December 17th is Interventional Nephrology Day, a celebration of the specialty and the specialty's impact on dialysis patient outcomes. 

Help us commemorate the day by:

• Recognizing interventional physicians with a note of gratitude or acknowledgment.
• Recognizing access center staff with an appreciation coffee break or lunch.
• Encouraging commemoration in dialysis units and access centers - encourage patients to write a note to their interventional physician. Post these on an IN Day Wall in the unit or center.
  
• Posting about the profession and the commemoration on all your social media channels featuring individual interventional nephrologists and examples of their impactful work. Use #InteventionalNephrologyDay.  Feel free to use the IN graphic and/or the IN Day graphic in this email blast.
• Hosting a lunch-and-learn showcasing best practices or case studies.
• Using IN Day to promote the specialty and encourage residents and fellows to pursue Interventional Nephrology as a career path. 

ASDIN chose December 17th as Interventional Nephrology Day to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Gerald Beathard – founder of Interventional Nephrology.  This is one way that we can honor his pioneering contributions.

Dialysis access has always been a major issue affecting dialysis patient outcomes, quality of life, and mortality.  Nephrologists were referring patient to other specialties when access failed.  Dialysis patients were given less priority than others which resulted in delayed treatment, frequent hospital stays, and use of catheters.

The desire to improve dialysis patient care, concerns for the welfare of dialysis patients, and an unwillingness to accept the status quo gave rise to an interest and involvement in the planning and management of dialysis access starting in the mid-1980s. Dr. Beathard and many others played a pivotal role in providing a NEW continuum care for dialysis patients.  Their efforts gave rise to a new subspecialty of nephrology referred to as Interventional Nephrology.

Today the management of dialysis access by nephrologists has come to be recognized as a standard of care and the subspecialty of Interventional Nephrology has become recognized worldwide.

Interventional Nephrology Day Graphic by Brian Rifkin, MD

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