The most recent project is an International Society of Nephrology and the Transplantation Society (ISN-TTS) Sister Transplant Centers Pair Program Grant to form a joint partnership between the Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM) in Haiti and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston. This grant supplies a framework and list of benefits to help HUM develop a kidney transplant program in Haiti over the next 5 years. The sister program seeks to utilize the experience of BIDMC to train surgeons, medical transplant physicians, and pathologists at HUM as part of a sustainable partnership between the two institutions. This ISN-TTS program grant recognizes and builds upon the efforts we have already performed to bring kidney care, dialysis and education to HUM in Haiti. We have hosted a one month educational visit at BIDMC for Fritz Verly Vernet, MD from HUM in November, 2022 to advance this program with training on the BIDMC transplant and nephrology services.
KIKY (Patient 7)
A 6 year old Haitian boy developed sudden anuria (no urine output) from acute kidney injury and was brought to the Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM), a Partners in Health facility. A kidney biopsy performed by Dr. Philip Cleophat, a nephrologist and Director of the HUM Department of Medicine, was transported from Haiti to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital by Dr. Brian Remillard and interpreted by their renal pathologist, Dr. Alan Schned (all TORCH Directors). The biopsy showed a severe inflammation of the glomeruli, the filters of the kidney, with clots in the blood vessels, offering an uncertain prognosis for recovery. Kiky received 16 hemodialysis treatments at HUM with donated equipment and supplies from our partners (listed below) under the medical care of Dr. Cleophat, Medical Resident Dr. Mariline Menager, and Pediatric Nephrologist Dr. Judith Exantus. He has regained his kidney function and dialysis has been discontinued. He feels much better now. What a triumph!!
A 6 year old Haitian boy developed sudden anuria (no urine output) from acute kidney injury and was brought to the Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM), a Partners in Health facility. A kidney biopsy performed by Dr. Philip Cleophat, a nephrologist and Director of the HUM Department of Medicine, was transported from Haiti to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital by Dr. Brian Remillard and interpreted by their renal pathologist, Dr. Alan Schned (all TORCH Directors). The biopsy showed a severe inflammation of the glomeruli, the filters of the kidney, with clots in the blood vessels, offering an uncertain prognosis for recovery. Kiky received 16 hemodialysis treatments at HUM with donated equipment and supplies from our partners (listed below) under the medical care of Dr. Cleophat, Medical Resident Dr. Mariline Menager, and Pediatric Nephrologist Dr. Judith Exantus. He has regained his kidney function and dialysis has been discontinued. He feels much better now. What a triumph!!
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Dr. Robert Brown, President of TORCH, with Mariline Menager, MD, Gracilli Cadet, RN, and Saisette Joseph, RN, who came from Haiti to the USA for hemodialysis training during a week in October, 2014. With Dr. Cleophat, they started the HD program at HUM, saving lives of Haitians like Kiky with acute kidney failure necessitating dialysis.
Dr. Robert Brown brought Dr. Mariline Menager to the American Society of Nephrology meeting in Chicago (shown below) in November, 2016 to learn more about kidney disease. She has returned to Mirebalais, Haiti this year after formal training in kidney disease and transplantation as a fellow in Lyons, France. TORCH, with Partners in Health, is working to help Dr. Menager provide nephrology care and educate other physicians at HUM to be able to help patients with kidney diseases in Haiti.
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Chronic kidney disease and dialysis education class of nurses and doctors from Port-au-Prince and Mirebalais, November, 2015 taught by Lisa Dumouchel and Betty Paret sent to Haiti by TORCH.
The Organizing Team shown below: from left to right, Resident Dr Petit Frère, Lisa Dumouchel, NP, Betty Paret, RN, MBA/HCM, Pediatric nephrologist Dr. Judith Exantus, Resident Dr Regine Gonel
The Organizing Team shown below: from left to right, Resident Dr Petit Frère, Lisa Dumouchel, NP, Betty Paret, RN, MBA/HCM, Pediatric nephrologist Dr. Judith Exantus, Resident Dr Regine Gonel
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Torch has brought Dr. Fabienne Anglade, Chief Pathologist at HUM (shown below between Dr. Remillard, left, and Dr. Brown), to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston for a week in February, 2019 for instruction in renal pathology from Dr. Isaac Stillman. We are working toward a goal of initiating a kidney transplant program at HUM over the next two years with help from Dr. Jacfranz Guiteau, a member of the TORCH Board of Directors.
Initiation of hemodialysis at Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM), Haiti - November, 2014 to the present
As of now, over 100 patients with acute kidney injury (acute renal failure) have undergone hemodialysis (HD) at HUM, with about two-thirds surviving and almost all of the survivers recovering adequate kidney function. NxStage (Fresenius Medical Care) has just donated four more NxStage hemodialysis machines which Partners in Health will ship to HUM to improve dialysis there and to provide additional needed hemodialysis in Port-au-Prince.
TORCH and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center were planning to perform preventive diagnostic projects by working with Drs. Fritz Verly Vernet, Dana Gaudard, and Mariline Manager at HUM to screen 1000 individuals in and around Mirebalais for hypertension, diabetes and kidney disease. In addition to allowing treatment of affected individuals, we will be helping to assess the prevalence of these undiagnosed conditions in this Haitian population. We also plan to conduct a research project at HUM looking for the percentages of the high risk APOL 1 genotypes that confer an increased risk of chronic kidney disease in persons of African ancestry. However, these projects had to be postponed, first by the COVID-19 pandemic and then by the unrest in Haiti.
As of now, over 100 patients with acute kidney injury (acute renal failure) have undergone hemodialysis (HD) at HUM, with about two-thirds surviving and almost all of the survivers recovering adequate kidney function. NxStage (Fresenius Medical Care) has just donated four more NxStage hemodialysis machines which Partners in Health will ship to HUM to improve dialysis there and to provide additional needed hemodialysis in Port-au-Prince.
TORCH and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center were planning to perform preventive diagnostic projects by working with Drs. Fritz Verly Vernet, Dana Gaudard, and Mariline Manager at HUM to screen 1000 individuals in and around Mirebalais for hypertension, diabetes and kidney disease. In addition to allowing treatment of affected individuals, we will be helping to assess the prevalence of these undiagnosed conditions in this Haitian population. We also plan to conduct a research project at HUM looking for the percentages of the high risk APOL 1 genotypes that confer an increased risk of chronic kidney disease in persons of African ancestry. However, these projects had to be postponed, first by the COVID-19 pandemic and then by the unrest in Haiti.
TORCH has helped provide supplies to HUM for this program, and most importantly, to coordinate help and donation of equipment and supplies from multiple sources to which we are deeply indebted (see our Partners below).
TORCH’s Current “Partners”
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
Partners in Health, Boston, MA
Zanmi Lasante/Partners in Health, Cange, Haiti
Bridge of Life (formerly Davita Village Trust)
NxStage from Fresenius Medical Care
Sustainable Kidney Care Foundation
Société de Néphrologie
Société Francophone de Transplantation
TORCH’s Current “Partners”
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
Partners in Health, Boston, MA
Zanmi Lasante/Partners in Health, Cange, Haiti
Bridge of Life (formerly Davita Village Trust)
NxStage from Fresenius Medical Care
Sustainable Kidney Care Foundation
Société de Néphrologie
Société Francophone de Transplantation