Multidisciplinary focus gives Spring Clinical attendees a broader view of kidney care

The National Kidney Foundation’s 2017 Spring Clinical Meetings will take place April 18-22 and will offer a carefully designed combination of pre-conference courses, workshops, debates, and a series of thought-provoking symposia. Our goal in planning the meeting program was to include clinically relevant, must-know topics for everyone involved in nephrology care. Thus, SCM17 is a comprehensive and clinically focused meeting, with intensive pre-conference courses for specific audiences as well as exciting plenary and multiprofessional sessions to facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations. This offers the possibility of learning about multidisciplinary approaches to care in a unique and collaborative way.

Focused pre-conference courses on April 18 cover glomerular pathology with clinicopathologic correlation, a comprehensive update in dialysis management, as well as an update in kidney transplantation spanning treatment and policies. We’re particularly excited about offering many new pre-conference courses on topics such as kidney stones, ultrasound, supportive care in nephrology, and vascular access. Additionally, critical care nephrology, intensive nutrition, emerging advances in CKD, and evidence-based patient care courses will allow all professionals to update and develop their skill sets.

This year’s keynote address will be on April 19 and will feature Nobel Laureate Alvin Roth, PhD, whose work led to the development of kidney donor-recipient matching algorithms. Dr. Roth will discuss this groundbreaking work and its practical importance to our field. Other individuals highlighted on this year’s program include Shaul G. Massry Distinguished Lecture award winner Raymond Townsend, MD, who will be giving a presentation entitled “The ailing kidneys under pressure – and it’s not just systolic,” and nephrologist Paul Palevsky and his plenary session talk entitled, “We don’t have to fail at acute renal failure: A multidisciplinary approach to quality improvement.”

Interactive workshops will provide the skills to help assess and improve communication; look under the microscope at renal pathology; and learn about stone disease from world renowned experts. There will be important updates for hypertension, diabetes, electrolyte disorders, glomerular disease, acute kidney injury, anemia, bone mineral disorders, vascular access, peritoneal dialysis, and hemodialysis.

Finally, turning the focus toward our own health and well-being, all participants and families are welcome to participate in the Saturday morning Team Kidney 5K Fun Run around the Walt Disney World area. -by Dena Rifkin, MD, MS, FNKF; Larry Weisberg, MD, FNKF