Professional Events: Interdisciplinary Nephrology Conference
pushing the field forward
education drives progress
The Interdisciplinary Nephrology Conference is an opportunity for dietitians, nurses, social workers and other renal professionals to connect with colleagues, participate in interactive educational workshops, and visit with corporate exhibitors.
This annual symposium is a highlight of the NKFI's professional development calendar. The day begins with a group breakfast, a set of presentations, and visits from corporate exhibitors. Following lunch, attendees will attend in-depth salons, hear from experts, and take part in a series of small breakout sessions and discussions. Previous conference topics have included:
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Information about new medicine
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Professional mental health
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Ethics and patient care
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Dialysis and cardiac health
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Nutrition and kidney health
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Caring for the chronically ill
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New technology and advancements in treatment
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Working with economically disadvantaged patients
In addition to the day's educational programming, the Interdisciplinary Nephrology Conference is also an opportunity for all participating councils to conduct their annual meetings. The conference also offers continuing education credits for nurses, technicians, social workers, and dietitians.
Accreditation/Designation of Credit Statements: In support of improving patient care, the National Kidney Foundation is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE), program to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, National Kidney Foundation of Illinois is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 5 general continuing education credits. The National Kidney Foundation maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive 5 continuing education credits. Licensed social workers should contact their individual jurisdiction to review current continuing education requirements for licensure renewal.
Nurses & Technicians: Awarded 5 contact hours of continuing nursing education (includes 5 contact hours in the area of pharmacology).
Dietitians: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Kidney Foundation is approved to offer dietitian continuing education by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Dietitians completing this course receive 5 continuing education credits.
For More Information
Please contact Rachel DePauw
email: rdepauw@nkfi.org | phone: (312) 321 - 1500 x 258



location & agenda
2026 AGENDA:
8:00 AM - Registration and Breakfast
8:30 AM - Welcome
Rachel DePauw, MPH, CAE Vice President of Programs, NKFI
8:40 AM - A New Era for Therapeutics in CKD
Anand Srivastava, MD
9:45 AM - Long Term Care of Kidney Transplant Patients
Courtney Kelley, DNP
10:45 AM - Break
11:15 PM - Neurocognitive Assessment in CKD Patients
Kyle Jennette, PhD, MA
12:15 PM - Lunch Break
2026 AGENDA:
1:00 PM - Breakout Session 1
Pharmacists: Navigating Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) Syndrome
Daphne Smith Marsh, PharmD, BC-ADM, CDCES
Nurses/Technicians: The pros and cons of simultaneous kidney pancreas transplant vs. kidney transplant alone
Dolamu Olaitan, MBBS, FACS, FEBS
Social Workers: Language Matters - Communications Across Cultures in Kidney Care
Marina Moreno, BA
Dietitians: One Diet, Two Kidneys - Interpreting the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Chronic Kidney Disease Prevention and Management
Liam McKeever, PhD, RDN
2026 AGENDA:
2:00 PM - Break
2:15 PM - Breakout Session 2
Pharmacists: Medication Considerations for the Elderly Kidney Transplant Recipient
Nicole Alvey, PharmD, BCPS, BCTXP, FAST
Nurses/Technicians: Exploring Dilemmas in the Kidney Transplant Listing Process
Stephanie Wright, MSW, LCSW
Stephanie George, RN, BSN
Social Workers: Beyond the Surgery - What Kidney Donation Really Means
Milda Saunders, MD, MPH
Keith Erquhart
Dietitians: GLP-1 Use in CKD
Jessica Votaw, RDN

program sponsors
you make the difference
The National Kidney Foundation of Illinois is able to offer professional development programming, conduct educational seminars, and support research with the help of our passionate supporters, and a remarkable team of dedicated sponsors. To learn more about the sponsorship opportunities for this program, please contact Rachel DePauw at rdepauw@nkfi.org.











