Dear IPTA Members and Congress Attendees,

On behalf of the Organizing Committees and the IPTA Council, we would like to thank you for attending and contributing to the tremendous success of the IPTA 2019 Vancouver Congress. We trust that you enjoyed the great variety of networking opportunities to connect with friends and colleagues in the beautiful city of Vancouver.

We are pleased to share with you the highlights of the Congress:

• 522 participants from all over the world:
  • Asia – 5%
  • Europe – 20%
  • Latin America – 4%
  • Middle East/Africa – 4%
  • North America – 63%
  • Oceania – 3%
• 323 submitted abstracts from 34 countries
• 115 invited speakers from 13 countries
• 6 Plenary Symposia, 5 State-of-the Art Presentations, 3 Pre-Congress Symposia, 16 Interactive Workshops, 21 Oral Abstract Sessions, 3 Poster Sessions and 2 Morning Industry Symposia
• Abstracts were published in Pediatric Transplantation Journal
• A special Congress opening and blessing by Elder Roberta Price
• Totem poles watching over speakers as they shared knowledge with friends and colleagues
• Pre-meeting symposia including a Writing Course workshop, Foundations in Pediatric Transplantation on Long-term Outcomes and a first-ever all-day Allied Health Symposium on Improving Outcomes in Pediatric Transplantation
• Thanks for generous sponsorship go to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburg, Astellas, One Lambda, Stanford Children’ Health & Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, Dr Ken Citron Charitable Trust and Bryce Cormier Memorial Fund as well as all our collaborating organizations and hospitals & non-profit organizations.

The recorded sessions from the Congress are now available to IPTA members and Congress attendees (instructions on how to access are further below). We continue to look forward to sharing new Association activities with you via our quarterly member newsletter, the next edition will be available to members in July.

We look forward to welcoming you to the next IPTA Congress in Prague, Czech Republic. Please mark your calendars: April 17-20, 2021.

Best wishes,

Mignon McCulloch
IPTA President and IPTA 2019 Chair

Anne I. Dipchand
Immediate Past-President

The focus of this symposium was aimed at clinical and research fellows in pediatric solid organ transplantation, as well as residents, and other allied health professional or non-physician trainees who are planning a career in pediatric transplantation.

The symposium also provided state of the art information to established physicians, surgeons and allied health professionals who participate in the care of children before or after solid organ transplantation.

All participants had the opportunity to learn about the field of pediatric solid organ transplantation from experts in both basic science and clinical care while working within small interactive groups. There was cross-organ plenaries and organ-specific breakout groups. Trainees had the opportunity to present their research and receive feedback from the faculty in addition to having opportunities to network and discuss issues relevant to a career in pediatric solid organ transplantation.

The 9^th Congress of the International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) took place in Barcelona, Spain, from May 27-30, 2017 and was a great success both in terms of its excellent attendance and its scientific quality. Topics being addressed were updates and new data from ongoing pediatric transplant clinical trials (CTOTC), long-term complications following transplantation, standards for surveillance and treatment of infections in transplantation, perspectives in immune tolerance, up-to-date data from important registries, new and emerging immunosuppressive agents, ethical dilemmas in pediatric transplantation, devices used to support transplantation, issues in noncompliance and transfer of care, just to name a few.

There were special sessions designed for allied health-care professionals (AHP), who have a strong international AHP community within IPTA. The IPTA Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed post-humously to Dr. William Harmon, and the Pioneer in Transplantation Award to Dr. Benedict Cosimi. Attendees from around the globe had the opportunity to network and plan for future clinical and research collaboration.

The 5^th Congress on Pediatric Transplantation was IPTA’s highest attended congress to date! Over 500 colleagues, spanning 62 countries, joined IPTA in Istanbul, Turkey for an exceptional educational experience. The scientific program included 228 oral presentations and 235 poster presentations. Thank you to all our faculty and presenters who have contributed to the success of this Congress.

The Pre-Congress Post Graduate Course focused on Quality of Life and Vaccines and Viruses in Transplant Recipients. Organized by Drs. Simon Horslen, Michael Green, and Fabienne Dobbels, the course drew over 100 Congress attendees. We plan to continue this course at future meetings based on the positive feedback received.

Sponsorship for the conference continues to increase, and we would like to thank all of our Congress sponsors and exhibitors.Their support was critical to the success of the meeting.

We would also like to thank everyone who completed the online Congress survey. Your input is valuable to the continued success of the meeting and we will try to incorporate the feedback received into the planning of the 2011 Congress. If you did not complete the online survey or have additional comments about future meetings, please forward them to the IPTA office at sections@tts.org

This Congress continues to be the leading meeting for those engaged in pediatric transplantation. Be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend the next Congress of the IPTA, June 25 – 28, 2011 in Montreal, Canada.

The International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) organized its first symposium in India jointly with the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital on 29^th October 2006 in New Delhi, India. Members of the faculty included IPTA members and council and leading personnel from the Indian transplant program.

This symposium brought together faculty members from different parts of India and Birmingham with 150 delegates from all over India. The talks focused on indications, outcomes and logistic problems in liver and kidney transplantation. The conference had interactive sessions comparing the international scenario with the Indian situation. The practicalities of implementing cadaveric donor transplantation in India was discussed. There are many challenges in India, which include very late referrals, financial constraints, donor issues, girl-child bias and limitations in uniformity of resources and infrastructure beyond major cities. In spite of these challenges, the Indian kidney and liver transplantation program has shown steady development with a growing number of transplantation and improving results.

Deirdre Kelly, Immediate Past-President
Anupam Sibal, IPTA Council Member

IPTA would like to thank everyone who attended the IPTA 2nd Congress in Rio de Janeiro. The congress in April 2003 proved to be one of the most exciting meetings of the year. It was full of state of the art science presented by a large group of international transplant professionals. Over 200 abstracts from 39 different countries were presented. IPTA was proud to support travel for a number of trainees. Everyone who attended can attest to the wonderful social program put in place by the local organizers. It is with great pride that IPTA thanks the local organizers, Dr. Elias David-Neto and Dr. Lilian MP Araujo for their dedication and hard work. Again, thank you to all who attended the Rio congress for your support and contributions to this important scientific event.

This is what attendees had to say about the IPTA 2nd Congress held April 5-9, 2003 in Rio de Janeiro

• Overall, it was a great meeting!
• The meeting left us with great enthusiasm to continue the fight for a better development of solid organ transplantation in our country.
• A very good update on pediatric transplantation
• In general the congress was very good. It had the best social events I have participated in
• Speakers were experts in their respective fields
• I liked the balance between clinical and basic sciences and of course, the place
• The 2nd IPTA conference was exceptional - thank you
• Exceptional scientific data associated with a familiar spirit
• The meeting in Rio was a good meeting and I am looking forward to the next one.
• Very good reviews about clinical issues in transplantation (immune suppression/PTLD)
• Liked that attendees were able to have close contact and interaction with experts. Experience restricted to pediatric transplantation.
• It was really a cozy conference – not too many delegates so you got more of a chance to interact with other delegates. The venue was fantastic and it was excellent to have a bit of free time.
• Good clinical interplay and discussion
• Broad appeal to all providers caring for children with solid organ transplants
• Very nice, pleasant and scientifically committed