The beautiful, former colonial capitol of Central America, Antigua, Guatemala, was the setting for the highly anticipated 6th Annual Nephrology Symposium, a collaboration between Washington University Nephrology and the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS)/University of San Carlos. The meeting was held Oct 4-5, 2024.
The conference, which provides an intensive update on topics ranging from basic science to clinical nephrology, was organized by Marcos Rothstein, MD, Professor of Medicine, WashU Nephrology, and Vicente Sanchez Polo, MD, Chief of Nephrology at the IGSS, who together started the two-center collaboration nine years ago under the sponsorship of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN). The two centers are official “Sister Renal Centers” under the sponsorship of the ISN.
This year, in recognition of this long-term partnership, the ISN awarded WashU Nephrology and the IGSS its prestigious Official Certificate of Graduation. “The alliance is now just one of three pairs in the Americas to achieve this final, prestigious distinction,” said Dr. Rothstein.
Over 50 physicians from across Guatemala attended the conference, which included presentations from six current and alumni WashU Nephrology faculty: Tingting Li, MD; Charbel Khoury, MD; Ignacio Portales-Castillo, MD; Gonzalo Matzumura, MD; Massini Murzkani, MD and Marcos Rothstein, MD. WashU alumnus Anitha Vijayan, MD, traveled from Salt Lake City to join the group.
Their lectures covered the latest topics in clinical nephrology and kidney transplantation and included a discussion of exciting new therapies coming on the horizon. There were also patient case presentations from both the US and Guatemalan faculty. A highlight of the meeting was the hands-on workshop on point-of-care ultrasound, conducted by Dr. Matzumura.
“The trip to Guatemala was a unique cultural and scientific exchange. We learned from the passionate work that Vicente has been doing for years as a clinician educator and researcher in Guatemala, where just a few years ago there was no nephrology fellowship program. We learned from the work that recent graduates of the Guatemala Nephrology Fellowship program do in communities that are most in need. In exchange, we were able to discuss our perspectives about topics such as ICU nephrology, glomerulonephritis, transcriptomics and transplant. WashU and Guatemala are true sister programs.”
Ignacio Portales-Castillo
“Our Division trip to Guatemala for the Nephrology symposium was inspiring. It was incredible to see our Guatemalan colleagues’ dedication to advancing nephrology in their country, despite the many challenges they face. Their commitment mirrors our values at WashU, viewing nephrology as a specialty deeply rooted in academics and patient-centered care. Their passion and resilience left a lasting impression, highlighting the shared mission in Nephrology across borders.”
Charbel Khoury
Many thanks to Dr. Rothstein for providing the pictures and background info for this article.
Read about the fascinating history of collaboration between WashU and Guatemalan nephrology programs over the past nine years:
- WashU Nephrology/Transplant and IGSS Gather in Guatemala for 5th Annual Nephrology Symposium
- WashU Nephrology/Guatemala Sister Program Success Story Featured at ISN World Congress ‘21
- Annual Update in Nephrology – Division’s Impact in Guatemala Expands with Help from Social Media
- WU Nephrology and Guatemala Partnership Upgraded to Level A Status
- Guatemala Welcomes WU Nephrologists with Traditional Latin American Hospitality
- WU Nephrology and Guatemala Partnership Upgraded
- MesoAmerican Nephropathy Project: Partnership of WU and Guatemalan Nephrologists
- Gladys Fisher, Guatemalan Dialysis Advocate, Visits Division
- Guatemalan physician visits Renal Division
On X, please follow @NephroMaven (Rothstein), @visanpolo, @Ting2li, @VijayanMD, @GMatzumura, @massini_me, @IGNACIOPORTALE4, @Charbel_Khoury, @ISNkidneycare, and @nefroigss.
