GlomCon Hawaii: The First International Hybrid Glomerular Diseases Conference

The GlomCon Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to advancing medical education and research in glomerular diseases. Established in 2016, GlomCon has grown into a global platform offering expert-led seminars, glomerular disease online fellowship programs, collaborative research platforms, the Kidney Pathology Certificate Program, the Mentored Internship Program in Nephrology (MIPiN), the Kidney Disease Registry, regional and local initiatives such as GlomCon Portugal, Ghana, ILA, and China, the Glomerular Disease Clinic Startup Workshop, and the GlomCon Physician Scientist (GPS) Scholarship to further educate the community [1].In August 2024, GlomCon held the first international hybrid 4-day conference on glomerular diseases in Maui, Hawaii, USA. The GlomCon Hawaii Conference aimed to enhance diagnostic skills of participants and provide them with an opportunity to learn about the latest, effective treatment strategies for glomerular diseases, explore emerging research, including novel therapies and clinical trials, and foster collaboration by exchanging expert opinions. The GlomCon Hawaii featured a comprehensive agenda spanning 4 days, each dedicated to advancing knowledge in key areas of glomerular diseases (Fig. 1).Day 1 comprised a satellite symposium on clinical trial design, clinical trial endpoints, biomarkers, treatment effects, statistical analysis, and recruitment challenges, emphasizing the importance of equipping both researchers and clinicians with an in-depth understanding of trial methodologies, analysis, and data interpretation. This knowledge is essential for effectively translating research findings into clinical practice.Discussions addressed rare disease approval pathways and barriers to adopting new therapeutics and included insights from representatives of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These discussions included faculty from the FDA to share their insights. Day 2 was dedicated to pathology for nephrologists, with expert sessions on lupus nephritis, vasculitis, podocytopathies, membranous nephropathy, C3 glomerulopathy, thrombotic microangiopathies, and paraprotein-related glomerulonephritis.Days 3 and 4 focused on evidence-based care of patients with IgA nephropathy, lupus nephritis, membranous nephropathy, podocytopathies, C3 glomerulopathy, thrombotic microangiopathy, ANCA vasculitis, and paraprotein-related glomerulonephritis. A series of case-based discussions explored the practical aspects of clinical management across various practice settings.To ensure the event’s execution, two dedicated committees were established: an Education Committee and a Social Media Committee. Leading up to the conference, the Education Committee convened for five meetings, and the Social Media Committee held two meetings to finalize all preparations.GlomCon Hawaii Conference proudly represented a diverse faculty group of 52 members, with an intentional equal gender distribution of 50% male and 50% female. Our faculty spanned the globe, originating from the USA (33), Sri Lanka (1), Portugal (1), Mexico (4), Malaysia (1), India (2), Hong Kong SAR, China (1), Canada (5), and Australia (4) (Fig. 2). This broad international representation enhanced our event’s depth and quality of expertise. The conference reached a total of 619 registrations.The social media committee actively broadcast conference highlights on X, utilizing the hashtag #GlomConHawaii to engage attendees, particularly virtual participants. During the conference period (August 6, 2024–9, 2024), GlomCon Hawaii received 5,292 tweets from 512 contributors, 4,420 (83.52%) retweets, and 26,155,121 impressions, with a daily average of 882 tweets (Fig. 2). The top three influencers from the Social Media Committee achieved 1.26 million, 399.21 K, and 290.87 K impressions, respectively. The total potential reach was estimated at 853,780.After the event, an online survey was distributed to in-person and virtual attendees to gather feedback from all participants and estimate the event’s performance. The survey results revealed different practice settings among GlomCon Hawaii Conference attendee respondents (N = 251). Around half the participants (53.4%, n = 134) reported working in academic institutions, while 24.3% (n = 61) were in private practice. Notably, 22.3% (n = 56) were still in training. Attendees spanned a range of career stages in terms of professional experience. The largest group (29.9%, n = 75) had less than 5 years of experience, reflecting a significant presence of early career physicians. Those with 5–10 years of experience comprised 27.1% (n = 68), followed by 20.7% (n = 52) with more than 10 years of practice (online suppl. Fig. S1; Table S1; for all online suppl. material, see https://doi.org/10.1159/000543592).Participants highly rated the quality of speakers and presentations. The majority (62.2%, n = 156) rated the quality as “excellent,” followed by 30.7% (n = 77) who considered it “very good.” A smaller proportion (6.8%, n = 17) rated the quality as “good,” while only 0.4% (n = 1) deemed it “fair.” These results suggest a high level of satisfaction with the conference’s content and presenters. Most attendees (85.7%, n = 215) found the conference content “very relevant.” A smaller proportion (13.1%, n = 33) considered the content “somewhat relevant.” Only 0.8% (n = 2) of respondents were “neutral” about the relevance, and 0.4% (n = 1) did not provide an answer (online suppl. Table S2).The conference received a high Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 83.7, reflecting participants’ substantial likelihood of recommending it to colleagues. Of the respondents, 84.5% (212) were promoters, 14.7% (37) were passives, and only 0.8% (2) were detractors. Overall satisfaction with the conference was also very high, with a mean score of 9 (SD = 1) and a median of 10. Both in-person and virtual attendees reported high satisfaction levels, resulting in an NPS of 79.7. Among the respondents, 81.7% (205) were very satisfied, 16.3% (41) were moderately satisfied, and 2% (5) were less satisfied. The mean rank for in-person attendees (132.54) was slightly higher than that for virtual attendees (124.12), suggesting a marginally higher satisfaction among in-person participants. However, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.388), indicating that the mode of attendance did not substantially impact overall conference satisfaction (online suppl. Table S3).Attendees from all practice setting groups (academic, private, and those still in training) reported high satisfaction levels, with median scores of 10 and IQRs of 9–10 across all settings. The mean ranks were similar across groups: academic (126.01), private (127.94), and still training (123.85). The lack of statistical significance (p = 0.943) suggests that participants’ practice settings did not significantly influence their overall satisfaction with the conference (online suppl. Fig. S2).Participants reported substantial improvements in their understanding of glomerular diseases as a result of attending the conference. The mean score for this item was 9 (SD = 1), with a median of 9 and an IQR of 8–10 (online suppl. Table S4).The relationship between participants’ years of practice and their overall satisfaction with the GlomCon Hawaii Conference was examined through Spearman rank correlation analysis (N = 251, correlation coefficient 0.014). This correlation was not statistically significant (p = 0.823), suggesting no meaningful association between years of practice and conference satisfaction (online suppl. Table S5).Finally, according to participants’ anticipation, the conference will strongly influence their future management of patients with glomerular disorders (median 9, IQR 8–10). This item also received a mean score of 9, though with slightly more variability (SD = 2). The median was 9, with an IQR of 8–10, indicating that most attendees expected the conference to considerably impact their clinical practice. Table 1 provides illustrative quotes from some virtual and in-person attendees.The GlomCon Foundation conducted an online survey study in 2021 to evaluate the educational experiences of nephrology trainees. The results revealed a significant variation in glomerular disease education across fellowship programs. It concluded that limited exposure to nephropathology and the absence of a dedicated glomerular diseases curriculum were linked to lower self-reported clinical competency scores in managing patients with glomerular disease [3].In 2022, Ramachandran et al. [4] conducted an online survey study distributed to nephrologists across Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. The study aimed to identify challenges in diagnosing and managing glomerular diseases in resource-limited settings, assess nephrologists’ proficiency in performing and interpreting kidney biopsies, and evaluate their access to complementary diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches [4]. Their findings highlight the importance of addressing barriers to the diagnosis and management of glomerular diseases, which represent a significant portion of potentially reversible causes of kidney failure, particularly in resource-limited regions [4].Advancing global kidney care requires international collaboration and sustained advocacy to raise knowledge of managing rare diseases and ensure these often overlooked conditions receive the required attention [4]. While guidelines are designed to standardize practices and enhance patient outcomes, their practical implementation depends on the available resources for accurate diagnosis and access to appropriate treatment options [4]. The GlomCon Hawaii Conference sought to take steps toward these gaps by enhancing the global nephrology community’s understanding of glomerular disease pathogenesis, exploring available treatment options, and addressing the challenges associated with disease management.The GlomCon Hawaii Conference was overwhelmingly well received by participants across various dimensions. The majority of attendees were from academic settings, with a significant representation of early to mid-career professionals. Participants reported substantial improvements in their understanding of glomerular diseases and anticipated significant impacts on their clinical practice. Overall satisfaction was consistently high, with no significant differences observed across years of practice, attendance modes, or practice settings.The GlomCon Hawaii Conference offers a deep dive into glomerular disease education and research. Unlike other conferences where research data or straight lectures are commonplace, GlomCon Conference aims to educate using minimal instruction and maximal discussion with interactive case-based sessions. What sets this conference apart is the involvement of moderators who are junior and mid-career nephrologists and alumni of the GlomCon Fellowship, demonstrating a strong commitment to advancing the field. This approach creates an exceptional environment to bridge the gap between clinical trial designs, cutting-edge research, and practical application in daily clinical practice.This conference builds a strong sense of community and networking by connecting glomerular disease enthusiasts across national and international boundaries and at various career stages. The GlomCon Fellowship program has laid the groundwork for future collaborations, with faculty and fellows working closely together over a year. Many program graduates now are GlomCon Fellowship instructors, creating a strong platform for ongoing networking and collaborative opportunities. The conference content will be accessible to registrants, with selected highlights on the GlomCon YouTube channel.As the field of glomerular diseases continues to evolve rapidly with numerous clinical trials on new therapies, GlomCon plans to hold recurrent annual meetings to educate clinicians taking care of patients with glomerular disease and provide scientists with an opportunity to collaborate and engage in new research initiatives. A thorough understanding of clinical trial methodologies and data interpretation is essential for effectively translating research findings into clinical practice and advancing patient care.Future meetings will use interactive workshops and sessions to delve deeper into incorporation of new therapies into clinical care, clinical trial design, and implementation and involve patient voices in the discussion around glomerular disease.Since its inception in 2017, GlomCon has served as a remarkable platform for exchanging ideas on glomerular diseases. In 2020, it launched the GlomCon Fellowship training program and has trained over 500 fellows to date. The addition of the in-person GlomCon Hawaii program aims to create meaningful collaborations and advance the boundaries of glomerular disease education and patient care.Ethical approval was not required for this study in accordance with local/national guidelines. Written informed consent from participants was not required in accordance with local/national guidelines.N.E. and Z.G.G. are recipients of the GlomCon Physician Scientist (GPS) Scholarship 2024 [5]. A.P.M. is the founder and president of the GlomCon Foundation. H.S., K.R., and S.N. are the course directors of the GlomCon Glomerular Disease Online Fellowship Program. D.R.W. is one of the GlomCon instructors.None.Niloufar Ebrahimi drafted the manuscript. Zohreh Gholizadeh Ghozloujeh performed the statistical analysis. Ali Poyan Mehr, Harish Seethapathy, Kate Robson, Dia R. Waguespack, and Rica Mae Pitogo reviewed and edited the primary manuscript. Sayna Norouzi supervised, edited, and reviewed the final manuscript. Authors also agreed and approved the manuscript for submission.All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article and its online supplementary material files. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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