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In This Issue...
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February President's Message
Dr. DuBose addresses upcoming grant deadlines, the CORAL study, and ASN's annual meetings.
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Third Annual Renal Week Highlights
Join the ASN at our Third Annual Renal Week Highlights Meetings, taking place in March in a city near you!
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Call for Nominations
ASN members are encouraged to send suggestions for candidates for Councilor for the 2006 ASN Council election.
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Membership – Time to Renew!
Please remember to renew promptly to avoid the inconvenience of having access to ASN journals and other benefits interrupted!
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Call for Abstracts for Renal Week 2006
The deadline to submit all abstracts for Renal Week 2006 is Wednesday, June 7, 2006, 11:59 pm Eastern Time.
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11th Annual Board Review Course & Update
Join the ASN from August 26- September 1, 2006 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California.
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Advances in Research Conference Presentations and Syllabus Materials Now Available Online
Presentations and syllabus materials for the Advances in Research Conference, which took place during Renal Week, are now available online.
- Microscope Workshop Update on Renal Biopsies in Medical Renal Diseases
Join the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and American Registry of Pathology, and Course Directors Sharda G. Sabnis, MD and James E. Balow, MD, at the Microscope Workshop Update on Renal Biopsies in Medical Renal Diseases from April 1-3, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Bethesda, Maryland.
 Dear ASN Members and Colleagues:
Welcome to the February issue of Renal Express. Please be aware that the deadline for receipt of grants applications, March 10, 2006, is rapidly approaching. I have briefly outlined our grant portfolio below. There are several new additions, which merit your attention. Furthermore, I would like to especially encourage young investigators to consider the several career development awards.
Additional details and the applications are available online:
- Alaska Kidney Foundation-ASN Research Grant (Due March 10, 2006) – this new program provides funding for developing academic nephrologists to foster evolution to an independent research career by providing transition funding toward successful application for an R01 grant. This newly inaugurated grant was awarded to the ASN by the AKF and future participation by the ASN would be enhanced by receipt of a number of applications. Thanks to Peter Aronson and Karen Campbell for applying to the AKF for matching funds.
- ASN-ASP Junior Development Grant in Geriatric Nephrology (T. Franklin Williams Scholar) (Due March 10, 2006) – provides support for developing academic nephrologists during the early years of a first faculty appointment. The purpose of this award is to enhance research in the field of geriatric and gerontologic aspects of nephrology. This grant has been co-sponsored by the American Society of Subspecialty Professors and the T. Franklin Williams Foundation for several years and additional participation by the ASN is encouraged.
- ASN-AST John Merrill Grant in Transplantation (Due March 10, 2006) – is designed to foster the independent career development of young investigators in biomedical research related to transplantation. The ASN is pleased to co-sponsor this program with the American Society of Transplantation.
- Carl W. Gottschalk Research Scholar Grant (Due March 10, 2006) – provides funding for young faculty to foster evolution to an independent research career by providing transition funding toward successful application for an R01 grant.
- KUFA-ASN Research Grant (Due March 10, 2006) – this relatively new program is cosponsored with the Kidney & Urology Foundation of America to provide support for transition to an independent research career by providing developmental funding toward successful application for an R01 grant.
- Halpin Foundation-ASN Research Grant (Due March 10, 2006) – provides funding for young faculty to foster evolution to an independent research career by providing transition funding toward successful application for an R01 grant. This grant is funded specifically for research on the subject of membranous nephropathy.
- New Directions Grant for Established Investigators (Due March 10, 2006) – provides an established investigator support for pilot studies in a new and innovative area of research, which will likely lead to NIH funding.
- M. James Scherbenske Grant (Quarterly Deadline of March 15, 2006, June 15, 2006, & November 15, 2006) – provides bridge funding for investigators from R01 to R01 whose application was scored, but not funded.
CORAL STUDY: It is estimated that there are from 2 to 4 million individuals with renal artery stenosis in the United States. About 40,000 renal artery angioplasties are performed each year in the USA at an approximate cost of $1.7 billion; however, the most efficacious treatment for RAS has not yet been clearly elucidated. Previous studies examining the impact of revascularization outcomes have failed to show a clear benefit.
The CORAL (Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Arteriosclerotic Lesions) study, an ongoing, prospective, randomized trial funded by NHLBI is designed to test the hypothesis that medical therapy with stenting of hemodynamically significant renal artery stenoses reduces the incidence of adverse cardiovascular and renal events as compared with medical therapy alone. This study is being conducted at about 100 sites worldwide, and will enroll 1100 patients with a history of systolic hypertension and angiographically documented renal artery stenosis. Patients will be randomized after angiography and be closely monitored for blood pressure control and management of other risk factors from 3-5.5 years. The primary endpoint of the study is survival free from a composite of cardiovascular or renal death, stroke, MI, hospitalization for CHF, progressive renal insufficiency, or need for permanent renal replacement therapy. A number of secondary endpoints will also be evaluated including longitudinal changes in kidney function, measures of quality of life and cost effectiveness.
Nephrologists are playing an active role in CORAL both as study leaders and at enrolling centers where a hypertension specialist, who often is a nephrologist, is responsible for ensuring compliance with the medical regimen. Involvement of the nephrology community is also critical as an important source of referrals. Recognizing the significant role that nephrologists are playing in this trial and the importance of the question for our patients, the ASN supports the trial and encourages its members to become actively involved, particularly by identifying and referring patients to an enrolling center. Those who wish to learn more about the trial should consult the CORAL study website: http://www.coralclinicaltrial.org/.
Finally, I would like to remind all members to mark your calendars now for upcoming ASN meetings. Don't forget to register for one of ASN's Renal Week Highlights Meetings, which are currently taking place across the country; click here for more information. Renal Week is also coming up, November 14-19 in San Diego. The program committee, under Chair Lisa Guay-Woodford, has been fastidious in developing a spectacular program this year. The theme for Renal Week 2006 is “Translating Scientific and Technological Advances: Progress and Promise for Treating Renal Diseases.” Last but not least, the ASN Board Review Course & Update will commence for the 11th consecutive year in San Francisco at The Palace Hotel from August 26-September 1, 2006. This program is an outstanding opportunity for review for Nephrology Boards, recertification, and refreshment in all areas of nephrology.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas D. DuBose, Jr., MD, FASN
2. Third Annual Renal Week Highlights
One city down but six more to go… Join the ASN at our Third Annual Renal Week Highlights Meetings, taking place in March 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 not only for those of you who couldn't attend Renal Week but also for those November attendees who missed several key presentations. RENAL WEEK HIGHLIGHTS meetings are the best way to catch up on what you missed at Renal Week! Register online and obtain housing and program information at www.asn-online.org.
Join us in a city near you!
Washington, DC, February 18 - 19, 2006
Los Angeles, California, February 25 - 26, 2006
Seattle, Washington, March 4 - 5, 2006
New York, New York, March 11 - 12, 2006
Houston, Texas, March 18 - 19, 2006
Toronto, Canada, March 25 - 26, 2006
3. Call for Nominations
ASN members are encouraged to send suggestions for candidates for the 2006 ASN Council election. A special effort is being made to diversify the composition of the Council, so please consider suggesting individuals who will help the ASN accomplish this goal. Suggestions may be sent to the ASN office or directly to any of the members of the 2006 Nominating Committee, with a copy to the ASN office. All nominations must be received by Friday, April 7, 2006. A ballot including brief biographical data will be sent to all active members approximately two months before the annual meeting. Click here for a list of the members of the 2006 Nominating Committee and their contact information.
4. 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.
Recently, all ASN members were mailed a reminder 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! If you have not yet received a membership renewal for 2006 in the mail, please contact the ASN via email at email@asn-online.org or by telephone at 202-659-0599. It is important to note that you will be unable to submit abstracts without active ASN membership or sponsorship from an active ASN member.
5. Call for Abstracts for Renal Week 2006
The deadline to submit all abstracts for Renal Week 2006 is Wednesday, June 7, 2006, 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Once again, abstracts will only be accepted through our Abstracts Submission site, accessible through our website at www.asn-online.org. Abstracts received after June 7 will not be accepted or reviewed. No exceptions will be made. Abstracts must be submitted or sponsored by an active ASN member (dues paid through December 2006, by Friday, May 26, 2006). Stay tuned to your mail and email boxes in March for an announcement that the site is open.
6. 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update
Join the ASN from August 26 to September 1, 2006 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The ASN's Board Review Course & Update has become a "Renal Rite of Passage" AND CAN BE CUSTOMIZED TO MEET YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS! An intensive review and update for ALL and a MUST for Certification & Re-Certification. The timing of the ASN Board Review Course & Update in late August maximizes attendees' readiness for the October Nephrology Board certification and recertification examinations of the American Board of Internal Medicine. After completion of the course and the self-assessment test on September 2, participants have a full two months to fill in any gaps in their knowledge. It's August, It's San Francisco, So it must be the ASN's Board Review Course! Stay tuned to your mail and email boxes later this spring for additional information and registration forms.
7. Advances in Research Conference Presentations and Syllabus Materials Now Available Online
The ASN is pleased to announce that presentations and syllabus materials for the Advances in Research Conference, which took place during Renal Week, are now available online. Click here to access these materials.
8. Microscope Workshop Update on Renal Biopsies in Medical Renal Diseases
Join
the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and American Registry of Pathology, and Course Directors Sharda G. Sabnis, MD and James E. Balow, MD, at the Microscope Workshop Update on Renal Biopsies in Medical Renal Diseases from
April 1-3, 2006 at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Bethesda, Maryland.
This is a 3-day course designed to review the pathology of medical renal diseases. The course should interest pathologists and nephrologists who evaluate kidney biopsies in their practice, as well as physicians, residents and fellows interested in renal pathology, and for preparation in their specialty board examination. The course format includes didactic lecture covering clinical and pathologic aspects of nephrology and nephropathology, followed by laboratory sessions in the afternoons. By attending this course, the participant should be able to describe in detail the clinicopathologic aspects of common and major medical renal diseases, and the role of renal biopsies in their evaluation.
For more information, contact:
Stephen Huntington (Course Cordinator)
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Department of Medical Education
Washington, DC 20306-6000
Tel: (202) 782-2637,
Toll Free Tel: (800) 577-3749 (within the US)
Fax: (202) 782-5020, Toll Free Fax: (800) 441-0094
Email: came@afip.osd.mil
Website: http://www.afip.org/Departments/edu/upcoming.htm
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