AJKDBlog is excited to bring you the 11th edition of NephMadness!

If you’re a #NephMadnessNewbie, this post is for you…

What is NephMadness?

NephMadness is a free online, CME-granting, evidenced-based, noncommercial learning initiative that leverages the tools of social media to teach about the latest and greatest breakthroughs in the field of nephrology! (From the 2017 explainer post)

The idea is based on March Madness, the annual US college basketball tournament. Instead of basketball teams, we selected the hottest nephrology topics to compete in NephMadness. More on the history of the madness in this Editorial: NephMadness 2015: Nephrology as a Cornerstone of Medicine. Also, check out @KidneyCathy‘s short video explainer:

What do I need to do?

1. Read this year’s region posts here.
2. Submit an individual or team bracket here.
3. Discuss your picks with #NephTwitter!

Helpful illustration by Omar Taco @errantnephron:

What are the teams and regions?

There are 8 main nephrology topics (REGIONS) with 2 subtopics (TEAMS) in the tournament.

• Access to Kidney Transplantation: Vineeta Kumar @VineetaKumar8 | Margaret DeOliveira @MargaretD128 | Jeffrey Kott @jrkott27
• Heart Failure Devices: Nisha Bansal @NishaKidneyDoc | Jen Bergeron @DrJennyBee | Jefferson Triozzi @nepherson
• Thrombotic Microangiopathy: Anuja Java @anuja_java | Viralkumar Amrutiya @viral_nephro | Nouman Akbar @AkbarNouman
• IGA Nephropathy: Dana Rizk @DanaRizk1 | Dana Larsen @dana_m_larsen
• Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists: Matt Luther @DrJMLuther | Micah Schub @AcidBassMD
• Onconephrology: Matthew Abramson @M_Abramson | Morgan Schoer | Scott Stockholm
• Transgender Health: Mitchell R. Lunn @MitchellLunn | Sehrish Ali @sehrish_alii
• Transitions of Care: Rasheeda Hall @Rasheeda_HallMD | Alissar El Chediak @alissar_chediak

This year’s official bracket:

Resources for groups:

DOWNLOAD NEPHMADNESS 2023 BRACKET

DOWNLOAD POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

DOWNLOAD PDF PRESENTATION

PRESENTATION ON GOOGLE SLIDES

If you’re organizing a virtual party, here are instructions on how to fill out your bracket as a group with Zoom polls:

In Step 2 above, the A-B choices would look like this in the bracket:

Who picks the NephMadness champion?

A 9-member Blue Ribbon Panel selects the winners of each round in NephMadness. For each matchup, they are asked to pick the team that, in their opinion, will cause the most practice change in nephrology over the next 5 years. Here are the members of this year’s BRP:

• Naief AbuDaff
• Michelle A. Josephson @MichelleJTx
• Katarzyna Kakareko @kponikwicka
• Peter Kerr
• Abdul Qader @md_abdulqader83
• Sylvia E. Rosas @sylviaerosas
• Shilpi Shah @sshah713
• Jodi Smith @jodismith0820

Read more about the rationale behind the BRP in this Editorial: NephMadness After 5 Years: A Recap and Game Plan for the Future

What’s the Schedule?

• March 1: Bracket entry opens
• March 31: Deadline for bracket submission 
• April 3: First round results | Effluent 8 named
• April 5: Effluent 8 results | Filtered 4 named
• April 7: Filtered Four results | Finalists named
• April 10: NephMadness 2022 Champion crowned

CME and MOC

US-based physicians can earn 1.0 CME credit and 1.0 MOC per region through NKF PERC (detailed instructions here). The CME and MOC activity will expire on June 1, 2023.

Competitions

Group Competitions: Highest Score, Most Entries, and Best Party

Winners will be featured on the Winners blog post at the conclusion of NephMadness

• Highest Score: Complete the question on the bracket submission site on whether you are submitting an entry on behalf of a group, adding “OFFICIAL” to the group name
• Most Entries: Complete the question on the bracket submission site on whether you are part of a group and add the group name (everyone in the group should use the same group name to avoid confusion)
• Best Party: Take a photo (or multiple) of your party and tag #NephMadnessParty

Social Media Competitions: Best Tweeter and Best Blogger

Winners will be featured on the Winners blog post at the conclusion of NephMadness

What are the Prizes?

Grand Prizes: Top Overall Score, Top Medical Student Score, Top Resident Score, Top Fellow Score, and Top Attending Score

Each Grand Prize winner will receive complimentary year-long personal subscription to Advances in Kidney Disease and Health and Nature Reviews Nephrology

That’s it – we hope you’ll enjoy the fun and learning during NephMadness 2023!

The 2023 NephMadness Executive Team:

• Matt Sparks @Nephro_Sparks
• Tim Yau @Maximal_Change
• Anna Burgner @anna_burgner
• Samira Farouk @ssfarouk
• Pascale Khairallah @Khairallah_P
• Anna Vinnikova @kidneywars

Submit your picks! | NephMadness 2023 | #NephMadness | @NephMadness