WCN'21

Bringing healing into focus

Why do some patients receiving hemodialysis remain cheerful, hopeful, outward-looking, and enjoy a rich life, while others suffer debilitating depression and other emotional problems? Can whatever makes some patients more resilient be “bottled” and given to those less resilient to help them? These are the questions that Chris McIntyre, professor of medicine, medical biophysics, and...

Lifelong personalized plans for vascular access in hemodialysis patients

Hemodialysis is life-sustaining therapy for many patients with chronic kidney disease, but choosing how to access a patient’s blood for treatment presents pros and cons, depending on their situation. “We have seen that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to medicine, and for hemodialysis vascular access, does not necessarily work for all,” says Charmaine Lok, Professor of Medicine...

Building a network to investigate CKD risk factors in Africa

It is well-established that African Americans are more than three times as likely to develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD) than non-Hispanic white Americans. Research also shows that Black people living in sub-Saharan Africa have a similarly high predisposition to developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). “This increased risk of CKD is attributable in part to variants...

One Month Left to Save up to 20% on Your Registration Fee with Friends@WCN and Team-up@WCN

Register before March 31, 2021, and receive a preferential fee: Friends@WCN ISN, Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN), and Société Québécoise de Néphrologie (SQN) members can register as a group of at least five people and benefit from a 20% reduction on their registration fee. Find out more here. Team-up@WCN Enjoy Virtual WCN’21 as a group alongside your...

Advance Your Career: WCN’21 CME Accreditation

The European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME® www.uems.eu) has accredited WCN’21 for up to 18 European CME credits (ECMEC®s). Each medical specialist can only claim the credits for educational activities attended.  Physicians can convert EACCME® credits to an equivalent number of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Continuous education facilitates professional progress and helps provide the...

Virtual WCN’21 – A GLOBAL EVENT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Catch the Early WCN’21 Registration Fee for Two More Days Register before February 17, 23.59 CET for a substantially lower fee. One registration fee, dozens of sessions and activities, and the chance to meet more delegates than ever before: 7 pre-congress courses 45+ congress sessions Interactive poster gallery Networking Industry symposia and showcase ISN Community Film Event Register Now NEW: Raising-the-Curtain Series Leading up to Virtual WCN’21, from April...

When dialysis is not the answer: a toolkit for conservative kidney management

“Not every patient with end-stage kidney disease will benefit from dialysis in terms of their survival or quality of life,” explains Professor Sara Davison from the University of Alberta, Canada. “We are seeing increasing numbers of frailer patients with multiple comorbidities who are starting chronic dialysis. These patients are more likely to be in a...

Keeping hemodialysis patients safe from COVID-19 wherever they are in the world

“Patients with end-stage kidney disease who are receiving hemodialysis are a vulnerable population for whom the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are particularly grave,” says Dr. Rita Suri from Montreal General Hospital and McGill University, Canada. Regular trips to the clinic for hemodialysis treatment mean that patients cannot self-isolate completely. They may be exposed to...

Can children with nephrotic syndrome receive less aggressive steroid treatment?

Children who develop nephrotic syndrome are usually treated with corticosteroids (normally prednisone or prednisolone) over prolonged periods and at doses recommended by the International Study of Kidney Diseases in Children almost 50 years ago. In her presentation at WCN’21, Dr. Aditi Sinha, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi,...

Understanding the potential and limitations of AI and deep learning

“Deep learning and artificial intelligence have enormous potential to benefit humanity through medical and biological applications,” says Professor Yoshua Bengio, one of the world’s leading experts in AI and a pioneer in deep learning. However, at WCN’21, he will highlight the need to address ethical issues and create efficient systems for collecting, managing, and sharing...

Claire Sharpe previews the program and highlights the benefits of meeting online

This year’s chair of the WCN Scientific Committee, Professor Claire Sharpe from King’s College London, UK, shares her recommendations from the program and emphasizes the advantages of a virtual congress. “Being Scientific Committee chair during these unusual times has been a roller coaster, but it’s been an exciting process as we’ve gone from planning a...