Álvaro Madrid Aris

I have spent a large part of my professional career at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, where I worked from 2000 until 2017, when I moved to the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital as the Head of the Nephrology Department. 

I started the Pediatric Nephrology surgery at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona (2002-2013), as well as the therapeutic apheresis techniques on children in Catalonia. 

I am a reference figure in pediatric glomerular diseases, a member of GLOSEN and I am also member of the peritoneal dialysis group SEN. I am a member of several nephrology associations and societies: Catalan (SOCANE), Spanish (AENP, SEN), European (ESPN) and international (IPNA).

As staff on the Nephrology Department, we are members of ERKNet and TransplantChild, two European networks for nephrology and pediatric transplant, respectively.

I am also a reviewer for several nephrology magazines.

International experience

• The Hesperis Course, a training course on organ transplant organised by ESOT, Montpellier (France), Malmö (Sweden), 2006-2007.
• Hospital Jackson Memorial, a placement in the Pediatric Nephrology Department, Miami (United States).
• Pediatrics residency, SickKids (The Hospital for Sick Children - Toronto). UC Chile University, 1990-1994.

Scientific activity

• The recipient of colony-stimulating factor 1 triggers the activation of glomerular parietal epithelial cells in cases of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis. 
• Genomic screening for early-onset nephropathies.
• Staining of parietal epithelial cells returning negative for CD44 in minimal change disease: associated with clinical symptoms, response to corticosteroids and renal results.
• Activation of acute inflammatory response in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome: associated with clinical-pathological phenotypes and a response to corticosteroids.
• Multidimensional inflammatory and immunological endotypes of idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and its association with treatment results.
• Genetic variants of complement activation and desialylation of FH in hemolytic uremic syndrome due to S. pneumoniae.
• First kidney paired donation from an incompatible ABO donor to a hypersensitive pediatric patient in Spain.
• Hemoperfusion with carbon-activated filtration for methotrexate toxicity: a safe and effective alternative to save lives when glucarpidase is not viable.
• Study to assess the efficiency of paricalcitol in reducing PTH in children and adolescents.
• Study of cinacalcet in treating secondary hyperparathyroidism in children with terminal CKD.
• Apolipoproteins A-I and A-II as biomarkers and therapeutic targets of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis.
• European Society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN). European Kidney Disease Reference Network (ERKNet) Working Group ‘Hereditary glomerulopathies’, since 2023.
• European Society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN). European Kidney Disease Reference Network (ERKNet) Working Group ‘Thrombotic microangiopathies’, since 2023.
• European Society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN). European Kidney Disease Reference Network (ERKNet) Working Group ‘Immune glomerulopathies’, since 2023.

Teaching

• Associate Lecturer in the Faculty of Pediatrics at the Pompeu Fabra University.
• Director of the Master's in Pediatric Nephrology that we teach in partnership with the University of Barcelona.
• Lecturer on the course on Peritoneal Dialysis, by the SEN (Spanish Society of Nephrology), pediatric reference figure (annual). 
• Lecturer on the Master’s in Continuing Education in Pediatric Nephrology at Pere Virgili University. Spanish Association of Pediatric Nephrology (AENP), since 2024.
• Lecturer on the Master's in Pediatric Nephrology at the University of Barcelona, since 2018.
• Director of the magazine ‘Anales de Nefrología Pediátrica’ [Annals of Pediatric Nephrology], QualiMed Publishing, since 2018.
• Professor on the Master's in Pediatric Nephrology at the University of Oviedo, Spanish Association of Pediatric Nephrology (AENP). 2018-2023.
• Local coordinator of the ERKNet (European Kidney Disease Reference Network), 2018-2023.
• Tutor of Pediatric Residents at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, 2004-2017.