In This Issue...
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August President's Message
Dr. DuBose provides updates on ASN's efforts to improve disaster preparedness and the NIDDK search for a new Director.
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Correction to July's Renal Express
Last month, we erroneously listed Dr. Paul Kimmel's title as Associate Professor of Medicine, when he is actually Professor of Medicine
at The George Washington University Medical Center.
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ASN Announces New Robert G. Narins Award
The ASN Council has established a fifth annual Renal Week award to honor substantial and meritorious contributions in education and teaching.
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Renal Week 2006 Registration and Housing are Open
Registration and housing for Renal Week 2006 are available.
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Register for the 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update
Register now to attend the 11th Annual Board Review Course & Update and join us at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California from August 26- September 1, 2006.
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Nancy E. Gary, MD, Co-Founder of Women in Nephrology Recently Passed Away
Nancy E. Gary, M.D., nephrologist and academic administrator, died May 31, 2006, of pulmonary hypertension, at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Gary was a Co-Founder and the first president of Women In Nephrology.
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Attend the American Society for Matrix Biology (ASMB) Meeting
Make plans to join the American Society for Matrix Biology (ASMB) in Nashville, November 1-4, 2006.
- Lupus Foundation of America's 2006 Evelyn V. Hess Award Call for Nominations
In recognition of Evelyn Hess' outstanding contributions to lupus research, the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA), has established the Evelyn V. Hess Award, to be given annually to a clinical or basic researcher.
Dear Members of the ASN:
Welcome to the August issue of Renal Express!
There are a couple of important items that I wanted to update you on within this month's message.
Disaster Preparedness
Even though the hurricane season of 2006 is forecast to be less serious than in 2005, it is appropriate for me to update you on the progress that has been made since the devastation of the hurricanes along the US Gulf Coast last fall. Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it, along with other Federal Agencies, have joined with organizations and healthcare providers in the kidney community to form the Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition and to develop a nationwide disaster response plan.
As part of the kidney community, we understand the need for improved processes. In January, the ASN, along with representatives from over 50 healthcare organizations across 25 states and the District of Columbia, participated in a national summit hosted by CMS to review lessons learned from recent disasters and to plan for the future from the position of better preparation. The Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition, comprised of partners representing kidney patient and professional organizations; dialysis nurses and nephrologists; independent dialysis and transplant facilities; large dialysis organizations; hospitals; medical equipment suppliers; ESRD Networks; state representatives; the Renal Leadership Council (RLC); CMS and other federal agencies, was born out of these efforts.
Phase I of the work of the Coalition has been completed with the development and initial dissemination of tools and resources and a national kidney community response plan to help patients, facilities, emergency responders, and coalition members plan for, and respond to, emergencies and disasters.
CMS will assume the responsibility of administrative coordination as the Coalition moves into Phase II. Coalition activities will focus on making patients with ESRD and state and local response workers aware of the tools and materials available, as well as testing and refining the national kidney community response plan. ESRD Networks, healthcare practitioners, dialysis facilities, industry, and patient representatives will play a critical role as the Coalition moves into Phase II, and in the event of a disaster, will be at the forefront of implementation of the response plan.
CMS has initiated a number of additional activities including educational campaigns. Contractual (e.g., ESRD Networks) and regulatory (e.g., proposed ESRD Conditions for Coverage) changes are underway to supplement the work of the Coalition, as well as activities to ensure all Medicare beneficiaries have access to health care services in the event of a disaster. For more information and links to CMS disaster planning activities and resources, please visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Emergency/.
In light of the importance of disaster preparedness, the ASN has remained very active in disaster planning and will once again hold a special session during Renal Week on Sunday morning, entitled “President's Special Symposium: Disasters and Nephrology: Lessons from Katrina.” The purpose of this session is to help raise awareness among our membership of how diverse disasters may impact patient care and research enterprises, and to help prepare ASN members for catastrophic events in their own communities. Speakers include: Robert J. Kenney, MD; Jeffrey B. Kopp, MD, FASN; Andrew J. Cohen, MD; and Luis Gabriel Navar, PhD, FASN.
Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Following the recent resignation of Alan Spiegel, M.D. as Director of NIDDK, the ASN was contacted by the Co-Chairs of the NIDDK Director Search Committee, Anthony S. Fauci, MD and Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, for nominations. My survey of the membership of ASN did not identify a specific candidate for this important position. Although we did not recommend a specific candidate for the NIDDK Director position, we recently urged the Search Committee to seek a candidate who supports kidney disease research and that understands the tremendous impact of kidney disease on the health of our nation. It is our expectation that the new NIDDK Director will share our commitment to basic and clinical research and a stable, well-funded research infrastructure at NIH. In addition, with the recent resignation of Josie Briggs, M.D., as Director of the Kidney Urologic Health Programs at NIDDK, kidney research has lost a strong advocate.
While we have enjoyed a viable and productive relationship with NIDDK and KUH, we need to be more involved in the process of assuring that these key positions are filled by the best possible advocates for kidney research. In the letter forwarded to the NIDDK Search Committee, the important research initiatives sponsored by the ASN were emphasized. As you are aware, the ASN has sponsored and supported feasibility conferences, basic and clinical research meetings in partnership with the NIDDK and other renal organizations. In the letter, prominent areas of accomplishment in both basic research and clinical applications relevant to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and supported by the ASN was emphasized. To read the letter that was recently sent to Drs. Fauci and Collins, please click here. If you have additional suggestions for how the ASN might participate in the selection of the position of NIDDK Director, please feel free to contact me through this link.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas D. DuBose, Jr., MD, FASN
2. Correction to July's Renal Express
Please Note: last month, when we announced Dr. Paul Kimmel's new ASN appointment of Director of Education, we erroneously listed him as Associate Professor of Medicine and Director, Division of Renal Disease and Hypertension at The George Washington University Medical Center, when he is actually Professor of Medicine and Director, Division of Renal Disease and Hypertension at The George Washington University Medical Center.
3. ASN Announces New Robert G. Narins Award
The ASN Council has established a fifth annual Renal Week award to honor substantial and meritorious contributions in education and teaching. This award will be named for Robert G. Narins who will also be the first recipient. His achievements will be honored during an award presentation at the opening of the plenary session on Sunday, November 19th in San Diego.
Dr. Narins' contributions to education and teaching started in 1967 when he was appointed to the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania , and have since spanned a 39-year career. At Penn, and on the faculties of UCLA, Harvard, Temple and Henry Ford Hospital, he taught and mentored many residents and fellows. For eight years he chaired the ABIM's Nephrology Board and also worked on the ACP's Annual Program Committee. His contributions to education in the fields of fluid-electrolyte and acid-base physiology are prodigious and well-recognized.
Since 1994, Dr. Narins has led the creation and planning of ASN's educational programs. Initially recruited to develop a board review course, chair the Postgraduate Education Committee and sustain the Clinical Short Courses (now the Clinical Nephrology Conferences), Dr. Narins has consistently and tirelessly worked to expand ASN's educational programs during Renal Week and throughout the year. Proposals that he initiated and in most cases carried out include:
(1) Establishment of the Annual Board Review Course and Update
(2) Creation of the Renal Week one- and two-day Postgraduate Educational Programs
(3) Enhancement and expansion of the Clinical Nephrology Conferences at Renal Week
(4) Development of Renal Week's breakfast, lunch and dinner Symposia
(5) Creation of the now worldwide Renal WeekEnd Meetings (formerly the Renal Week Highlights)
(6) Development of ASN's Nephrology Self-Assessment Program (NephSAP)
He also proposed and was instrumental in the decision to develop ASN's newest journal, the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), the establishment of the Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology (FASN) program, and negotiated the successful partnership agreements with HDCN and UpToDate. Dr. Narins has been at the forefront of collaborative efforts with the American College of Physicians to increase the exposure of nephrologists to relevant updates in Internal Medicine and internists to chronic kidney disease. Collaborative educational programs with societies in Europe and Asia have helped to spread education and teaching in nephrology on a global scale.
The ASN Council thanks Dr. Narins for his remarkable educational impact on nephrology. Please join us in honoring and thanking Dr. Narins for his many contributions!
4. Renal Week 2006 Registration and Housing are Open
Registration and housing for Renal Week 2006 are now available through the ASN website. Renal Week will take place from November 14-19, 2006 in San Diego, California. Access to the registration and housing websites and additional information, including program details, is available here on the ASN website.
5. Register 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 1, participants have nearly two full months to fill in any newly discovered gaps in their knowledge. If it's August, it's San Francisco and the ASN's Board Review Course! Register for the BRC and learn more today!
Please note: the pre-registration deadline is Friday, August 11, 2006, so register TODAY! Onsite registration may not be possible, due to space limitations.
6. Nancy E. Gary, MD, Co-Founder of Women in Nephrology Recently Passed Away
Nancy E. Gary, M.D., nephrologist and academic administrator, died May 31, 2006, of pulmonary hypertension, at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Gary was a Co-Founder and the first president of Women In Nephrology.
She began her academic career in nephrology, as chief of the renal section at St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Gary was an excellent role model and mentor for young women, as well as men, entering nephrology. Her expertise in medical education and governmental affairs related to health care were soon recognized, and she went on to pioneer in a number of areas in academic administration.
She was the third woman to become dean of a U.S. medical school when she assumed that post at Albany Medical College (NY) in 1988. Later, she became the first woman to become Dean of more than one medical school in the U.S. when she became Executive Vice President and Dean of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD, and Dean of its F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine. Dr. Gary was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) at the time of her retirement in 2002.
7. Attend the American Society for Matrix Biology (ASMB) Meeting
Make plans to join the American Society for Matrix Biology (ASMB) in Nashville, November 1-4, 2006. The biennial conference will be hosted in the Nashville Convention Center, in the heart of downtown Nashville. The conference will also feature a dinner and reception at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday, November 3.
Featured speakers at the ASMB Biennial National Meeting 2006 include:
Kiyokzu Agata
Jacques Baenziger
Richard Caprioli
Reinhard Faessler
David Kaplan
Harold Moses
Ann Marie Schmidt
Sanford Shattil
Jouni Uitto
Visit www.asmb.net for more information and to register online.
8. Lupus Foundation of America's 2006 Evelyn V. Hess Award Call for Nominations
Evelyn V. Hess, M.D., MACP, MACR, is an internationally known expert in lupus, with a special interest in the area of the environmental aspects of lupus.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to lupus research over the course of her long career, the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA), has established the Evelyn V. Hess Award, to be given annually to a clinical or basic researcher whose body of work has advanced understanding of the pathophysiology, etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, or treatment of lupus. Nominations and supporting materials must be received by the LFA no later than September 15, 2006. Click here for additional details, including criteria and supporting material requirements.
