Women in Transplantation @ ISHLT 2025 Congress
Women in Transplantation (WIT) Networking Event
Title: No Turning Back: Courage in the face of adversity
On Monday April 28th at 18:45-19:45 local time, all registered for this event and attending ISHLT are invited to a special networking event, introduced by Dr. Lori West (ISHLT Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 winner and WIT Past Chair 2019-2022, University of Edmonton, AB, Canada).
Speakers include Dr. Sofia Chaikovska (The Heart Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine); and Dr. Christine Falk (Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany).
A discussion will follow.
There is no separate registration fee for this event for all who are registered for the ISHLT meeting, and all are welcome.
If you are registered for ISHLT and are interested in attending this special event, please go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/TRJNL99 to register by Thursday April 17th.
We look forward to welcoming you!
New Research Grant for Indigenous Populations - Requests for Applications are Open!
Women in Transplantation Chair
I am excited to announce the inaugural Women in Transplantation (WIT) seeding grant, designed to address sex and gender inequities among Indigenous Peoples undergoing solid organ transplantation. Indigenous Peoples, women, and gender-diverse groups face significant systemic barriers to timely transplantation and experience poorer post-transplant outcomes, driven by historical inequities and the impact of social determinants of health. Biological sex and gender roles also shape the progression of chronic disease, access to care, and treatment responses, yet these factors are often overlooked in both research and clinical practice. By prioritising inclusive, culturally safe, and gender-responsive research, this initiative seeks to develop tailored strategies to enhance access to transplantation, improve long-term patient and graft survival, and promote overall well-being. This grant aims to drive sustainable, equitable advancements in transplantation care by fostering meaningful collaboration with key stakeholders.
The applicant must identify a mentor with expertise in transplantation research, a demonstrated strong track record in Indigenous health research, and a proven commitment to supporting early-career researchers. The mentor should also be willing and able to actively guide the applicant in the design, execution, and successful completion of the proposed research project and build research capacity among Indigenous peoples.
Application Deadline: May 1, 2025
Announcement of 2024-2026 WIT Fellowship and LMIC Research Grant Winners
Sanofi Fellowship Award Winner
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Dr. Sumoyee Basu
Project Title:
King’s College London, UK
Exploring how T and B cell populations regulate the development of HLA Antibodies, comparing pregnancy and transplantation to inform novel strategies to help sensitised renal patients awaiting (re)transplantation
Paladin Fellowship Award Winner
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Dr. Slaghaniya Neupane
Project Title:
University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
Investigating Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 Alpha as a Central Regulator of Kidney Graft Repair in a Sex-Specific Fashion
LMIC Research Grant Winner
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Dr. Sukanya Govindan
Project Title:
Mehta Hospital, Chennai, India
Gender disparities in clinical and social outcomes in young people receiving renal replacement therapy in South Asia
Announcement of 2024 WIT Award Winners
MD, PhD, Nephrology
National Medical Center
Senior Consultant
Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University
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.
University of Sydney, Australia
Bio
The University of Sydney
Dr Brenda Maria Rosales is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at The University of Sydney. PhD graduate in 2021, she was awarded the Sanofi Women in Transplantation Research Fellowship Grant for Research in Gender and Sex in Transplantation in 2022. She has received TTS Young Investigator and TSANZ Early Career Researcher awards.
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
- Rosales et al. 2020, IntJCancer (doi:10.1002/ijc.32585)
- Rosales et al. 2022, AJKD (doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2022.03.010)
- De La Mata et al. 2021, BMJ (doi:10.1136/BMJ-2021-068247)
- Wyld et al. 2020, Transplantation (DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000003224)
Pillar 3 Patient Brochure
Recent Past Event Recordings
Women's Barrier to Transplant
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:
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