Newswise — New York, NY (September 21, 2023) –Seventy-five years after pioneering doctors at The Mount Sinai Hospital conducted the first hemodialysis treatment in the United States, the hospital is marking progress to date in a continuing medical education (CME) event on Monday, October 2. The event will be led by innovators in the field of nephrology who are exploring advancements and innovations for a growing population of adults requiring dialysis. Additional details about the course, still open for registration, can be found online. 

The one-day, in-person event will feature expert clinicians and researchers in the field of kidney disease who will discuss a variety of topics on the history, evolving ethics, developing treatments, and future of dialysis. Plenary sessions will be followed by a Q&A session. There will also be a dialysis history exhibit in Mount Sinai’s Guggenheim Pavilion, which will be open to attendees prior to the symposium. The event is primarily targeted to nephrologists, urologists, internists, physician assistants, nurses, and students. Physicians can earn up to 3.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

The event will:

  • Review the history of the end-stage renal disease.
  • Summarize the developments in kidney replacement therapies over the last 75 years and their impact on patient care and outcomes
  • Recognize the challenges associated with the ongoing transition to value-based payment and its impact on access and quality of care
  • Identify challenges in delivering kidney replacement therapy in 2023, and review advances as well as limitations of current interventions and the therapies of tomorrow
  • Discuss current and future trends in the management of patients requiring renal replacement therapy

Kidney diseases are a leading cause of death in the United States and result primarily from diabetes and high blood pressure. Chronic kidney disease affects an estimated 15 percent of Americans, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Hemodialysis represents one of the most effective treatments for advanced kidney failure for patients whose kidneys can no longer filter wastes, salts, and fluid from the blood. Course director and moderator Jaime Uribarri, MD, Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, directs The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Home Dialysis Program, one of the largest in New York City. He says Icahn Mount Sinai’s Renal Division has been intensively studying and assessing potential therapies to slow progression to end-stage renal disease. While much progress has been made during the past several decades, maintenance of an open vascular access continues to challenge nephrologists today.

Dr. Uribarri credits his colleague Evren Azeloglu, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Nephrology), and Pharmacological Sciences, and a team of researchers for inventing a new implantable vascular access port. “This new port will be a game changer for our patients as it reduces pain and discomfort and allows easy self-cannulation, enabling safe home hemodialysis. We are currently fine-tuning the device and hope to offer this improvement within several years,” says Dr. Uribarri.

In addition to this work, Lili Chan, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Nephrology, and General Internal Medicine), at Icahn Mount Sinai, has been focused on an artificial intelligence-driven solution to cull electronic health records. This innovation will help identify unmet social determinants of health commonly associated with adverse clinical outcomes. “This will improve and facilitate surveillance of our patient population in New York City and facilitate the optimization of treatment and symptom management. Furthermore, it underlines a major priority of bringing an equity lens to our care,” says Dr. Uribarri.

 

Helpful links:

Online registration

A historic review of 75 years of hemodialysis

 

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About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the

eight member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United States, providing care to a large and diverse patient population. 

Ranked No. 14 nationwide in National Institutes of Health funding and in the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Icahn Mount Sinai has a talented, productive, and successful faculty. More than 3,000 full-time scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across 34 academic departments and 44 multidisciplinary institutes, a structure that facilitates tremendous collaboration and synergy. Our emphasis on translational research and therapeutics is evident in such diverse areas as genomics/big data, virology, neuroscience, cardiology, geriatrics, and gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

Icahn Mount Sinai offers highly competitive MD, PhD, and master’s degree programs, with current enrollment of approximately 1,300 students. It has the largest graduate medical education program in the country, with more than 2,600 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. In addition, more than 535 postdoctoral research fellows are in training within the Health System.

A culture of innovation and discovery permeates every Icahn Mount Sinai program. Mount Sinai’s technology transfer office, one of the largest in the country, partners with faculty and trainees to pursue optimal commercialization of intellectual property to ensure that Mount Sinai discoveries and innovations translate into health care products and services that benefit the public.

Icahn Mount Sinai’s commitment to breakthrough science and clinical care is enhanced by academic affiliations that supplement and complement the School’s programs. Through Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai. Additionally, MSIP develops research partnerships with industry leaders such as Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and others.

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is located in New York City on the border between the Upper East Side and East Harlem, and classroom teaching takes place on a campus facing Central Park. Icahn Mount Sinai’s location offers many opportunities to interact with and care for diverse communities. Learning extends well beyond the borders of our physical campus, to the eight hospitals of the Mount Sinai Health System, our academic affiliates, and globally.

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* Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Beth Israel; Mount Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

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