Leading the Way in Nephrology

Dear Colleagues,

Dr. Barohn and Dr. Ramesh Khanna — Joining me is Dr. Ramesh Khanna, whose leadership has been instrumental in the continued success of the Dialysis Conference for 43 years. This year’s gathering was held in Kansas City.

Many in our health system may not know of the outstanding legacy of excellence and national prominence we have with our dialysis team. I recently was honored to participate in the 43rd annual Dialysis Conference — the world’s largest multidisciplinary conference on dialysis — which is organized and presented by our very own Division of Nephrology.

When Dr. Ramesh Khanna, director of the Division of Nephrology and the Karl D. Nolph, MD, chair of nephrology, told me that this year’s conference would be held in-person after a long hiatus due to COVID-19, I was absolutely thrilled. I want to thank him for the decades of work to help patients coping with chronic renal failure.

The opportunity this annual conference creates to bring nephrology practitioners together to share innovative achievements and best practices has had a direct impact on patient care. It is critical for us to exchange knowledge and develop solutions to best support and serve our unique patient populations.

Unini Odama, MD, MPH, vice president for medical affairs for DaVita Kidney Care and Robert Pauly, MD, professor at the University of Alberta — Unini Odama, MD, MPH, vice president for medical affairs for DaVita Kidney Care, provided a topical keynote address on health disparities in chronic kidney disease (left). Robert Pauly, MD, professor at the University of Alberta, spoke on clinician well-being and the electronic health record (right).

I know just how important these annual discovery conferences are to keep a particular field of medical science advancing. In my world of neuromuscular neurology, I chair a group called the Neuromuscular Study Group. We have annual conferences across the country and, at times, around the globe. Conferences like those — and like the Dialysis Conference — are always the academic highlight of the year for any given field.

attendees from this year’s Dialysis Conference — More than 700 attendees registered to attend this year’s Dialysis Conference. If you would like to learn more about the Dialysis Conference and see the scope of research presented for adult and pediatric patients, please visit the conference website.

They bring together seasoned investigators and clinicians, nurses, technicians and — most importantly — the next generation of health care professionals who want to make an impact in their careers on a particular field of medicine. Not only are these sessions important for medical discovery, but they are also critical for workforce development and serve as a pipeline for the future.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention what an exciting day we have ahead of us. Our Match Day ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. today in the medical school’s Acuff Gallery. Stop by to join in the excitement as students in our Class of 2023 learn where they will spend the next three to seven years as resident physicians. If you are unable to join in person, visit the School of Medicine Facebook or our website for the livestream of the event.

Sincerely,