Representatives from Diaverum’s Corporate Medical Team and Diaverum Italy, recently met with distinguished healthcare professionals from the University of Bari, in Bari, Italy, to exchange insights and news around their respective areas of renal research, and to identify possible areas of future collaboration, in a joint effort to improve care for chronic kidney disease patients around the world.
Held over the course of two days, between 15-16 January, the Think Tank commenced with welcoming speeches from Dr Nicla Campobasso, Corporate Medical Director for Diaverum Italy, Dr Fernando Macário, Diaverum's Chief Medical Officer and Loreto Gesualdo, Full Professor, Director of the Nephrology Unit, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area, University of Bari, highlighting the importance of the meeting and its objectives.
Following this, representatives from Prof. Gesualdo's Nephrology School, including Marco Fiorentino and Nicola Grandolfo from Bari, Giuseppe Grandaliano and Francesco Pesce from Rome & Giuseppe Castellano from Milan, presented their respective organisations and study areas, spanning from pre-emptive transplants and nephro-oncology, to vascular accesses and pre-ESRD.
On the second and final day, Diaverum's Corporate Medical Team gave presentations on its own research topics. Read on to learn more about what they shared:
- Fernando's presentation covered Diaverum´s clinical strategy and Care Delivery Model. The pillars that support Diaverum's level of care were described, with particular emphasis on the development of individualised clinical standards and Individual Patient Performance Scores (IPPS). Additionally, the commitment to promoting the well-being and quality of life of our patients was highlighted, along with a description of new multidisciplinary clinical strategies, aimed at the integrated and standardised management of renal disease
- Carlos presented Diaverum's proprietary model for patient care evaluation. The presentation further delved into Diaverum's existing clinical decision-making support artificial intelligence (AI) models, and also provided a glimpse into the exciting future developments within the realm of AI in renal care
- Carla elaborated on the strong association between IPPS and outcomes, namely mortality, further reinforcing the importance of this clinical evaluation system in risk stratification and the integrated management of dialysis patients. Additionally, the advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) management programme was presented
The meeting concluded with a discussion around potential collaborative projects and the development of an action plan. Participants were also given the opportunity to visit the Nephrology Department of the University of Bari and to see first-hand the very innovative facility, as well as the important scientific research that's happening under Prof. Gesualdo's leadership.
Commenting on the Think Tank, Fernando said: "Engaging with colleagues from Diaverum Italy and esteemed peers from across the country, was an invaluable opportunity to exchange knowledge and forge strong partnerships, to further support our ongoing commitment to provide life-enhancing renal care to patients with chronic kidney disease. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who made the meeting constructive with their crucial contributions. I look forward to seeing our exciting upcoming projects materialise".
Maria Chiara Durio, Country Manager for Diaverum Italy, had this to say about the event: "I want to thank Fernando, Carla and Carlos for their invaluable support in the preparation and active participation in this Think Tank. The meeting was a real success and will enable Diaverum Italy to strengthen its partnership with Prof. Gesualdo's Nephrology School and his collaborators in Bari, Rome and Milan. Our aspiration is to become a partner in excellence with their group, as means of advancing renal care excellence in Italy".