 |
In This Issue...
-
April President's Message
Dr. DuBose shares outcomes of the recent ASN Council and Board of Advisors (BOA) meetings in Washington, DC.
-
JASN and CJASN Mailings
In May, CJASN will be mailed separately from JASN and NephSAP.
-
Call for Abstracts Now Open
The deadline to submit all abstracts for Renal Week 2006 is Wednesday, June 7, 2006, 11:59 pm Eastern Time.
-
Save the Date for the 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update
Join the ASN from August 26- September 1, 2006 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California.
-
Call for Committee Nominations
The Council for the American Society of Nephrology is seeking nominations for open positions on ASN standing committees and advisory groups.
-
Research in Dialysis Patients Consensus Conference
On March 21, 2006, the ASN, the NKF, and RPA organized a meeting that brought together, physicians, representatives of pharmaceutical companies engaged in dialysis related research and dialysis provider, in order to engage in a dialogue that would enhance and facilitate the performance of research in dialysis patients.
-
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) Concerning Truck and Bus Drivers with Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on March 17 to begin re-evaluating the rule that prohibits drivers with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus from operating trucks and buses in interstate commerce.
- American Society of Matrix Biology Biennial National Meeting
Join the American Society of Matrix Biology at its biannual meeting on November 1-4, 2006 in Nashville, Tennessee at the Nashville Convention Center.
 Dear ASN Members and Colleagues:
Recently, the ASN Council and Board of Advisors (BOA) met in Washington , DC for our annual spring meeting. I am pleased to share with you some of the items and outcomes of our discussions.
Policy and Public Affairs Update
The ASN Council held two important meetings with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) officials in conjunction with the Spring Council and BOA meetings. On Friday, April 7, ASN Councilors Bill Henrich, Tom Berl, Joe Bonventre, ASN's Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Paul Smedberg, and I met with Brady Augustine, CMS's Senior Quality Advisor. The meeting focused on pay-for-performance and quality initiatives. The ASN is concerned with making sure the voice of the nephrologist is heard. The Society will continue to emphasize to CMS that we as nephrologists are the chief advocates for the patient and that we intend to be responsible for assuring quality of care.
On Monday, April 10, ASN Councilors Tom Coffman, Peter Aronson, Paul Smedberg and I met with Dr. Griffin Rodgers, Acting Director, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and Dr. Josie Briggs, Director, Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases, NIDDK to discuss kidney disease research and program initiatives. Agenda items included NIDDK priorities, in light of the current budget climate, the ASN Research Priorities Report, Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 report language, and general NIDDK initiatives. Much of the discussion focused on NIDDK's research priorities, given the fact that NIH is entering its third year with budgetary increases below the biomedical inflationary rate. In particular, NIDDK is:
-
striving to maintain a 12 percentile pay line – down from 18 over the past two years;
- focusing on protecting as many training grants (F-32 / T-32) as possible, despite a decline in the number of new slots;
-
in the process of reviewing several Roadmap projects up for mid-term evaluation, although representing only a small percentage of total NIDDK funds;
-
continuing to give highest priority to R01 grants while funding several new clinical studies. For example, 30% of CRIC Study applications were funded; a growing portfolio of ancillary studies to KUH kidney studies has been established; and future expansion will include NHLBI-supported studies of interest to NIDDK and vice versa.
We were particularly encouraged to learn that NIDDK and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) have regularly scheduled meetings to discuss collaborative efforts. This developing cooperative relationship is a direct result of the congressional language submitted by the ASN and ultimately accepted in the FY 2006 LHHS appropriations bill and conference report.
Renal Week 2006
The dedicated and innovative members of the 2006 Program Committee, under the direction of Lisa M. Guay-Woodford, M.D, have developed an extraordinary meeting. Dr. Guay-Woodford formally presented recommendations from the Program Committe to Council for the program content, of the annual meeting to be held in San Diego from November 14–19. The theme for Renal Week 2006: “Translating Scientific and Technological Advances: Progress and Promise for Treating Renal Disease” will resonate throughout this week-long event. The State-of-the-Art addresses for 2006 will emphasize four areas in which rapid technological advancement provides significant potential for translation of new knowledge and innovation to the bedside over the next decade: 1) recent advances in free radical biology pertinent to clinical medicine, 2) the HapMap Project and the unlimited potential this project promises for dissecting the basis of complex traits, 3) nuclear cloning, the reprogramming of the genome, and the promise of embryonic stem cell research and its controversies, 4) and tissue engineering, nanotechnology and the development of better methods for drug delivery. The complete program, including all basic science and clinical science symposia, will be mailed to the membership in late-June and will be available online simultaneously.
In response to a post-Renal Week survey of the ASN membership in January, the Program Committee has made a concerted effort to increase the effectiveness of Free Communications by providing more opportunities for oral presentations. For the free communications format to be successful, it is imperative that senior researchers attend and participate in the discussion. In my opinion, active involvement by posing questions and providing the insight of experience is the duty of senior members of the society to the preservation of our discipline. To formalize this responsibility, I suggest that the fellows of the society (FASN) consider this request directed to them specifically.
The close collaborative efforts of the Program and Postgraduate Education Committee, the latter, ably represented by Paul Kimmel, provide a broad array of Clinical Nephrology Conferences (CNCs). CNCs are designed to provide timely and detailed updates on subjects pertinent to the interests of practicing nephrologists. In addition to CNCs, other popular features for clinical nephrologists will continue, and include the ClinicoPathologic Conference, Nephrology Quiz & Questionnaire, and Debates in Renal Failure. The Program Committee has developed an outstanding series of Basic Science Symposia, featuring speakers at the cutting edge of their fields both within and outside of nephrology. A preview of just a few of the exciting symposia titles include: “Going for the Gold: Achieving Clinical Tolerance," “Molecules in Motion: Cellular Stop/Go Signs," “Angiogenesis," “Anti-Aging Hormone Klotho," “Autophagy in Health and Disease," “Stem Cells in Organ Regeneration," “The Three Horses of Apocalypse: Inflammation, Injury, and Angiotensin," and “Estimating GFR - Quo Vadis?” Come prepared to learn a great deal.
Educational Initiatives
Finally, I wanted to make you aware that the Council and BOA are currently considering the creation of a three dimensional, interactive teaching module for medical students, specifically designed to stimulate interest in the renal physiology and pathophysiology. A task force was appointed to review opportunities available and to recommend how we might implement this new and exciting educational initiative.
Please continue to read on and learn more about the current activities at the ASN!
Sincerely yours,
Thomas D. DuBose, Jr., MD, FASN
2. JASN and CJASN Mailings
We wanted to alert you that in May, CJASN will be mailed separately from JASN and NephSAP. In July, we expect to resume mailing all three journals together.
3. Call for Abstracts Now Open
To submit an abstract for Renal Week 2006, point your web browser to www.asn-online.org and click on the link to Abstracts Submission. Note that abstracts must be submitted electronically, via the ASN's abstracts submission web facility. Abstracts for Renal Week 2006 must be received no later than Wednesday, June 7, 2006, 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Abstracts received after this time will not be accepted. There are no exceptions to this deadline, so please plan accordingly. Abstracts must be submitted or sponsored by an Active Member whose dues are current (paid through December 2006).
4. Save the Date for the 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update
Join the ASN from August 26 to September 1, 2006 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco for our 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update. Dr. Robert Narins will host this Course for his 11th and last time and be joined by a “galaxy” of 35 additional NephroStars!
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.
5. Call for Committee Nominations
The Council for the American Society of Nephrology is again seeking nominations for open positions on ASN standing committees and advisory groups. Nominations must be submitted no later than Wednesday, May 24, 2006.
The Council invites all ASN members to indicate their interest in serving on an ASN standing committee or advisory group. You may also nominate another ASN member for committee participation. Much of the work of the ASN is accomplished through the energetic activity and input of committees, so this is a great way for you to become involved in future planning and decisions that will influence the effectiveness and quality of membership services offered to all ASN members.
ASN's website, www.asn-online.org, provides additional information about each of the ASN committees and advisory groups, including current members, the committee's charge, membership criteria and terms of appointments. Committee membership becomes effective with each year's Annual Meeting. In addition, there is a Council and a Staff liaison listed for each committee, either of whom can be contacted for additional information or clarification on committee activities and responsibilities.
Please think carefully about your interest in the areas listed below, and forward nominations and a current CV of the nominee to Karen L. Campbell, PhD, ASN Executive Director at kcampbell@asn-online.org no later than Wednesday, May 24, 2006.
Committees for which ASN is seeking new members are listed below; descriptions for each committee are available by clicking on the appropriate committee.
Committees
Basic Science Committee
Clinical Science Committee
Grants Review Committee
Publications Committee
Advisory Groups
Acute Kidney Injury Advisory Group
Chronic Kidney Disease Advisory Group
Dialysis Advisory Group
Hypertension Advisory Group
Practicing Nephrologists Advisory Group
Transplant Advisory Group
6. Research in Dialysis Patients Consensus Conference
On March 21, 2006, the ASN, the NKF, and RPA organized a meeting that brought together physicians, representatives of pharmaceutical companies engaged in dialysis related research and dialysis provider, in order to engage in a dialogue that would enhance and facilitate the performance of research in dialysis patients. We are now actively working on putting these recommendations into place. We feel that this is an important step that will greatly benefit our patients with end stage renal disease, who are now afflicted with unacceptably high mortality rates. Click here to read the deliberations and perspectives of the various constituencies, as well as the recommendations that emanated from the discussions, which are available on the ASN website.
7. Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) Concerning Truck and Bus Drivers with Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on March 17 to begin re-evaluating the rule that prohibits drivers with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus from operating trucks and buses in interstate commerce. They are seeking public comments on whether the standard should be changed, and if so, to what extent.
Currently, drivers with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus may only operate commercial vehicles in interstate commerce if they obtain an exemption from FMCSA. This can be a lengthy process because prior to granting an exemption the Agency is required to examine each applicant's medical circumstances and publish their names in the Federal Register for public comments.
The Agency will consider the public comments along with the advice of its recently appointed Medical Review Board when evaluating potential changes to the existing medical standards.
Public comments on the ANPRM may be submitted to the rulemaking docket by visiting the U.S. Department of Transportation's Docket Management System website, http://dms.dot.gov. The docket number for the ANPRM is FMCSA 2005-23151, and the deadline for submitting comments is June 15, 2006.
8. American Society of Matrix Biology Biennial National Meeting
Join the American Society of Matrix Biology at its biannual meeting on November 1-4, 2006 in Nashville, Tennessee at the Nashville Convention Center.
The American Society for Matrix Biology (ASMB) was founded in 2000 to promote and develop studies in the field of matrix biology and to publicize research. This discipline includes the structure and function of components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), the interactions of these components with cells, the consequences of these interactions for intracellular signaling mechanisms and gene expression, the orderly progression of these processes during embryonic and post-natal development, and the disruption of these processes in hereditary and acquired diseases of animals and humans. The field of matrix biology is also relevant to many clinical disciplines including oncology, orthopedics, rheumatology, dermatology, and to the fields of bioengineering and tissue engineering.
The purpose of the ASMB Biannual Meeting 2006 is to:
- introduce new technologies for advancing the field of matrix biology
- focus on new extracellular matrix research directions
- maximize the exposure of new ideas and young scientists
For additional information, please contact:
Nanette Bahlinger
Vanderbilt Division of CME
Phone: 615-322-0672
Fax: 615-312-0951
Email: nanette.bahlinger@vanderbilt.edu
Web address: www.asmb.net
|
|
|
