Hypertension is estimated to affect more than 50 million Americans and is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, end-stage renal disease and cerebrovascular accidents. Although hypertension and associated end-organ damage occur more commonly in adults, hypertension and its resultant complications often have their origins in childhood. The International Pediatric Hypertension Association (IPHA) is an organization that brings together a multispecialty, multidisciplinary group of health care providers and scientists committed to delineating the origins and manifestations of hypertension in children and improving the care of children and young adults affected by this condition. Toward that end, IPHA has established a three-fold mission to:

• foster and maintain an open forum among pediatric hypertension healthcare professionals worldwide;
• participate in research initiatives promoting improved treatment of the hypertensive patient;
• educate healthcare professionals and the lay public about the ramifications of childhood hypertension.

IPHA sponsors scientific symposia at the Pediatric Academic Societies and American Society of Hypertension annual meetings. We also collaborate with the International Pediatric Nephrology Association in developing scientific programming for its congresses, and have co-sponsored programming at the American Society of Nephrology’s annual meeting. These collaborations are an important component of how IPHA accomplishes its mission.