The value of collaboration: ISN at BANTAO congress 2017
It was inspiring to see colleagues from the region working together at the 13th Balkan Cities Association of Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation and Artificial Organs (BANTAO) conference, held this month in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
From the ISN Young Nephrologist’s (YNC) perspective, it was especially rewarding to run a YNC workshop alongside my fellow committee member Mirna Aleckovic-Halilovic, sharing our knowledge and experience with participants.
This session gave an overview on transplantation in low-resource settings, measuring and estimating GFR in kidney transplant recipients, and infections after transplantation. We also outlined ISN activities, especially those relevant to its younger members.
This year’s BANTAO congress welcomed 400 delegates from 17 countries who were treated to a welcome lecture from ISN Programs Chair John Feehally on the future of renal research as well as updates on ISN Sister Renal Centers pairings in Bosnia between Sarajevo and Sheffield, UK as well as Tuzla and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals in Preston, UK.
Following on from the main congress, an ISN Continued Medical Education course covered glomerular disease, chronic kidney disease, and transplantation management – meaning there was something for each of the 120 registered delegates.
It was great to hear the progress being made. An extensive program of high-quality lectures from local nephrologists made for a varied and interesting meeting.
Thank you to all at BANTAO, especially the local organizing committee, including BANTAO President Halima Resic and Scientific Committee President Enisa Mesic, who gave us and the ISN such as warm welcome. We hope to return for future conferences and keep up the amazing work.
Every year, the YNC and ISN CME Program organize the YNC workshop in different regions in to teach young nephrologists and address hot topics that are of interest to them. In 2015, the YNC workshop took place in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and focused on acute kidney injury. The following year, it was held in Marrakesh, Morocco and focused on cyber nephrology.
Find out more about the ISN Young Nephrologist Committee, HERE.