8 April 2026

Austin Health’s long standing Sister Renal Centre partnership with Dr Kariadi Hospital in Indonesia has just received international recognition, winning the 2026 Schrier Award from the International Society of Nephrology (ISN)!

Professor Peter Mount (Austin Health) and Dr Dwi-Lestari Partiningrum (Dr Kariadi Hospital) were present to receive the Schrier Award last week at a plenary session of the World Congress of Nephrology, in Yokohama, Japan.

The Schrier Award recognises outstanding, sustainable partnerships that strengthen kidney care, education and research in emerging countries. It honours the legacy of Professor Robert W. Schrier and celebrates collaborations that deliver real, lasting impact.

Professor Peter Mount, Director Nephrology, says winning the Schrier Award is an exciting moment for both organisations:

“Winning the 2026 ISN Schrier Award recognises the hard work and important contributions of many people in the renal teams at Austin Health and Dr Kariadi Hospital. Together, we’ve built a partnership that is advancing kidney care and improving the lives of people affected by kidney disease in Central Java and beyond.”

Established in 2019, this partnership brought together Austin Health as the Supporting Centre and Dr Kariadi Hospital as the Emerging Centre, to strengthen nephrology care and education in Central Java, Indonesia. Over the past six years, the partnership has led to system level improvements in kidney care, education and workforce capability across Central Java. The two teams have worked together through reciprocal visits, observerships, regular multidisciplinary meetings and ongoing virtual education, maintaining strong momentum even during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Clinical services have expanded significantly at Dr Kariadi Hospital as a result of this partnership, with the peritoneal dialysis program growing four fold and patient numbers increasing from 67 to 277. Kidney transplantation services have also progressed, enabling more complex care to be delivered locally in Indonesia with support from visiting specialists and multidisciplinary case discussions. 

The partnership has also strengthened kidney pathology services, increasing the number of specialist pathologists and supporting regular multidisciplinary pathology meetings with Austin Health.

Education and training have been central to the collaboration. Two nephrology fellows from Dr Kariadi Hospital have completed observerships at Austin Health, while regional symposia, hands on workshops and joint webinars have reached over 900 clinicians. Academic engagement has also grown steadily, with increased conference participation, presentation awards and peer reviewed publications.

This partnership has been supported by funding from ISN and the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology.