12th Annual Multidisciplinary Symposium - American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN)

CEU credits will be available upon completion of the evaluation form.

12th Annual ASPN Multidisciplinary Symposium

Save the Date!

While this event has ended, we invite you to stay tuned for details on our 13th Annual Multidisciplinary Symposium next year, offering similar opportunities for professional growth and collaboration. More information will be announced soon.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Nurses, Social Workers, Dietitians, Child Life Specialists, Psychologists, or anyone who works on a Pediatric Nephrology Team

LOCATION: VIRTUAL* (Attendees will receive details closer to the event)

REGISTRATION FEE:

ASPN Member: $85
Non-Member*: $120

*Affiliate Membership: The non-member fee includes ASPN Affiliate membership for the 2025 dues year.

*Materials shared by the speakers will be available for meeting attendees after the meeting.

ABOUT THE ASPN
The American Society of Pediatric Nephrology is an organization of pediatric nephrologists and affiliated health care professionals. Its primary goals are to promote optimal care for children with kidney disease through advocacy, education and research; and to disseminate advances in clinical practice and scientific investigation. The Society accepts membership applications year round

CEU Credits
CEU credits will be available for Dietitians, Nurses and Social Workers. 8 credits will be available for Dietitians from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 8 credits will be available for Social Workers from the National Association of Social Workers - Washington State Chapter and 8 credits will be available to Nurses from the Georgia Nurses Association.

Thank you to our sponsors.

Gold Sponsor

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Silver Sponsor

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Conference Chair

Ewa Elenberg, MD, MEd, Chair
Professor of Pediatrics
Renal Service, Texas Children’s Hospital
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

Dr. Elenberg is a Professor in Pediatric Nephrology, Baylor Medical School, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. In 2012 she graduated from the University of Houston with the degree of Master in Education. She has a special interest in cystinosis, with an extensive experience in education in cystinosis, presenting over 60 lectures on national and international level. Her dedication to this patient population earned her special recognition among doctors, patients, and their families. At Baylor College of Medicine she received two prestigious Fulbright & Jaworsky Faculty Excellence Awards, in 2011 in the category of Teaching and Education and in 2015 in the category of Educational Leadership.

Faculty Members

Carolyn Abitbol, MD
Holtz Children’s Hospital University of Miami
Miami, FL

Alex Constantinescu, MD
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
Hollywood, FL

Debra Danneman, LMSW
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC

Tamara Hill, DNP, CPNP-AC
University of Maryland Medical Center
Baltimore, MD

Marisa Juarez, MPH, RD, LD
Texas Children’s Hospital
Houston, TX

Asha Moudgil, MD, FASN
Children’s National Hospital
Washington, DC

Lisa Palm, BSN, MS, RN, CPN
Children's Health Care of Atlanta
Atlanta, GA

Alison Schoch, CPNP
Cleveland Clinic Children's
Cleveland, OH

Kristen Sgambat, PhD, RD
Children's National Hospital
Washington, DC

Melissa Trabold, NP
Children’s Health Care of Atlanta
Atlanta, GA

Brynna Van Wyk, MSN, ARNP, CPNP
University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s
Hospital, Iowa City, IA

Agenda

Click here to download the PDF version of the Program.

November 7, 2024

Time	Session Type	Session Title	Speaker, Credentials
1:00 - 2:00 PM ET 12:00 - 1:00 PM CT 10:00 - 11:00 AM PT	General	Medical decision-making for children with complex, chronic medical conditions	Aaron Wightman, MD
2:00 - 3:00 PM ET 1:00 - 2:00 PM CT 11:00 - 12:00 PM PT	General	Multidisciplinary Management and Health Literacy in Lupus Nephritis	Sun-Young Ahn, MD, MS
3:00 - 4:00 PM ET 2:00 - 3:00 PM CT 12:00 - 1:00 PM PT	Social Workers	Ethical dilemmas in a dialysis patient with psychosocial challenges	Julia Tuvin, MSW, LICSW, CCTSW
3:00 - 4:00 PM ET 2:00 - 3:00 PM CT 12:00 - 1:00 PM PT	Dietitians	Blenderized Feeding for Renal Patients	Lesley Perez, Registered Dietitian
3:00 - 4:00 PM ET 2:00 - 3:00 PM CT 12:00 - 1:00 PM PT	Nurses	Nephrotic Syndrome - Management/ Patient Education	Chia-shi Wang, MD MSc, Lisa Palm, RN
4:00 - 5:00 PM ET 3:00 - 4:00 PM CT 1:00 - 2:00 PM PT	General	Accessing nephrology service in rural areas	Gabrielle Orgain, MSW; Elizabeth Hunt, MD; Sarah Twichell, MD, MPH; Abigail Zimpritch, M.Ed

November 8, 2024

Time	Session Type	Session Title	Speaker, Credentials
1:00 - 2:00 PM ET 12:00 - 1:00 PM CT 10:00 - 11:00 AM PT	General	Navigating child abuse/neglect with nephrology and transplant	Cortney Taylor Zimmerman, PhD, ABPP; Mackenzie Hughes, Ph.D.
2:00 - 3:00 PM ET 1:00 - 2:00 PM CT 11:00 - 12:00 PM PT	Social Workers	You're Never too Old for Camp!	Devrah Otten, LCSW
2:00 - 3:00 PM ET 1:00 - 2:00 PM CT 11:00 - 12:00 PM PT	Dietitians	Updates from the Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce	Nonnie Polderman, BSc RD; Christina Nelms, MS, RDN, LD/LMNT
2:00 - 3:00 PM ET 1:00 - 2:00 PM CT 11:00 - 12:00 PM PT	Nurses	Pediatric ABPM Programs- University of Iowa Children’s Hospital and Children’s of Alabama	Emily Neeld, RN-BSN; Christina Michels, DNP, ARNP, CPNP-PC; Jessica Edmondson, CRNP, CPNP-AC, MSN, BSN, RN
3:00 - 4:00 PM ET 2:00 - 3:00 PM CT 12:00 - 1:00 PM PT	Social Workers	The Impact of Social Determinants of Health (SDH) & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) on Kidney Health	Beth Piotrowicz, MSSA, LISW-S, CCTS
3:00 - 4:00 PM ET 2:00 - 3:00 PM CT 12:00 - 1:00 PM PT	Dietitians	Food Insecurity	Elizabeth Onugha, MD
3:00 - 4:00 PM ET 2:00 - 3:00 PM CT 12:00 - 1:00 PM PT	Nurses	Voiding Dysfunction Management Including Biofeedback & Pelvic Floor Therapy	Anne Marcovich, RN-BSN
4:00 - 5:00 PM ET 3:00 - 4:00 PM CT 1:00 - 2:00 PM PT	General	Growing Up with Kidney Disease: A Patient Journey through ESKD & Transplant	Kelly Helm, M.Ed.

Speakers

Sun-Young Ahn, MD, MS	Sun-Young Ahn, MD, MS completed pediatric nephrology training at the University of California San Diego and served as a faculty member with the Pediatric Nephrology Division at Washington University in St. Louis before joining Children's National Hospital as medical unit director of the nephrology inpatient services in 2013. She currently leads the lupus clinic at Children’s National Hospital with Dr. Sangeeta Sule, chief of pediatric rheumatology. Her other clinical interests include congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract, chronic kidney disease, and hypertension. Dr. Ahn’s current research interests include lupus nephritis, complications of chronic kidney disease, and acute kidney injury in MIS-C patients.
Jessica Edmondson, CRNP, CPNP-AC, MSN, BSN, RN	Jessica Edmondson is an acute care pediatric nurse practitioner in the Division of Pediatric Nephrology at Children's of Alabama in Birmingham, AL. Her area of focus and interests are Pediatric Hypertension and Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract (CAKUT). She has worked in the world of pediatric nephrology for over 12 years in several capacities. She has lectured on Pediatric Nephrology topics in local, state and national levels. She is a member of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology APP SIG. She has served the last two years at the President of the Alabama Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) and is currently serving at the Immediate-Past President. She is very active in her community as the Food Pantry Director for her church, where she is also the Pastor's wife, and in numerous roles in her daughter's school PTO. She is married to a wonderful husband, Blake, and has a beautiful and talented daughter, Emily.
Kelly Helm, M.Ed.	Kelly Helm is mom to 18-year-old Macy who was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease in 2009 at the age of 3. Kelly has spent the last 15 years caring for Macy, learning about all things kidney disease, and advocating for new therapies and adequate care for those living with FSGS and other rare kidney diseases. As a result of her daughter's diagnosis, Kelly became a volunteer for NephCure, a rare kidney disease patient advocacy organization, and now serves as NephCure’s Executive Director of Strategic Engagement, driving patient advocacy strategy for NephCure and creating meaningful and impactful programs and initiatives for all RKD stakeholders. She serves as the RKD patient voice, advocating for and educating patient families, helping them make their voices heard, and moving the needle forward toward better treatments. Her favorite part about sharing Macy's story is to not only provide hope to others but to raise awareness and impact change in how we care for those with kidney disease.
Mackenzie Hughes, Ph.D.	Dr. Mackenzie Hughes is an Assistant Professor and licensed Clinical Psychologist at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital. Dr. Hughes specializes in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults who have experienced trauma. At Texas Children's Hospital, Dr. Hughes provides patient care through the TCH Foster Care Clinic. Common treatment targets include adjustment to foster care, trauma-related symptoms, disruptive behaviors, problematic sexual behaviors, anxiety, depression, and transitioning from foster care to adult care. Dr. Hughes is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and provides a variety of evidence-based interventions.
Elizabeth Hunt, MD	Liz Hunt is a Pediatric Nephrologist at the University of Vermont Children's Hospital and is on faculty at the Larner College of Medicine at UVM. In addition to pediatric nephrology, she's interested in medical education and how best to support children with complex medical needs and their families. UVMCH serves Vermont and Northern New York as a regional referral hospital. Patients travel as far as 4 hours to receive care and the majority of the service area is rural.
Anne Marcovich, RN-BSN	I have been working in the field of Pediatric Urology since 1992. I began my career at the Univeristy of Michigan working there for thirteen years. I moved to the University of Texas, San Antonio and worked there for 10 years. Finally I moved to Nicklaus Childrne's Hospital in Miami Florida and have worked here since January 2018. I specifically work with the pediatric urologists and perform video urodynamics in the department of radiology and I initiated the voiding improvement program using biofeedback. I am married to Dr. Robert Marcovich- a Urologist and we have three children- all attending college. I love cooking and orchids!!
Christina Michels, DNP, ARNP, CPNP-PC	Christina Michels has worked as a PNP at the University of Iowa in Pediatric Nephrology since 2017. She graduated from University of Iowa College of Nursing Doctorate of Nursing Practice, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Primary Care (DNP PNP-PC) program in 2016 and worked in the NICU 1 year before landing in pediatric nephrology. She has had nephrology experience in dialysis, infusion, transplant, and mostly hypertension, prenatal consults, and general nephrology. While she loves her kids and colleagues at work, she thrives being with her husband, Cam, and their son, Jack.
Emily Neeld, RN-BSN	Emily is a 2007 graduate of Blessing Rieman College of Nursing in Quincy, Il. She has spent her entire career in pediatrics and the last 14 with nephrology. She started with pediatric dialysis and them moved to the clinical setting in 2013. Since becoming a nurse with nephrology she has worked with the physicians to create a multi-disciplinary tuberous sclerosis clinic and redesign our current ambulatory blood pressure program. She is in charge of uploading and assisting with interpretating the monitors as well as placement and documentation.
Christina Nelms, MS RDN LD/LMNT	Chris Nelms is a pediatric renal consultant, training practitioners on the art of pediatric nutrition care as well as a dietitian at Children's Mercy in Kansas City. She worked previously at children's hospitals in Omaha, Nebraska and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Shei s a member of the Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce, helping develop clinical practice recommendations for worldwide care of children with CKD. She has authored 3 textbook chapters, written articles, been involved with research and is a frequent speaker at conferences. She helped establish PRONA, a practice group for pediatric renal dietitians and is passionate about helping clinicians develop best practice techniques for caring for children with CKD.
Elizabeth Onugha, MD MSCI	I am a pediatric nephrologist at the Texas Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics – Renal at Baylor College of Medicine. My journey in pediatric nephrology has been deeply influenced by a passion for health equity, particularly in relation to hypertension and food insecurity among children. My pediatric residency training at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas exposed me firsthand to the challenges faced by a predominantly Hispanic, minority community. This experience ignited my interest in understanding and addressing health disparities my patients encountered. This experience fueled my research interests. While pursuing my pediatric nephrology fellowship training at Washington University in St Louis, I received a Genzyme research grant. This research focused on the pediatric clinical phenotype of the apolipoprootein-L1 variant (APOL-1), and its role in the higher prevalence of kidney disease in the African American population. This work on racial disparities in chronic diseases fueled broadened my focus to the potential link between diet and hypertension risk. My research endeavors were further strengthened by a PRIDE award, which funded a project examining the impact of dietary deficiencies in food-insecure individuals on hypertension risk. This research continues to inform my dedication to understanding the intersection of food insecurity and hypertension. In my role as a pediatric nephrologist, I have witnessed an increase in the prevalence of food insecurity. I also witness my pediatric patients with kidney diseases struggle to meet their recommended dietary requirements which affects their treatment and management, particularly children from low-income and food insecure families. This has further solidified my interest in addressing social determinants of health to improve health equity and outcomes in the pediatric population. My dedication to understanding and mitigating these challenges led me to advocate for initiatives such as ‘Food Is Medicine Initiative’, a timely intervention especially in the post COVID era to improve food access, especially nutritious foods which are key in managing children with chronic diseases such as hypertension.
Gabrielle Orgain, MSW	Gabrielle is a master's level social worker who recently moved to Vermont from California, where she spent the majority of her career in the mental health and substance abuse sectors. She is passionate about providing comprehensive, equitable, and client-centered support to diverse individuals and families. Her current role as a Pediatric Specialty Care Social Worker at the University of Vermont Medical Center affords her ample opportunities to assist patients and their families with navigating the complexities of the medical system. You can always find Gabrielle either reading a book or out hiking with her husband and their three dogs.
Devrah Otten, LCSW	As a dedicated Renal Transplant Social Worker at Texas Children's Hospital since April 2011, I have played a crucial role in evaluating and supporting patients and families through the complex renal transplant process. I enjoy collaborating closely with a multidisciplinary transplant team, providing psychosocial insights during Medical Review Board meetings and ensuring effective communication regarding patient care. I am passionate about engaging in community outreach to promote organ donation and enhance the visibility of the transplant program. I strongly believe that patient enrichment programs and socialization opportunities are an essential support component for the pediatric ESRD population.
Lisa Palm, BSN, MS, RN, CPN	I have been a pediatric nurse for 39 years, with the last 19 years in ambulatory pediatric nephrology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. I feel truly fortunate to have experienced nursing in a variety of settings including neonatology, pediatric med-surg, home health and school nursing but my passion has been caring for chronic patients, primarily in the areas of transplant and kidney disease.
Lesley Perez, Registered Dietitian	Lesley has been working in the area of pediatric nephrology for the past 9 years and as a pediatric Registered Dietitian for 11 years. Her patient scope includes outpatient general nephrology, rheumatology, stones, hypertension and CKD stages 1-4 as well as kidney transplant. Her favorite part about her job is relationship building with her patients & families throughout the course of their CKD journey, and sharing in the excitement of their kidney transplant.
Beth Piotrowicz, LISW-S, CCTSW	Beth Piotrowicz (Pee o tro vich), is a Licensed Independent Social Worker at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Oh working with Pediatric Rheumatology, Urology and Nephrology departments. Beth has been a social worker for 23 years, the last 14 being in Solid Organ Transplant including heart transplant & Mechanical circulatory support, Intestine transplantation and gut rehabilitation, but most of this time has been with Kidney transplant (Adult and Pediatrics). Beth is a member of American Society of Transplantation (AST): Pediatric Community of Practice as well as Psychosocial & Ethics Community of Practice. She is also a member of the Society for Transplant Social Workers and has been a Certified Clinical Transplant Social Worker since 2012. For the past 8 years, she has been a Board Member serving as National Program Co-Chair and a recipient of the Lee Suzuki memorial award in 2023 for the creation and contribution to this position. She is active on several subcommittees within both professional organizations. She has given presentations on topics including Geriatrics in Transplant, Elder abuse in the Renal population, financial considerations of transplant, Trauma Informed Care, Health Care/Age Transition with kidney transplant and the CKD population as well as Development with Chronic Kidney Disease. She has special interest in Head/Gut connection, Disordered Eating vs Eating Disorders, Early Developmental Trauma, as well as Somatic Disorders. These areas were extremely helpful when making the leap from Adults to Pediatrics in 2020. Beth earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from Mercyhurst University and a Master’s of Social Science Administration from Case Western Reserve University- Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
Nonnie Polderman, BSc RD	Nonnie Polderman is one of 3 dietitians that work as a team to deliver nutrition care to infants and children with all types of kidney diseases in the Division of Nephrology at BC Children’s Hospital. Nonnie and her dietitian colleagues were instrumental in the development of a Clinical Pathway for Children with Nephrotic Syndrome. Besides her work here at BC Children’s, Nonnie has published number of papers and authored several textbook chapters on nutritional management of pediatric patients. She is a member of the ADC pediatric Planning committed. Nonnie is currently dietitian co-chair of the Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce. The goal of the taskforce is to publish updated Clinical Practice Guidelines for the nutritional management of children with kidney diseases.
Julia Tuvin, MSW, LICSW, CCTSW	Julia Tuvin is a local DC native who completed her undergraduate degree in Government & Politics at the University of Maryland in 2014. After much soul searching, she decided to pursue a master's degree in social work at the National Catholic School of Social Service at Catholic University of America in 2019. Through her clinical internship with DaVita Dialysis in the Washington, DC centers she acquired a passion for working with dialysis patients. In August of 2019 she accepted a job at Children's National Hospital as a Nephrology Social Worker and became a Certified Clinical Transplant Social Worker in December of 2023. When not working you can find Julia spoiling her 4-year-old nephew and 2-year-old niece or trying out a new restaurant in DC.
Sarah Twichell, MD, MPH	I am an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. I am a member of a 3-person pediatric nephrology division providing care to children in Vermont and northern New York. In addition to clinical care, I am involved with medical education as well as with research projects through NAPRTCS and PNRC.
Chia-shi Wang, MD MSc	Dr. Chia-shi Wang is a pediatric nephrologist in Atlanta and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. Her clinical and research interests include glomerular diseases and behavioral aspects of chronic disease management.
Aaron Wightman, MD MA	Aaron Wightman MD MA is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Bioethics and Palliative Care and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington School of Medicine and co-director of education at the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics and Palliative Care at the Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Wightman’s research interests focus on medical decision-making for children with complex, chronic medical conditions. He is the founder and chair of the ethics committee for the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, serves on the UNOS pediatrics committee and recently served on the UNOS ethics committee.
Cortney Zimmerman, PhD, ABPP	Dr. Zimmerman is a Pediatric Health Psychologist who works with pediatric patients with various kidney conditions at Texas Children’s Hospital. Clinically she works directly with patients with any Renal condition, often assisting with coping, adjustment, and adherence, as well as mood and behavioral concerns. Although her passion is in working directly with patients, she conducts research to further help inform and improve patient and family-centered care. Her recent research examines quality of life and transition to adult care. She also assisted in the creation of the Transition to Adult Care program within her department. Finally, Dr. Zimmerman is also the current Co-Chair of the Nephrology Special Interest Group within the American Psychological Association's Division 54 Society of Pediatric Psychology.
Abigail Zimpritch, M.Ed.	I retired from teaching in impoverished schools in South Carolina and moved to Vermont to begin a new chapter. I work for the University of Vermont Medical Center: Children's Specialty Center as an Operations Support Specialist.