WEB PAGE

• Our web page, has been renewed and updated. Space has been given to each of our committees in order for them to promote goals, initiatives and achievements. Important information about the IRTA Intestinal Failure Registry has now been added to the website under the “Registries” tab. Our latest webinar recordings, as well as all those done in 2021, can be found under the “Education” tab and are available to all IRTA members.

REGISTRIES

• IITR: Eric Pahl, is our new Registry Manager, working under the leadership of Dr. Robert Venick. Emails were sent to the participant centers to start re-entering the data. Deadlines were sent, in order to reach our goal of obtaining the most updated registry for CIRTA 2023 in Chicago. Work has been done with NHS and the SRTR to obtain the information. Data Collaboration Agreement templates were created for the centers in order to facilitate the IRB process. Each regional council and chapter leader, will have the responsibility to inform IITR of new centers, providing contact information and to ensure growth.
• IFR: The successful pediatric IFR, evolved by Dr. Yaron Avitzur, has 15 approved centers, 2 abstracts produced and submitted to ASPEN; as well as an RO1. The development of an Adult IFR Working Group, was proposed under the leadership of Dr. Palle Jeppesen, who will work with the necessary strength to have the pilot phase ready by 2023.
• Intestinal failure centers will be identified, contacted to become members and will be added to the web page.

EDUCATION

• Under the leadership of Dr. Laurens Ceulemans, (chair of the Membership and Education Committee) and Christina Belza, (chair of the AHP Committee), 4 webinars were created in 2021 and 3 so far in 2022, with more being planned for the fall.
• The council has considered it a priority to produce IRTA guidelines, position statements or IRTA approved/endorsed manuscripts. The survey on COVID-19 IRTA manuscript published by Segovia M, et al. in Transplantation, serves as a first example. Currently, the IRTA is working on several projects: A position statement on ITx Indications; Guidelines on IF and Rehabilitation Management; AHP IRTA guidelines; a position statement on ITx waiting list prioritizing challenges; the New Zealand meeting report, and a consensus on indications for MTV TX due to NET.
• The IRTA had agree to promote Dr. Kishore Iyer’s “Lift-Echo activities”, and now we are in the process of having our webpage, linked on the Lift-Echo page, and we are considering the development of combined educational activities.

COMMITTEES

• The Basic and Translational Research Committee has been developed under the leadership of Dr. Tomoaki Kato which was organized and established as part of the Scientific Committee, and meetings have begun
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• The Communications Committee has been developed, with Lisa Sharkey as chair. Other new committees are being proposed.
• If you are interested in being involved in our committees and have some expertise to share, we welcome you. Please contact our Manager, Suzanne Landis at Suzanne.Landis@tts.org.

IRTA CHAPTERS

• In order to expand our network and to amplify education, teaching and to outreach underserved areas, regional Chapters have been created. With less than 2 months after launching, 8 chapters have applied, 3 approved, 5 pending approval, 6 new IRTA members were brought on by the approved centers; 7 renewed their memberships. Regional councils, should help identifying more interested countries. Chapter recognition plaques for new Chapters will be given at TTS 2022 to those in attendance. Scientific and educational initiatives are expected to be proposed, in order for us to start mentoring them.

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

• Following an initiative by Dr. Laurens Ceulemans and with full support of the Duchateau family, the Nicholas Duchateau Young Investigator Award was created – Information and donation details have been published on our web page, and a total of 7 contributions have been made.
• After a proposal made by Dr. Christophe Chardot, the movie, “Live like Others”, was added to the IRTA web page. Dr. Badaloni, one of our program trainees worked on translating the sub-titles from English to Spanish, and the IRTA logo was incorporated at the end of the film.

FINANCES

• The Association continues to have a solid economical balance.

CIRTA 2023

• Last but not least, the Scientific Program Committee for CIRTA 2023, under the leadership of Dr. Alan Buchman, meet regularly, and are currently in the final steps to defining the full program for our Chicago Congress which will take place on June 30-July 3, 2023. Sponsors are in the process of being contacted, and the budget in the process of being finalized. We look forward to having all the IRTA community start producing single and multicenter, clinical, basic and translational science studies to be shared in Chicago.