KIDNEYcon 2026

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 7:30 AM - Saturday, April 25, 2026, 10:00 PM CT, Little Rock, AR

The 11th Annual KIDNEYcon will be held in Little Rock, AR on April 23-25, 2026. Hosted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, KIDNEYcon is an annual three-day conference updates on the latest advances in kidney care in a hands-on collaborative format. The program will feature 25 nationally recognized speakers leading interactive workshops that simulate realistic practice conditions utilizing case studies, simulations, live human models, and cadavers to teach how and why interventions are done and allow attendees to practice new techniques.

Credit Designation Statements

AMA Credit Designation Statement

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences designates this live activity for a maximum of 22.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ANCC Credit Designation Statement

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences designates this live activity for a maximum of 22 ANCC contact hours.  Nursing contact hours will be awarded for successful completion of program components based upon documented attendance and completion of evaluation materials.

ACPE Credit Designation Statement

These knowledge-based activities will provide pharmacists up to 22 contact hours or 2.2 CEU.  CE credit information, based on verification of live attendance and completion of the program evaluation, will be provided to NABP within 60 days after the activity completion.

1. After the renal biopsy workshop, 1) the need for repeat renal biopsy will be reduced; thereby, reducing patients’ morbidity and mortality risks associated with the procedure, 2) the percentage of kidney samples adequate for diagnosis will be increased, 3) the occurrence rate of obtaining non-kidney tissue during renal biopsy will be decreased, 4) nephrologists will correctly interpret renal biopsy results and select the appropriate course of care for patients; thus, leading to better patient outcomes and reduced morbidity and mortality rates, and 5 ) interprofessional communication among nephrologists and pathologists will improve and help support a team approach to the treatment of kidney disease.
2. After the activity, the participant will be able to: 1) Implement strategies to best determine the appropriate timing of initiation of CRRT on a patient-by-patient basis. 2) Administer angiotensin II in the management of patients with septic shock to improve renal function. 3) Understand and apply the benefits of use of functional and cell cycle arrest biomarkers as prognostic biomarkers of AKI. 4) Administer pharmacotherapy with vasopressors to reverse the hemodynamic abnormalities associated with advanced cirrhosis and improve renal perfusion and function inpatients with HRS-1.
3. After the activity, participants will be able to: 1) Discuss how SGLT2i may be a promising addition to glomerular disease treatment and identify when it is appropriate to use on patients. Recent studies show SGLT2i treatment may be effective in patients with nondiabetic chronic kidney disease, including primary and secondary glomerular diseases. 2) Better understand the pathophysiology of Membranous Nephropathy (MN) and how to utilize new information about evolving mechanisms of the disease. Considerable advances in understanding the molecular pathogenesis have occurred with the identification of several antigens. It is now established that MN results from antibodies targeting an antigen in the glomerular basement membrane.1-The target antigen has been identified as M-type phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) and Thrombospondin Type-1 Domain-Containing 7A (THSD7A) in approximately 70% and 1-5% of primary MN, respectively. In other cases of primary MN and in secondary MN, the target antigens are unknown; however, recently, two new proteins causative of MN have been identified. A subset of MN is associated with accumulation of EXT1 and EXT2 in the GBM. Autoimmune disease is common in this group of patients. Clinical and biopsy findings of NELL-1 positive MN showed features of primary MN. Thus, a subset of MN is associated with accumulation and co-localization of NELL-1 and IgG along the glomerular basement membrane, and with anti-NELL-1 antibodies in the serum. Hence, NELL-1 defines a distinct type of primary MN. 3) Understand that under dire situations when tolerance to an anti-CD20 mAb has developed, switching to another anti-CD20 mAb could potentially be useful.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (22.00 hours), ACPE - Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (22.00 hours), ANCC - American Nurses Credentialing Center (22.00 hours), Non-Physician AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (22.00 hours)

In support of improving patient care, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Office of Continuing Education adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers or others are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.