Biography

Dr. Martin Bitzan is Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist and the Director of the Kidney Centre of Excellence at Al Jalila Children’s. He graduated from the University of Bonn with a doctorate in medicine. He then trained in Medical Microbiology at the University of Cologne and completed his Pediatric Residency training at the Hamburg Eppendorf University Medical Center in Germany.

He continued his training and professional career with Research and Clinical fellowships in Pediatric Nephrology and Cellular and Molecular Biology at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto in Canada and subsequently worked at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina (USA) as Paediatric Nephrologist and clinician scientist.

Before joining Al Jalila Children’s, he was the Director of the Division of Nephrology at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor at the Department of Pediatrics of McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Among other tasks, he headed the Pediatric Nephrology Residency (fellowship) training program at McGill University, served as the president of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Nephrologists (CAPN) and as vice-chair of the Council of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists.

His clinical and research interests focus on post-infectious and atypical forms of hemolytic uremic syndrome and on nephrotic syndrome with emphasis on novel treatment strategies, and on kidney transplantation. He authored or coauthored numerous scientific publications book chapters and is one of the editors of the “Manual of Pediatric Nephrology” and sat on the editorial boards of several international journals in his field.

Dr. Martin has an longstanding interest in Global Health with emphasis on developing pediatric nephrology and the advancement of pediatric nephrology training in resource-poor and emerging countries. He believes that all children have a right to obtain best medical care, including kidney health, wherever they live. With the support of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) “Sister Renal Center” programme and the International Pediatric Nephrology Association (IPNA) he participated in teaching courses for pediatricians and young nephrologists in the Caribbean, North Africa and China and continues to collaborate with the Department of Pediatric Nephrology at the St. John’s Medical College Hospital in Bangalore and other centres in India and Ethiopia.He tries to foster team work which includes nurses, other health professionals and – most and foremost – our young patients and their families.