KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr Raymond Vanholder
Renal Disaster Relief Taskforce, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium
Dr. Vanholder has published more than 650 papers including reviews and book chapters, on adequacy of dialysis, uremic toxicity and various topics related to clinical nephrology. He serves as a member of the editorial review board of several journals and is subject editor of Nephrology Dialysis and Transplantation. Up till autumn 2010 he has been chairman of the European Uremic Toxin Work Group (EUTox) and member of the Executive Board and treasurer of Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO). He is member of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the European Renal Association – European Dialysis and Transplantation Association (ERA-EDTA) and coordinator of European Renal Best Practice (ERBP), the current guidance body of ERA-EDTA. Before that, he coordinated the European Best Practice Guidelines (EBPG) on hemodialysis. He also chairs the Renal Disaster Relief Task Force (RDRTF) of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and in this function participated as member or coordinator in several international relief operations. Dr. Vanholder was founding president of the Belgian Society of Nephrology (BVN-SBN), is past president of the European Society of Artificial Organs (ESAO) and president elect of ERA-EDTA.
Mr Shad Ireland
To live with a chronic illness is not a limitation rather an invitation to those of us willing to accept the challenge! ~Shad Ireland July 2004
Shad Ireland was born with healthy kidneys in May, 1972. Almost exactly eleven years later, in May, 1983, he and his mother got the news that those kidneys were now diseased and he would have to be on dialysis while awaiting a kidney transplant. Shad eventually underwent two transplant operations. The first kidney transplant, at age 18, lasted for three years. The second transplant was unsuccessful. Facing a life of illness and having been told he would probably only live until he was 25, Shad decided to cram as much living on the edge into his life as he could. To him, that meant partying and having a good time even as he endured regular dialysis. He had no real goals beyond making sure what happened in the next 24 hours was based on having fun. Then one day in 1993, weighing just 75 pounds and recovering very slowly from the rejection of his first transplanted kidney, Shad was resting and watching television. Flipping between channels, he saw a race he'd not seen before – a triathlon. He was captivated by the strength and determination the contestants in this difficult race exhibited and told his mother he would some day compete in that race. The road to meeting that goal wasn't straight or easy, but in 2004, Shad finished his first triathlon – the world famous Ironman - in Lake Placid, New York. He was the first dialysis patient to ever do so. By beating the astronomical odds against him through sheer guts and perseverance, he became a swimming, biking and running symbol of courage and hope in the face of a killer disease.
GUEST SPEAKERS
A/Prof John Agar
Director: Renal Services, Geelong Hospital, Barwon Health, Geelong, Australia
Associate Professor: Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne
Associate Professor: Deakin University School of Medicine
- Graduated from Monash University, Melbourne 1970
- First Nephrology rotation 1971
- Renal Registrar to Bill Gurr (Alfred) and Bob Atkins (Prince Henry’s) 1975-1976
- Renal fellowship with Burton Rose (University of Massachusetts Medical Centre) 1977-1978
- Nephrologist (Geelong) since 1978, building a now very active renal service
- Established first nocturnal haemodialysis program in Australia in 2000 - Geelong now successfully sustains 25-30% of all haemodialysis patients in the home.
- Introduced water-conservation practices in dialysis 2004/5
- Established the first known and reported solar powered dialysis service in the world 2010
- Published >160 abstracts and papers, most on nocturnal haemodialysis and dialysis resource conservation … coining the term ‘Green Dialysis’
- Authored http://www.nocturnaldialysis.org. (Google’s #1 site for NHD)
- Board Member of Kidney Health Australia
- Awarded Order of Australia Medal for Services to Renal Medicine in 2009
Ms Ms Sarah Brown
Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation
Sarah has been the Manager of Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation since its incorporation in 2003. She holds a Master of Nursing and a Graduate Diploma in Aboriginal Studies. She has worked as a Remote Area Nurse and Clinic Manager in various communities across NT, WA and Tasmania. She has worked as a lecturer for nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers in NSW and SA. In her spare time Sarah paints, tutors Aboriginal undergraduate nursing students and is completing a Graduate Diploma in Health Service Administration through Flinders Uni.
In her present role she has helped communities to access dialysis services out bush to return people home to their families. Strong governance and community involvement as well as philanthropic support have been vital in the creation of this holistic and innovative service.
Ms Christine Ellis
The Alfred Hospital
Christine Ellis is the Renal Transplant Coordinator at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, with twenty-four years of experience in renal nursing since completing her training at The Royal Melbourne Hospital in 1986. Christine completed the International Course for Organ Donor & Transplant Recipient Coordinators 2003 and is on the current curriculum committee for the Advanced Coordinators course for May 2011. Christine is the current Victoria/Tasmania State President of the Transplant Nurses Association and has presented papers at numerous TNA & RSA Conferences.
Professor Glenn Gardner RN PhD FRCNA
Queensland University of Technology and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Glenn Gardner is Foundation Chair and Professor of Clinical Nursing at Queensland University of Technology and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. She has training and qualifications in the fields of nursing, education and sociology.
Glenn has an extensive background and strong track record in acute care research but her particular research interest lies in health and nursing service innovation. She is recognized nationally and internationally for her research into advanced practice nursing and the practice and health service role of the nurse practitioner.
Glenn has been lead investigator on several major studies into nurse practitioner service and development in Australia and the findings from her research have informed legislative change for nurse practitioner service and the adoption of national standards for nurse practitioner practice and education. Glenn was lead investigator on the AUSPRAC Project, a three year, ARC funded study, planned and conducted in collaboration with industry stakeholders. Glenn was also lead investigator on the recently completed Amgen-funded study into CKD nursing and nurse practitioner service in Queensland.
Glenn has published extensively from her research in national and international refereed journals and forums.
Stephen McDonald
The Central Northern Renal and Transplantation Service
Based at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Stephen McDonald is a senior consultant nephrologist at The Central Northern Renal and Transplantation Service, and clinical director of renal services for the Country Health SA. He is Executive Officer of the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry, and holds academic status as Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine of the University of Adelaide.
Following clinical training in nephrology at various hospitals in Adelaide, he moved to the world of epidemiological research at Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin in 1998. There he examined relationships between early kidney and cardiovascular disease and markers of inflammation and nutrition among remote Aboriginal communities. He also spent time as a general physician to a number of remote Aboriginal communities. In mid-2001 he returned to Adelaide to a post-doctoral position in the ANZDATA Registry, and subsequently a full-time staff position with the Dept of Nephrology & Transplantation Service at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He is clinical director of renal services for Country Health SA.
His research interests include all aspects of the epidemiology of renal disease, chronic diseases and indigenous health, measurement of disease outcomes and use of surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease. His particular involvement revolves around the ANZDATA Registry, which is responsible for the collection, analysis and dissemination of information about treatment for end-stage kidney disease for Australia and New Zealand. Clinically, his practice includes all aspects of clinical nephrology with a special interest in nephrological procedures and acute renal failure, and the development of clinical practice guidelines. A combination of his clinical and research interests has led to collaboration and involvement in a number of organisations, including guideline development, clinical trials groups and policy making. He also serves on the National Examining Panel for the RACP Clinical Examination, supervises two PhD students, has published over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, is a reviewer for several journals and is co-editor of the Annual report of ANZDATA.
Roxanne Perry
Renal Unit, Womens and Childrens Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia
My name is Roxanne Perry and I am the Clinical Services Coordinator of the Renal Unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia. I commenced my training as a general Registered Nurse in 1987 at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, Woodville, SA. I had always wanted to nurse children and on completing my general training secured a position at the then, Adelaide Children’s hospital which is now the Women’s and Children’s hospital. I completed my Paediatric Nursing Certificate in 1992. I have been here since 1990 except for 2 years working and living in Port Augusta, which is a regional area in SA. I completed my Nephrology Nursing Certificate in 1994 at the QEH. I then followed this with a Bachelor of Nursing Practice in Nephrology in 2001. I have been working as the senior renal nurse at the WCH since 2002. I am also a wife (when I can fit it in!) and mum to 2 kids. I am very fortunate in this role as I have contact with nearly all of the families and children in SA and the NT that are living with renal disorders. I have presented at numerous workshops and conferences and am a strong advocate for Paediatric Nephrology Nursing and always wanting to lift its profile. I also deliver education in South Australia to numerous Health Professionals and community groups on Paediatric Renal disorders and their treatment. I have vast clinical experience in paediatric peritoneal dialysis, Haemodialysis, acute renal failure, management of CKD and Transplantation. I have also been involved in Antenatal dialysis and post natal dialysis for 8 women in South Australia. I am part of the national Kidney Kids Camp Committee and strongly support peer support programs for children with renal disease. I have the support of a fantastic Multidisciplinary team, without which our unit would not be as successful.
Suzanne Stewart
Northern Territory Government, Dept Health and Families
Suzanne’s background in health spans almost two decades in the Northern Territory including 11 years with the Royal Australian Airforce as a hygienist and supervisor, four years with Oral Health Services and the past three years with Territory Palliative Care as a Project Manager. Whilst with Oral Health, Suzanne was instrumental in improving delivery of dental service to chronic disease clients in remote communities throughout the vast Northern Territory.
In 2008 she undertook management of an inaugural project, Palliative Care for Renal Clients Living in a Remote Setting, funded by the Australian Government Dept of Health & Ageing. Through research, consultation and open discussion, options and pathways in palliative care were established as an alternative for end stage renal disease clients. Many Indigenous clients wish to remain in their own community and for those clients already on dialysis “in town” some wish to return home to “finish up”. Through this project, Suzanne was able to implement changes to practice and provide this palliative option for those that chose it, enabling clients’ greater control in determining their own path.
Suzanne is very passionate about sharing the holistic approach in the development of renal palliative care pathways. This steps away from the clinical focus and encourages pathways that allow staff to openly discuss end of life issues within their service with both their colleagues and their clients. This pathway can be further developed for clients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.