Spring Clinical Meetings are around the corner and it’s time to start making my itinerary. As I look through this year's program, it’s hard to not be excited by the state of nephrology care today. Kirk Campbell, whose innovative work on IgA nephropathy and with the Kidney Precision Medicine Project I admire, will be giving the NKF Presidential Address. From there, there’s a few sessions I will be heading toward.
First, I can’t miss “Teaching Nephrology Providers New Tricks in Diabetic Kidney Disease.” An all-star group featuring Perry Wilson, Jung-IM Shin, and Sylvia Rosas will be talking about the adoption of new pharmacotherapies for diabetic kidney disease. While I consider myself an enthusiastic “flozinator,” I struggle with prioritization and coverage for these new drugs as well as keeping up with new and changing guidelines. While new trials such as the CONFIDENCE trial should help answer questions of combination therapy, implementation can be a real challenge. I look forward especially to hearing Perry Wilson’s thoughts on how we can use clinical-decision support tools to promote uptake of new therapies—his work on decision-making in medicine (including his recent excellent book about the doctor-patient trust relationship) has informed the way I discuss clinical decisions with my patients. I’m also hoping to get some insight about prescribing GLP1-Receptor Antagonists as a nephrologist and hear how The Master of Diabetic Kidney Disease herself, Sylvia Rosas, is practicing in 2025.
Next I am looking forward to the session “APOL1-Mediated Kidney Disease: A Call to Action with Current Knowledge and Resources” session sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals (who have some really interesting ongoing clinical trials in this field). Bessie Young is chairing this session and also giving an update on management, outcomes, and emerging therapy. As I follow with great eagerness the updates in this field, I am challenging myself to incorporate genetic testing into my clinical care more in keeping with the recent NKF Working Group Recommendations. When it comes to genetic testing and clinical trials in a group that has historically been marginalized and subjected to unethical research practices, I greatly value Dr. Young’s view as not only a nephrologist but as a researcher and director in the field of social justice in healthcare. The talk by Natalie Vena, a genetic counselor, on this topic will also be extremely helpful.
Finally, as a proud Wisconsinite—a state with a large population living great distances from medical centers—I am most excited about the session titled “City Mouse and Country Mouse: Managing Different Geographies in CKD.” I remember driving three hours to get specialty medical care for my mother, and I will always staunchly believe that geography should not be a barrier to access—especially in 2025. I look forward to hearing the interventions other systems have used to overcome barriers of care. On this note, I also look forward to the several sessions geared toward home dialysis barriers and utilization featuring my mentor Nupur Gupta and Life as A Nephrology Professional podcast co-host Osama El Shamy. These and other champions of home modalities are a great inspiration to programs looking to expand their home programs and be able to reach patients where they are at.
As always, NKF Spring Clinical Meetings are exciting not just for the new scientific ideas I will learn, but the way they emphasize practical application and patient-centered care. I am looking forward to learning not just what I should be doing, but feeling empowered in knowing how.
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