Part 1 🚀of the World Kidney Day Event under the patronage of Minister Stefanie Drese @sozial_mv in Greifswald. What a fantastic and deeply important event for the concerns of so many people living with chronic kidney disease in Germany — and especially in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. As Chair of Nordverbund Niere, I am so proud that our network is making kidney disease visible and pushing for real change: earlier prevention, better awareness, stronger research, and more patient-centered care. Together with Prof. @Tobias_B_Huber, one of the world’s leading kidney researchers and my deputy chair, we want to bring kidney health into the public and political spotlight. A particularly moving and thought-provoking lecture by Prof. Linkermann (@Linkermann_Lab)asked a question we must not avoid: 👉 Why are more kidneys not being transplanted? And even more directly: are there structures in place that keep people on dialysis instead of enabling transplantation? This is a crucial question at a time when chronic kidney disease has become a major public health challenge. We cannot remain silent. We need prevention, innovation, transparency, and courage. Kidney disease affects millions — but it is still far too invisible. We have to act. Now! For the patients

Today, my News are a little longer - because this event was simply fantastic! The Greifswald "World Kidney Day," held on May 15 at the beautiful Pommersches Landesmuseum, inspired everyone who attended - and the enthusiasm continued in the evening at the Eldena Beach Party. The midday program was truly special: the world’s best kidney researchers, Minister Stefanie Drese @sozial_mv, Minister Bettina Martin @BettinaMartin4, Minister Dr. Wolfgang Blank @NORD_OST_ and Minister Christian Pegel, representatives from federal and state institutions, the Mayor of the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald, Dr. Stefan Fassbinder, Rector of the University Greifswald Prof. Katharina Riedel, and the Chair of the Senate, the Executive Board of University Medicine Greifswald Prof. Karlhans Endlich & Prof. Klaus Hahnenkamp, and the President of the German Society of Nephrology (DGfN) Prof. Andreas Kuhlmann, all participated. 👏 Among the more than 70 participants were patients, patient representatives, practicing physicians, members of the Friends of Lions Baltic Association, entrepreneurs, and many supporters of kidney health 🙏. My heartfelt thanks go to @Tobias_B_Huber, Prof. Andreas Linkermann @Linkermann_Lab , and Prof. Catherine Meyer-Schwesinger, Prof. Matthias Heckmann for their fantastic talks; to @JochenReiser for his excellent and inspiring zoom talk on AI, the brain, and the kidney; and to Janina Tesch, who has supported this event with great courage since 2018 and spoke about her life as a transplant patient. I am also deeply grateful to Prof. Sylvia Stracke for the fantastic collaboration here at Universitätsmedizin Greifswald. 🙏 Thank you to everyone who made this day so special. Many thanks to all supporters, sponsors and donors! 🙏 Together, we continue to raise awareness, strengthen prevention, and support progress in kidney research and patient care. There was also television report about the event: 👏 👉 ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/n…

Preparations for this year’s World Kidney Day at the beautiful Pomeranian State Museum in the University and Hanseatic city of Greifswald are in full swing. 🚀 I am deeply grateful that so many distinguished guests have accepted my invitation: four ministers, the Chair, the Executive and Supervisory Board of the Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, the Rector of the Universität Greifswald, members of the Federal and State Parliaments, the Chair of the City Council, the President of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nephrologie e.V. (DGfN), leading researchers and nephrologists, as well as patient representatives, health insurance and business leaders, representatives of associations, and many, many more. It is also a special honor for us that , the President of The University of Texas Medical Branch, will be participating in the event online, as he unfortunately cannot be with us in person this year. What matters most to me is that patients and patient advocates engage with us at this event. Their voices, experiences, and perspectives are indispensable when we discuss the future of kidney health. I am very grateful for the donations and sponsorship contributions that make this event possible, and I welcome further donations. Without them, we cannot achieve what we are currently doing. I also hope that on this day we will be able to announce something that could represent an important step toward prevention—and that this event organized by Nordverbund Niere “Save the Kidney” e.V. will send a strong signal in support of kidney health prevention in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. And in the evening, we will continue at the Beach of Greifswald with the "Save the Kidney"-Party 💃 🕺: a big stage, amazing music, and several hours of DJ sets — including myself together with other DJs. Everything for the kidney. Everything for awareness, prevention and better care. Special 🙏 to: Stefanie Drese @sozial_mv @BettinaMartin4 Christian Pegel Wolfgang Blank Klaus Hahnenkamp Karlhans Endlich Kathrin Riedel Stefan Fassbinder Martin Kuhlmann, @dgfn_ev @Tobias_B_Huber @Linkermann_Lab Sylvia Stracke Catherine Meyer-Schwesinger