the progress and in many countries, the start or birth of pediatric nephrology services. It is hoped that articles from many more countries will be added to this collection.

Yam-Ngo Lim
IPNA Newsletter Committee Chair
Reach the PN Around the World Brochure Here
Interview with Prof. Ramon Exeni

The Life Time Achievement Award of IPNA recognizes individuals who have dedicated their life to the development and improvement of Pediatric Nephrology care in areas where there is a particular need and has obtained successful advancements.
 
In 2019, Dr. Ramon A Exeni was awarded the IPNA Life Time Achievement Award.
Read the Interview Here
Tribute to Bill Schnaper

"So much has been said by so many colleagues about Bill and his impact on our community. His remembrance will live on with the H. William Schnaper Honorary Lecture and his wonderful interview on the ASPN’s History Project site. At the end of the Memorial Service everyone sang “Puff the Magic Dragon,” and I can only imagine Bill’s smiling face to us all as we said one last goodbye.”

Rick Kaskel
Read the Full Tribute

IPNA Education

IPNA Supports World Kidney Day

Living well with kidney disease is more than a theme for World Kidney Day, is the goal that everyone who cares for little kidneys everywhere must pursue.

In order to promote education and prevention of kidney disease and its progression but also the support for patients and care-partners of children with kidney disease, IPNA offers a grant to the best project(s) for IPNA 2021 World Kidney Day.

We therefore encourage you to apply and help us to promote this actions in our communities.

Florencio McCarthy

IPNA World Kidney Day Committtee Chair

Apply Here for IPNA World Kidney Day

Upcoming Online Events

On behalf of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology’s Committee for Global Health and the International Pediatric Nephrology Association’s Specific Priorities in Low Resource Countries Committee, we are pleased to invite you to joint ASPN / IPNA Global Health Online Symposium. The goal of the symposium is to bring together a community of individuals passionate about the success of pediatric nephrology education, collaboration, and program development in limited resource settings. The symposium aims to share knowledge and experience regarding resource variation, ongoing collaborations, and existing programs and opportunities.

Date: Wednesday February 10, 2021
Time: 5 AM Seattle, 8 AM New York 1 PM London, 2 PM Italy, 6:30 PM India, 2 AM New Zealand (Thursday)

Registration: Zoom Link

We cordially invite you to the first workshop on Evidence-based Clinical Management in Pediatric Nephrology which is organized by the IPNA Best Practice and Standards Committee. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic this workshop will be held virtual. The workshop is dedicated to guideline methodology, distribution and implementation. More than 20 new guidelines will be presented by international experts and there will be plenty time for discussion.

Date: March 29 - 31, 2021

Registration: ACPN Website

More Online Events Invitations

Nephro-Urology Course I 26 Feb - 26 March
IPNA virtual Teaching Course (in Spanish) I 18 & 19 March

Sister Center Program: Applications Opened
 
 
The Sister Centers Program Committee would like to announce opening of applications for 2021 Sister Renal Centers Programe. Applications can be made online at this webpage and the deadline is April 1.

This year two programs will be selected for award. If program applicants do not have a supporting center identified a list of interested centers is available here. For further information please contact IPNA Office


Fiona Mackie
Sister Center Program Committee Chair
 

Fellowship Program: Applications postponed

COVID has affected all of our activities and the IPNA Fellowships Program is no exception. Many applicants have not been able to start their training due to border closures, medical needs in their own countries, and restrictions at the Training Centers. Currently more than 50% of approved fellowships from previous rounds are awaiting instructions for year 2021.

As a result of this situation, the applications have been placed on hold for the coming year. The Fellowship Committee will be monitoring the global situation closely in hopes of opening up the application process once COVID is much better controlled and fellowship training is deemed to be safe.

Thank you for your understanding.

Francisco Cano
IPNA Fellowship Committee Chair

Up to date there are 41 training centers recognized by IPNA around the world. You can view the full list on our website.

IPNA Infograhpics on Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Management of Children with Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome

Dear IPNA Colleagues,

It is our great pleasure to share with you the IPNA Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Management of Children with Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome (SRNS). The infographics attached are a terrific collaboration of Drs. Susan Samuels, Melvin Bonilla, Dieter Haffner and myself as members of the Best Practice and Standards Committee, and is intended to be shared among doctors and their patients.

As the next step, the document will be translated into a minimum 15 languages and shared with you. If you have any comments, or you would like to help with the translations, please do not hesitate to contact us.

You can find the document on our website here. We are continuously adding to the translations of IPNA Guidelines on SRNS (currently there are 12 languages).

Best wishes,​

Olivia Boyer
Best Practice and Standards Committee Co-Chair

Check the SRNS Guidelines in various languages and Infographics
Transition time at Pediatric Nephrology
Joseph Flynn
 
The end of 2020 and the early days of 2021 have been a time of transition at the journal. The major transition, of course, has been the close of Dr. Michel Baum’s term as co-Editor-in-Chief (see this editorial for further details about Dr. Baum’s contributions to the journal), and the start of my term as the new co-Editor-in-Chief. Fortunately, with many years of service to the journal as an Associate Editor, I was already familiar with many aspects of journal operations and have been able to jump right in and get to work. With guidance from Dr. Baum and Dr. Lesley Rees, I have been able to assume the new duties of Editor-in-Chief.

There has also been an important transition in the managing editors, who are essential to keeping the journal running. They are responsible for processing submissions, sending out decision letters and then copyediting accepted papers before they are sent to Springer for production. Most of this work was being handled in the London editorial office by Dr. Joe Laycock in late 2020 because of transitions in the Dallas office. Fortunately, in mid-December we were able to hire a managing editor for the Seattle office, Dr. Bob Thompson, who has immediately gotten to work on a bit of a backlog of accepted papers that needed copyediting. The backlog was created by an unprecedented number of submissions in 2020, 1007, compared to the usual 700 seen in prior years. Whether this reflects a ‘COVID bump’ from people having more time to write, or the beginnings of a new normal for the journal remains to be seen. However, it clearly represents an increased workload for the editorial staff. As January comes to a close, things are pretty much caught up – which is good news, as the increased pace of submissions appears to be continuing. So – please continue to send us your BEST work, we are ready!
Please consider supporting IPNA programs in underserved communities around the world. Donate now.

Become an IPNA contributor!

 
Do you have any interesting news in the field of Pediatric Nephrology? Have you participated in an IPNA Teaching Course, are you doing the fellowship programme or have you recently visited an interesting workshop or congress? Contact Lucie from the IPNA Office at office@theipna.org
IPNA Administrative Office
E-mail: office@theipna.org
Address: C-IN, 5.kvetna 65, Prague Congress Centre, 140 21, Prague 4, Czech Republic
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