The 39th International Society of Blood Purification (ISBP) Congress

Setting Higher Standards in Kidney Care: Innovative Therapies & Technologies

🌺 Mahalo! The 39th ISBP Kidney Health Congress in Honolulu was a joyful success—thanks to the vision of ISBP leadership, the dedication of the NKFH team, the engagement of the ISBP membership, and the incredible support of our sponsors, exhibitors, and participants worldwide.

💬 “Innovative, inspirational, and world-class—the Congress brought our global community together to set higher standards for kidney care.”

World-Class Scientific Program Committee

Our distinguished Scientific Program Committee brought together 24 leading experts from across the globe, representing the pinnacle of expertise in blood purification and kidney care:

1. Prof. Masanori Abe (Nihon University, Japan)
2. Prof. Rasheed Balogun (University of Virginia, USA)
3. Professor Peter Blankestijn (University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands)
4. Prof. Pham-Van Bui (Pham Ngoc Thach University, Vietnam)
5. Prof. Lili Chan (Mount Sinai New York, USA)
6. Prof. Andrew Davenport (Royal Free Hospital, UK)
7. Ms. Dawn Edwards (Kidney Patient Advisory Council of ESRD Networks, USA)
8. Prof Seung-Hyeok Han (Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea)
9. Dr Christie H Izutsu (Queens Hospital and University of Hawaii, USA)
10. Prof. Kam Kalantar-Zadeh (University of California Los Angeles, USA)
11. Prof. Philip Li (HongKong, China)
12. Prof. Andre Kaplan (University of Connecticut, USA)
13. Prof. Hideki Kawanishi (Tsuchiya General Hospital Hiroshima, Japan)
14. Prof. Peter Kotanko (Renal Research Institute New York, USA)
15. Dr. Mahesh Krishnan (DaVita, Washington, DC, USA)
16. Prof. Mariana Murea (Wake Forest University, USA)
17. Dr. KS Nayak (Virinchi Hospitals, Hyderabad, India)
18. Prof. Connie Rhee (Veterans Administration, USA)
19. Prof. Claudio Ronco (Renal Research Institute of Vicenza, Italy)
20. Dr Saied Safa-Bakhsh (Guam, USA)
21. Dr Stefano Stuart (Fresenius Medical Care, Germany)
22. Dr Len Usvyat (Renal Research Institute New York, USA)
23. Prof. Angela Webster (University of Sydney, Australia)
24. Prof. Akihiro Yamashita (Hosei University, Japan)

Opening Reception

The ISBP Conference in Hawaiʻi began in the right way—with a Hawaiian oli, blessing, and prayer offered by Dr. Dee-Ann Leialoha Carpenter and Dr. Martina Leialoha Kamaka of JABSOM’s Department of Native Hawaiian Health, grounding the gathering in place and purpose. Governor Josh Green followed, thanking attendees for bringing world-class expertise in kidney disease to our islands and underscoring that Hawaiʻi faces one of the nation’s highest burdens of chronic kidney disease. Dean Sam Shomaker then spoke on behalf of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, expressing appreciation for hosting ISBP and stressing JABSOM’s mission: to educate physicians for Hawaiʻi—clinicians who pair scientific excellence with aloha, cultural humility, and service to community. The opening sequence set a clear tone: science, culture, and collaboration working together to advance kidney health across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.

Three Days of Innovation and Excellence

Wednesday, August 20th: Welcome and Global Perspectives

The conference launched with Session One - Welcome and Conference Overview, featuring distinguished speakers Prof. Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, MD, PhD, MPH (University of California Los Angeles, USA, Professor of Medicine and Chief) and Prof. Rasheed Balogun, MD MBBS, FACP, FASN, HP(ASCP), FMCP (University of Virginia, Regional Medical Director). The opening day included four key lectures: a welcome to John A Burns School of Medicine, NKFH and ISBP; the Presidential Lecture on the global burden of CKD and pathways to innovations in blood purification; dialysis therapies and trends in South East Asia using Vietnam as an example; and the epidemiology and burden of kidney disease and ESKD in Hawaii.

Thursday, August 21st: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Kidney Care

Day two began with Breakfast Symposium 1 on IL-6 Inhibition with Clazakizumab in patients on dialysis, featuring Dr. Glenn Chertow, MD (Stanford University, Professor of Medicine) and Prof. Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, MD, PhD, MPH (University of California Los Angeles). The main session focused on artificial intelligence and innovation in kidney care, led by Dr. Mahesh Krishnan, MD, MPH, MBA (DaVita, Group VP Research and Development) and Dr. Gopa Green, MD, FASN (U.S. Renal Care, Associate Chief Medical Officer). The day covered four critical lectures on harnessing AI in nephrology with predictive analytics and clinical decision support tools, AI models for dialysis outcomes including opportunities and limitations, ethical considerations and patient-centered approaches in AI-driven healthcare, and bringing innovation into ESRD with challenges, opportunities and the path forward.

Friday, August 22nd: Hands-On Innovation and Practical Applications

The final day began with an Early Morning Session on Framework for Consensus-Building for HDF and HDX Adoption, led by Prof. Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, MD, PhD, MPH (University of California Los Angeles), Prof. Hideki Kawanishi (Tsuchiya General Hospital, Vice president and the director of artificial organs & surgery), and Prof. Rasheed Balogun, MD MBBS, FACP, FASN, HP(ASCP), FMCP (University of Virginia, Regional Medical Director). This session focused on developing suggested criteria for online HDF and expanded HD.

Workshop 1 provided hands-on training in online HDF and HDX for practitioners in outpatient settings, featuring Prof. Andrew Davenport, MD (Royal Free Hospital, London, Professor of Dialysis & ICU Nephrology) and Dr. Mahesh Krishnan, MD, MPH, MBA (DaVita, Group VP Research and Development). Part 1 focused on HDF with speakers Dr. Stefano Stuard, MD, Prof. Peter Blankestijn, MD, and Dr. Steven Spiegel, MD. Part 2 covered HDX featuring Prof. Masanori Abe, Prof. Claudio Ronco, MD, and Dr. Kenichi Kokubo, MD.

Workshop 2 concentrated on Artificial Intelligence for Patient Care and Nephrology and Dialysis Practice Management, led by Dr. Lili Chan, MD, MSCR (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Associate Professor of Medicine and Nephrology), Dr. Peter Kotanko, MD, FASN (Renal Research Institute, Emeritus Research Director), and Dr. Hanjie Zhang (RRI, Fresenius Medical Care North American, Sr. Director of Artificial Intelligence Translational Innovation Hub). This comprehensive workshop covered AI fundamentals in kidney care, AI-enhanced clinical decision-making including HDF Chatbot, operational efficiency applications, data privacy and ethics, and hands-on exposure to AI-enabled EHR and decision support tools.

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