On my way back from Shanghai where ISN co-sponsored KDIGO’s first clinical practice conference.
It was the end of the Chinese New Year Festival – this is the year of the dragon – so Shanghai was full of colourful tributes (see picture). This also meant it was a holiday weekend, so the Shanghai roads were quiet by their usual standards!

Speakers at the meeting included other ISN Executive Committee members – David Harris, Adeera Levin and also ISN Councillors & Committee chairs – Nathan Levin, Miguel Riella, Cello Tonelli. KDIGO Co-chair, Bert Kasiske, and just retired KDIGO Co-Chair, Kai-Uwe Eckardt – are also both ISN Councillors.

We had a very warm welcome from our hosts – including Nan Chen, Zhi-Hong Liu, Haiyan Wang, who all continue to be strong supporters of ISN. More than 500, mostly young, nephrologists from all over China were there – and I had a great opportunity to speak to them all for 20 minutes at the beginning of the conference about ISN – so hopefully plenty of new ISN members from among them soon! There was lively discussion to which the young nephrologists made an excellent contribution, and the room was full throughout the day.

ISN and KDIGO are natural partners. KDIGO continues to produce highly respected clinical practice guidelines – ISN can help them with disseminating the guidelines, educating about them, and implementing them globally. The five new KDIGO guidelines coming in 2012 will all be published in KI Supplements. ISN can do much to ensure the KDIGO guidelines are read, presented and discussed: making them available with commentary on the ISN Gateway, incorporating KDIGO items in the scientific programs at WCN, Nexus, and in our GO CMEs. ISN GO Regional Committees will also be able to facilitate the implementation of the guidelines.