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The Kidney Foundation of Canada (KFOC), the Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN), and Otsuka Canada are pleased to announce the recipient of the 2024 CSN-Otsuka Vicky Karoutas Memorial Award, Dr. William Beaubien-Souligny, nephrologist and researcher at the Centre de recherche du CHUM.

National Executive Director of KFOC, Elizabeth Myles, made this announcement on May 7th during the opening session of the CSN Annual General Meeting in Vancouver, BC. This was followed by a presentation by Dr. Beaubien-Souligny who shared his patient-centered research project entitled “Subphenotypes of hemodynamic parameters and symptoms in prevalent in-center HD patients”.

This project aims to understand how the body reacts to hemodialysis treatment using artificial intelligence (AI). Specifically, his team is focused on understanding the blood pressure changes that occur for many patients during hemodialysis. These changes can have significant physical and mental health effects, adding an additional burden to those undergoing the treatment.

To understand this phenomenon, Dr. Beaubien-Souligny and his team hope to identify patterns in patient data collected from over 1200 patients and 1 million dialysis sessions. The use of AI allows the team to analyze this large data set in a way that has not been possible before and uncover new insights. Dr. Beaubien-Souligny and his team are hopeful that these methods will provide new information about how a patient’s body changes during dialysis.

The novel insights produced from this project have the potential to not only revolutionize hemodialysis treatment, but also to aid in the development of new preventions and treatments in the future. Overall, Dr. Beaubien-Souligny’s project will lead to improved mental and physical health for patients living with kidney failure, reducing the burden of dangerous blood pressure fluctuations and providing a higher quality of life.

You can read more about this project here: Subphenotypes of hemodynamic parameters and symptoms in prevalent in-center HD patients - Research Awards Recipients - The Kidney Foundation of Canada

“The Kidney Foundation of Canada is proud to partner with CSN and Otsuka Canada to present the CSN-Otsuka Vicky Karoutas Memorial Award to Dr. Beaubien-Souligny. As a patient-focused health charity, we support research that will have a direct effect on the lives and wellbeing of people with kidney disease. Dr. Beaubien-Souligny’s project will provide important data about how the body changes during hemodialysis, which will have a huge impact the physical and mental health of patients living with kidney failure across the country.” - Elizabeth Myles, National Executive Director of The Kidney Foundation of Canada.

“The Canadian Society of Nephrology is proud to support the CSN-Otsuka Vicky Karoutas Memorial Award. This award was created in memory of Vicky Karoutas whose life had been dedicated to the well-being of patients affected with kidney disease. Dr. Beaubien-Souligny's research will provide much needed information regarding the body's response during hemodialysis treatment, which will help improve the treatment for all patients receiving hemodialysis.” - Dr. Tomoko Takano, President of the Canadian Society of Nephrology.

“At Otsuka Canada, we are deeply committed to advancing patient-centered research, and we are proud to see Dr. Beaulieu-Souligny recognized with the CSN-Otsuka Vicky Karoutas memorial award. This recognition not only highlights the importance of kidney research but also reaffirms our dedication to supporting initiatives that put patients at the heart of scientific innovation, and that drives real impact in the lives of people living with kidney disease. This memorial award is to perpetuate Vicky Karouta’s legacy which was the fight against chronic kidney disease and reducing the burden of kidney disease throughout Canada.” – Michael Laranjo, President & General Manager, Otsuka Canada Pharmaceutical.

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About the CSN-Otsuka Vicky Karoutas Memorial Award

The Kidney Foundation of Canada in partnership with the Canadian Society of Nephrology and Otsuka Canada, established the Vicky Karoutas Memorial Award in 2022. This award commemorates the legacy of Vicky Karoutas, a leader within the Nephrology community in Canada who sought to provide hope and improve the lives of patients with kidney disease. In her honour, this award is granted annually to an applicant of The Kidney Foundation of Canada’s Kidney Health Research Grant that demonstrates exceptional patient-centered research.