Dear ASN Members and Colleagues:
I wish to thank the members of the Society for permitting me to serve as the President of the American Society of Nephrology for 2006. The elected members of Council and the Officers of the ASN, as well as our dedicated and professional full-time, staff are already fully engaged in securing a sound future for the ASN. Special thanks also to our outgoing President, Tomas Berl, MD, FASN for his dedication and unceasing service, without which our success this year would not have been possible. During the last year, Tom spearheaded several initiatives which will be continued during the next year. Most notably, under his leadership we have substantively increased our efforts to represent the Society in matters of Public Policy (see comments below). In addition, Dr. Mohamed Sayegh, MD, FASN and the entire 2005 Program Committee deserve our heartfelt thanks for the spectacular program this year in Philadelphia. The 2006 Program Committee, under the able leadership of Lisa Guay-Woodford, MD, is already hard at work and well underway with plans for what promises to be an outstanding and innovative program. Please mark your calendars now to join us in San Diego, November 14-19, 2006.
We are at an exciting juncture as an organization and as a leader within the renal community. There are significant initiatives, including more vigorous advocacy for healthcare policy and research funding that can help to improve funding for the future of medical research, speed the translation of new advances to the practice of nephrology, enhance the education of primary care physicians in the recognition and treatment of nascent kidney disease, and improve the quality of life for our patients. The goal for ASN is that we must be prepared to confront these issues, while, at the same time, maintaining our dedication as a Society, to scientific excellence and advancement of new knowledge.
Some of the specific issues I identified as priorities of focus during the next year were outlined in detail within the President-Elect's Message in this year's Onsite Highlights, which was distributed in Philadelphia. Please click here to read this message. Below, I've included some of these priorities, as well as other important policy issues.
Commitment to Public Policy
Public Policy Board: I am pleased to announce that the newly established ASN Policy Board is fully constituted. ASN is fortunate to have such a talented group of leaders who have collective expertise in all of the important facets of public health related to kidney disease as members of the Board. The Policy Board will be chaired by Jonathan Himmelfarb, MD and members will include: Donald Wesson, MD; Brian Pereira, MD; Norman Siegel, MD; Connie Davis, MD; and Eric Neilson, MD.
The Policy Board mission is to develop and build a platform for the ASN in the public health arena related to the importance and consequences of kidney disease. The Board will be guided by three principles: 1) assist on a policy level in order to assure the best possible medical care for patients with kidney disease; 2) support the practice and profession of nephrology in a time of change; and 3) advocate for resources to support kidney disease research.
The arenas for Board activity include CKD (including the roles diabetes mellitus, hypertension, anemia, and other factors play in progression), ESRD (inclusive of dialysis and transplantation as therapeutic modalities), AKI (especially with new data emerging on the increasing prevalence of hospital acquired AKI and recognition of the consequences associated with small changes in GFR ), and broad-based research advocacy. The Board will be structured to receive input from a variety of ASN 's advisory groups, committees, and other stakeholders. The ASN Council is committed to work closely with the new Policy Board and provide the necessary resources and internal organizational support to act quickly and decisively on important public policy issues on behalf of our members.
Disaster Preparedness Meeting: In the wake of the tragic events resulting from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the ASN , in cooperation with NKF, RPA, ASPN and CMS , presented a special session at Renal Week to discuss lessons learned from efforts to facilitate the care of dialysis patients by nephrologists and other providers during a crisis. The session ended with an open discussion directed at defining the scope of a disaster plan and appointing a working group to make recommendations to the renal community.
The renal community intends to work closely with the Florida ESRD Network (NW7) which has been awarded a special project from CMS on disaster preparedness and response. The Florida Network also plans to assist in the formation of a National Renal Coalition on Disasters.
Clinical Research Meeting: The ASN, in cooperation with NKF and RPA, is sponsoring a consensus conference in March 2006 to develop and define the parameters that will guide clinical research in patients on dialysis and with CKD over the next decade. The consensus conference agenda will focus on issues related to patient access, reimbursement for research, regulatory barriers, and overall guidelines that should govern the conduct of research in these patients whether initiated by industry, the dialysis providers, the NIDDK, or individual investigators. In order to facilitate such a process, the sponsoring organizations will invite renal community stakeholders including NIDDK, CMS, KCP and industry to participate. The ASN believes that the outcome of this dialogue will result in facilitating the conduct of research in the kidney disease patient population with the ultimate goal of best serving their interests. These patients, perhaps more than others, are likely to benefit from interventions designed to improve survival rates and quality of life. We intend to develop an outline of guiding principles and a template for a (legal) Master Agreement to deal with this important area of research. We look forward to the consensus conference and appreciate the enthusiastic support for this undertaking.
Additional Priorities
Future Success of ASN Grant Program is Linked to Expansion of Endowment Funding: In response to continuing difficulties in investigator-initiated funding, particularly in the face of the anticipated FY06 budget for the NIH, the ASN remains committed to increasing our annual expenditure for research grant funding. We plan to continue to expand the ASN grant portfolio to provide peer-reviewed grant opportunities for young investigators and for older more established investigators with new and unique ideas. That the need is great is evidenced by receipt of a record number of grant applicants this year. As stewards of our growing investment portfolio, the Council is committed to increase our endowment through wise investment management, so that we may continue to increase grant allocations. Moreover, the leadership of the ASN will continue to develop innovative programs that expand our financial base. Your participation as a member of the ASN in helping to raise funds for expanding our grant program is needed.
Publications: The Nephrology Self-Assessment Program (NephSAP) now provides a path to re-certification. Specifically completion of eight modules of NephSAP will now count toward achieving a majority of the requirements for ABIM re-certification. The first issue of CJASN will be released in January, 2006 and is destined to become the definitive journal for clinical nephrology. With the addition of this publication, the ASN now provides a unique compendium of three excellent journals: JASN, CJASN, and NephSAP, covering nephrology from the bench to bedside, and providing our members with cutting edge science, clinical reviews, and CME and skills assessment.
PGE Director Position: The productive tenure of Dr. Robert Narins, PGE Director, will end in 2006. As previously announced, the ASN has issued a request for applications for the position of full time PGE Director. The person in this position is the key to the success of all the activities of our society, but specifically is primarily responsible for all of our educational programs. These include, but are not limited to, a number of high profile and important programs including: the 2-day PGE courses and the clinical nephrology courses (CNCs) (both during Renal Week); the highly successful Annual Board Review Course & Update, and more recently, Renal Week Highlights Meetings. This position is the highest full-time professional position in the ASN and offers opportunity for involvement in a number of additional activities. The PGE Director is assisted by a capable staff at headquarters, and three Assistant PGE Directors in academic institutions throughout the US. In addition to full-time responsibility to the ASN, continued part-time academic affiliation in institutions in and around the D.C. area is encouraged. I hope that some of you will consider this position seriously. Feel free to communicate directly with me, or the Search Committee, headed by Dr. Tomas Berl. Please click here for additional information, including a job description and application.
It is with considerable anticipation, and a strong sense of service, therefore, that I look forward to serving as your President. I pledge to every member that I will work tirelessly to serve the Society and will try to do so as ably as those who have served in this challenging position before me.
I want to close by wishing everyone a most joyous holiday season and happy new year.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas D. DuBose, Jr., MD, FASN
2. 3rd Annual Renal Week Highlights
Registration is now available online (click here) for the ASN's 3rd Annual Renal Week Highlights Meetings, taking place this winter in a city near you! Expert faculty will summarize, critique, and put into perspective key presentations from Renal Week 2005 in Philadelphia. These "Renal Week Highlights" programs are perfect for those who could not attend Renal Week and for those November participants who were unable to attend these key presentations.
Join us in the city nearest you…
Chicago, February 11 – 12, 2006
Washington, DC, February 18 – 19, 2006
Los Angeles, February 25 – 26, 2006
Seattle, March 4 – 5, 2006
New York, March 11 – 12, 2006
Houston, March 18 – 19, 2006
Toronto, March 25 – 26, 2006
Click here for program and housing information.
3. Membership – Time to Renew!
ASN enjoyed a record membership year in 2005! The Society's leadership and staff extend their thanks to all those who remained ASN members or joined as new members in 2005.
During 2005, the ASN launched a new clinical journal (CJASN), entered into an arrangement with the ABIM under which completion of NephSAP examinations will be accepted as partial fulfillment of certain maintenance of certification requirements, added a CME transcript feature to the Society's website, and provided over $2.3 million in grants to support basic and clinical research. The ASN also stepped up efforts to garner additional NIH funding of kidney disease research, an increasingly important Society activity in these times of significant federal budget constraints. With your support in 2006, these programs and others can be sustained and enhanced.
In the next week or two, all ASN members will receive a 2006 renewal invoice with a US postage-paid return envelope. Please remember to renew promptly to avoid the inconvenience of having access to ASN journals and other benefits interrupted!
4. CME Credits
The ASN now provides an online record of CME credits. The ASN online transcript service allows you to review credit information and print a summary. All participants in our continuing medical education activities, including nonmembers, have access to their awarded category 1 credits by logging into the ASN website with their user ID and last name. For ASN members, the user ID is your ASN Membership Identification Number. The user ID is available by contacting the ASN at email@asn-online.org. Please note: the online transcripts module has replaced mailed certificates and should be used as the sole means of obtaining a record of your CME credits.
Renal Week Credits: Forms are being processed in the order they were received, beginning with forms that were turned in onsite in Philadelphia, forms mailed by the December 2, 2005 deadline, and finally, forms that are mailed after December 2, 2005. Credits for the Postgraduate education courses will be posted, followed by the annual meeting credits. All credits will be posted no later than February 28, 2006.
5. ASN Awards Nomination Deadline: January 31, 2006
The deadline for all ASN awards nominations is Tuesday, January 31, 2006. Nomination letters should be faxed to 202-659-0599 or emailed to sowens@asn-online.org. Please see descriptions included below about each award. Note: Beginning in 2006, awards nomination letters will be limited to a total of 3 letters/per candidate. Additional letters will not be considered.
The John P. Peters Award: The John P. Peters Award recognizes individuals who have made substantial research contributions to the discipline of nephrology and have sustained achievements in one or more domains of academic medicine including clinical care, education and leadership.
The Belding H. Scribner Award: The Belding H. Scriber Award is presented annually to one or more individuals who have made outstanding contributions that have a direct impact on the care of patients with renal disorders or have substantially changed the clinical practice of nephrology.
The Homer W. Smith Award: The Homer Smith Award is presented annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions which fundamentally affect the science of nephrology, broadly defined, but not limited to, the pathobiology, cellular and molecular mechanisms and genetic influences on the functions and diseases of the kidney.
The Young Investigator Award: The Young Investigator Award is presented annually to an individual with an outstanding record of achievement and creativity in basic or patient-oriented research related to the functions and diseases of the kidney. This award is co-sponsored by the Council on the Kidney of the American Heart Association and is limited to individuals who are less than 41 years of age on the first day of the ASN meeting at which the award is presented.
6. ASN Publications Update
The ASN's publications program made great strides forward in 2005, the first year in which the program was fully managed by the Society rather than by contract with a publishing firm. Developments in the ASN's publications program include the following:
- JASN remains the most-cited nephrology journal, with the highest impact factor of 52 journals in urology and nephrology that are ranked by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). In addition, surveys conducted by an independent market research firm show that JASN is the most frequently read of the major nephrology journals.
- The ASN's new clinical journal, CJASN, became a reality with the mid-October launch of that journal's website. The first issue (January 2006) will soon be printed and mailed to all ASN members.
- As mentioned above, the ASN has entered into an agreement with the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) under which successful completion of the examinations in issues of NephSAP will be accepted for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credits. The details of this agreement will be published in an upcoming issue of NephSAP.
Members of the ASN will receive all three publications as a benefit of dues. Of course, those who prefer to access these publications on the web may do so by logging in to the ASN website (http://www.asn-online.org) with your ASN User ID and Last Name and then clicking on the cover of the one of the publications.
7. ASCI Accepting Nominations for 2006 Membership
The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), established in 1908, is one of the nation's oldest and most respected medical honor societies. The ASCI comprises more than 2,800 physician-scientists from all medical specialties elected to the Society for their outstanding records of scholarly achievement in biomedical research. The ASCI represents active physician-scientists who are at the bedside, at the research bench, and at the blackboard. Many of its senior members are widely recognized leaders in academic medicine.
The ASCI is currently accepting nominations for 2006 membership. The deadline for receipt of nominations and supporting materials is December 9, 2005. For detailed information about the nomination process, including eligibility criteria and nomination forms, click here.
