Building Bridges, One Conversation at a Time – WCN 26 Report
Written on . Posted in News and Events.
The recent ISN World Congress of Nephrology (WCN) in Yokohama Japan was a wonderful experience. I attended as a speaker and a member of the ISN Patient Liaison Advisory Group – the role that allows me to bring the patient voice into the heart of the nephrology community.
As I also serve on the PKDI Board, and perhaps most importantly, I am an ADPKD survivor, I hold deep affection for the clinicians and researchers who work so hard to end this disease.
It was a joy to see so many leaders in the field: Dr. Vicente Torres, Dr. Peter Harris, Dr. York Pei, Dr. Roser Torra, Dr. Neera Dahl, Dr. Marie Hogan, Dr. Fouad Chebib, Dr. Michel Chonchol – and many others. A special moment was reconnecting with this year’s Kaplan Award recipient, Dr. Ron Gansevoort – the very person who initiated introduction of me to PKD International.
I am also thrilled to report good progress with PKD patient associations across Asia. I had productive conversations with representatives from Japan, Thailand, Singapore, China, Taiwan, and Malaysia. These places are now on our radar screen. Moving forward, we will be reaching out to these communities.
PKDI’s lobbying efforts in Poland were such a success – Tolvaptan, the only approved drug for ADPKD, is now covered. I was also very glad to meet a professor from Poland and share a warm conversation.
What I take away:
· Old friendships sustain us.
· New friendships expand our reach – Asia is full of promise.
· Every meeting, every handshake, moves us forward.
Thank you to ISN for another successful global event and to our Japanese host - I’ve never failed to be impressed with Japanese style of hospitality and meticulous attention to detail. Thank you to Dr Gansevoort and your global colleagues who are working tirelessly for the PKD community.
Our work continues – and I am optimistic.
Bill Wang