Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you to join us at the 3rd North American Chapter Meeting of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis to be held in Vancouver, BC, August 27- 29, 2009.

For those new to peritoneal dialysis- or wishing a refresher- there will be a one day pre-course (Thursday, August 27th) on fundamentals of peritoneal dialysis which will feature a number of world renowned speakers. The main body of the conference- which will focus on “Expanding the Role of Peritoneal Dialysis”- begins the following day. Together with my co- Chair, Dr. John Burkart, and our Scientific Committee Chair, Dr. Peter Margetts, we have created what we hope you’ll agree is an exciting and stimulating program.

Those of you who have previously visited Vancouver know what a wonderful destination it is. For those of you who have not yet visited this lovely city, this would be a great opportunity! Vancouver is a bustling cosmopolitan city that has also retained its beauty and charm. The surrounding countryside is amongst the most beautiful in North America. Furthermore, the conference venue, the Westin Bayshore Hotel, is perfect for this meeting- and it will be newly renovated in anticipation of the 2010 winter Olympics!

I hope you will choose to join us for this important and exciting conference and I look forward to meeting you there.

Isaac Teitelbaum, MD
Conference Chair
3rd North American Chapter Meeting
Vancouver BC

On behalf of the Scientific Committee, I am pleased to invite the North American and international peritoneal dialysis community to the 3rd North American Chapter Meeting of the International Society of Nephrology. The theme of this meeting is “Expanding the Role of Peritoneal Dialysis” and we have put together an exciting program that highlights the present state of peritoneal dialysis in North America, and hints at where the future will take us. The program will include the most innovative and recent PD research. Specific areas of interest include: PD and fluid volume homeostasis, PD in challenging populations, epidemiological trends in PD utilization, and challenges of the long-term PD patient. We are very pleased that Dr. Raymond Krediet has accepted our offer of the Zellerman Lecture and will give a talk on the transport properties of the peritoneal membrane in the long-term PD patient. Dr. Krediet will join an exciting list of speakers from within the PD community and beyond.

The 3rd NAC-ISPD meeting will be held in conjunction with the Western Canada PD meeting. Because of the tradition of the WCPD, we have included a very strong nursing and allied health program. We also have an integrated pediatrics component including a report of the International Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Network.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the planning committee selected Vancouver for the NAC-ISPD meeting because of its outstanding beauty and many and varied attractions.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the 3rd NAC-ISPD meeting, Aug 28-29, 2009.

Peter Margetts, MD PhD
Scientific Committee Chair
3rd North American Chapter Meeting
Vancouver BC