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Announcement of 2025-2027 WIT Fellowship and LMIC Research Grant Winners

  • Dr. Annika Gompers
    Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
    Atlanta, USA
    Project Title:
    Examining Multilevel Determinants of Intersectional Gender and Racial Disparities in Kidney Transplant Access in the United States

  • Dr. Khushboo Saxena
    Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Center - Institute of Transplantation Sciences
    Ahmedabad, India
    Project Title:
    Developing and Testing Digital Tools to Expand Access to Kidney Transplantation: A Gender-Focused Approach

Announcement of 2024 WIT Award Winners

Women in Transplantation (WIT), a Special Initiative of The Transplantation Society, is delighted to announce our WIT Award winners for 2024!
After much consideration from a pool of outstanding nominations, WIT is honoured to recognize Dr. Curie Ahn as our Woman Leader in Transplantation, 2024.
Curie Ahn, Korea
MD, PhD, Nephrology
National Medical Center
This year we are thrilled to be able to award two separate awards to two outstanding women – Dr. Wenshi Jiang and Dr. Katayoun Najafizadeh – who are our Unsung Hero(ine)s for 2024.
Wenshi Jiang, People's Republic of China
Senior Consultant
Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University
Katayoun Najafizadeh, Iran
Iranian Society of Organ Donation

Women in Transplantation - Showcase of WIT Members

WIT is proud to feature individuals who contribute to WIT’s mission of: (1) Advancing and inspiring women transplant professionals (Pillar 1), (2) Championing issues of sex and gender in transplantation (Pillar 2), and (3) Advocacy to address sex and gender-related disparities in transplantation (Pillar 3). Learn more about clinicians, researchers, and patients who shed light on disparities and try to overcome them to improve patient outcomes.

Our first member to be featured is Dr. Brenda Rosales, University of Sydney, Australia. Dr. Rosales is one of the Women in Transplantation Fellowship Award winners.
Dr. Brenda Maria Rosales
University of Sydney, Australia
Bio
Read showcased article by Dr. Rosales
The Impact of Sex & Gender on Equity and Access to Cancer Care for Kidney Transplant Recipients

Cancer mortality in kidney transplant recipients differs by age and sex. This indicates possible systemic biases in the delivery of cancer care. There is a need to evaluate current clinical practice to identify points of sex and gender inequity in and healthcare delivery for cancer management in kidney transplant recipients.

Cancer disproportionally impacts kidney transplant recipients, but it affects men and women differently. Male kidney transplant recipients have higher absolute cancer incidence and mortality compared to females; however, female kidney transplant recipients experience greater excess cancer death(1,2). Sex and gender differences have also been described in access to healthcare and consequently there has been an increase of gender-based health plans, particularly in cardiovascular disease(3,4).

Investigation of how sex impact access to cancer care may identify systemic biases in cancer care delivery to kidney transplant recipients.

Using existing health data and survey of kidney transplant recipients, our work asks, how do sex and gender impact access and equity in cancer care for kidney transplant recipients?

What does the data say?
We will use evidence integration and population data to investigate the impact of sex on access to cancer screening, efficacy of cancer treatment and, relative survival in kidney transplant recipients with cancer.

What do our patients say?
We will explore gender-based experiences of cancer care in kidney transplant recipients using focus-group interviews and online preferences surveys to identify barriers in access and elicit patient preferences for treatment.

What does it mean for our patients?
Our work will provide a better understanding of the varied needs of males, females and people of nonbinary gender and, how current cancer prevention and treatment strategies differ by sex & gender. Our findings will inform strategies to deliver more equitable cancer care for kidney transplant recipients to balance its benefits and harms.

Literature

  1. Rosales et al. 2020, IntJCancer (doi:10.1002/ijc.32585)
  2. Rosales et al. 2022, AJKD (doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2022.03.010)
  3. De La Mata et al. 2021, BMJ (doi:10.1136/BMJ-2021-068247)
  4. Wyld et al. 2020, Transplantation (DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000003224)

Pillar 3 Patient Brochure


Recent Past Event Recordings



Women's Barrier to Transplant

In partnership with the Women in Transplantation Advocacy Pillar, we invite you to share your perspectives and experiences as a female kidney recipient. We hope this project will help improve the lives and experiences of women with kidney transplants. Your insights will help us create health literacy tailored to female recipients, as well as expand future studies to all organ recipients.
Details

Who can take part?
• Women over 18 years of age

What will be involved in participating?
• Global interviews are taking place
• Held at a time that suits you
• Face-to-face via telephone or video conference

What will be asked?
How accessible your treatment has been and some of the hurdles you may have faced living with your transplanted kidney.

If you are interested in participating, please contact:
Nicole Scholes-Robertson
Research Fellow and Transplant recipient
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.



The Transplantation Society

International Headquarters

740 Notre-Dame St. West, Suite 1245
Montréal, QC, QC, H3C 3X6 Canada

Phone: 514-874-1717
Fax: 514-874-1716
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