ISN supports Africa with strong presence at AFRAN
ISN was well represented at the 15th Congress of AFRAN which was recently held in Mombasa. The ISN President, Professor Vivek Jha, as well as numerous other leaders and members of the ISN community were in attendance.
This congress, jointly organized by the African Association of Nephrology (AFRAN) and the African Pediatric Nephrology Association (AFPNA), took place from September 25 to 28 and focused on “Improving Kidney Care in Africa.”
ISN supported five speakers through its CME Program and had a strong presence throughout the congress. It organized a widely-attended breakfast session to present the ISN community, hear testimonies from past Fellows, and discuss nephrology challenges in Africa. The ISN booth was a platform for inspiring conversations with the delegates, including young nephrologists and nurses, many of whom expressed their interest in joining and contributing to the society. The African Regional Board members met and discussed the ISN strategic framework as well as the most pressing challenges to overcome.
It was also an opportune moment to present the ISN Pioneer Award to Professor Akinkugbe, from Nigeria, for his outstanding achievements in the field of nephrology. Professor Akinkugbe is a pioneer nephrologist in Africa, publishing papers on hypertension and successful practice in acute peritoneal dialysis in 1966, well before haemodialysis became readily available on the continent. He is widely published on kidney disease and hypertension and trained the first generation of indigenously-taught nephrologists who would become leading figures in nephrology in Nigeria, inspiring a new generation of African doctors to take up nephrology. In his absence, the prize was handed to Ifeoma Ulasi, current president of the Nigerian Society of Nephrology, and a volunteer leader of ISN.
Vivek Jha reports: “This was a spectacular meeting, with a diversity of program topics, several parallel sessions, and expert speakers from around the world. The attendance in sessions was very good, including by nurses.”
