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 Dear ASN Members,In what has become an annual June tradition for ASN, ASN President Peter S. Aronson, MD, FASN, invited me, as Chair of the Society’s Program Committee, to write this month's Renal Express "President's Message" and provide an update regarding Renal Week 2008, which will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA, from November 4-9. The theme of this year's meeting is "Translating Basic and Clinical Science into Advances in Prevention and Treatment of Kidney Disease." This year's meeting will feature four scientific themes: Renal Immunology and Transplantation, Cardiovascular Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), Stem Cells and Kidney Development, and Epithelial Transport and Cell Biology. Each theme will be the focus of a Meeting-Within-a-Meeting (MWM), the format that premiered at last year’s ASN meeting. Each MWM consists of scientific symposia and free communications (oral abstract sessions) that are related to a theme and are held in the same room throughout Renal Week. Each featured theme will be highlighted by a State-of-the-Art lecture that is designed to appeal to the entire ASN membership.
In addition to the MWMs, the members of the Program Committee and the Postgraduate Education Committee (which is chaired by Mark E. Rosenberg, MD) have worked together to develop clinical and basic science symposia and clinical nephrology conferences that address a wide variety of key issues in kidney biology and disease. Topics range from the biology of iron to non-adherence, and include sessions on nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, organ allocation, and anemia management among many other subjects. Each day's program provides a number of choices designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of clinical and scientific interests. I am particularly grateful to you, the members of ASN, for continuing to submit your best clinical and basic research for presentation at Renal Week. This year, the Program Committee implemented a few changes in the abstract categories in response to ongoing trends in nephrology research. First, the abstract category for CKD was expanded into three categories. The committee developed a new abstract category for nephrology education in recognition of the need for scientifically rigorous approaches to train nephrology fellows and clinicians. Also new this year will be a separate abstract deadline for late-breaking clinical trials. The deadline for these abstracts is Wednesday, September 24; ASN will announce that the submissions are due in an email and postcard sent to ASN members in August. Selected abstracts will be presented in a special late-breaking clinical trial session and published online and in a future issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Later this month, ASN will mail the Preliminary Program for Renal Week 2008 to ASN members and all Renal Week 2007 participants. The Preliminary Program includes information on the scientific program, registration, hotel reservations, travel, local Philadelphia attractions, and more. ASN will also post the program with complete and frequently updated information on the symposia and clinical nephrology conferences on the ASN website at www.asn-online.org. In October, the ASN website will provide the abstracts in an online searchable format. I look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia! Sincerely,  Peter Igarashi, MD, FASN 2008 Chair, ASN Program Committee |
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ASN Sponsors
Physician-Scientist Initiative, APM Releases Recommendations The
Association of Professors of Medicine (APM) released its report, "Recommendations
for Revitalizing the Nation’s Physician-Scientist Workforce,"
Friday, May 23, 2008. An overview of the first phase of the APM
Physician-Scientist Initiative, the report presents 30 recommendations
for supporting and invigorating the physician-scientist workforce as
proposed at the association’s November consensus conference. To support
efforts to address the alarming decline in the physician-scientist
workforce, ASN contributed to the first phase of the APM
Physician-Scientist Initiative. Several ASN members participated in
last fall’s consensus conference.The four major recommendations stemming from the conference, "Revitalization of the Nation’s Physician Workforce," are:
ASN Examines the Patient-Centered Medical Home In response to the increasing interest in the concept of a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), ASN has formed a task force, chaired by Thomas D. DuBose, Jr., MD, to determine how the PCMH may affect the practice of nephrology. The American College of Physicians (ACP), the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Osteopathic Association define the PCMH as "…a team-based model of care led by a personal physician who provides continuous and coordinated care throughout a patient's lifetime to maximize health outcomes." Reporting to the ASN Public Policy Board, the ASN PCMH Task Force has drafted four possible scenarios to help clarify how a nephrologist will participate within the framework of a patient’s "medical home." The four scenarios address patients with early stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD); stage 4 CKD; end-stage renal disease (dialysis); and an uncommon but complex disorder that requires the nephrologist to provide comprehensive care. Each scenario raises questions about the role of the nephrologist, and the task force will discuss these issues with Michael Barr, MD, ACP Vice President for Practice Advocacy & Improvement during a meeting later this month. In addition to Dr. DuBose, the ASN PCMH Task force includes: Mary (Tessie) T. Behrens, MD, Arnold S. Berns, MD, Connie L. Davis, MD, Thomas H. Hostetter, MD, Paul E. Klotman, MD, and Lynda A. Szczech, MD. Several other ASN members are contributing to the task force’s discussions. For more information about PCMH, please view ACP’s summary. To learn more about the task force, please contact ASN Senior Policy Coordinator Susan Owens at 202-416-0668 or sowens@asn-online.org. |
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13th Annual Board
Review Course & Update Registration for the 13th Annual ASN
Board Review Course & Update (BRCU) is now open. The BRCU will
once again take place in San Francisco, CA. Previous courses were
hugely successful, and those preparing for the American Board of
Internal Medicine’s (ABIM’s) Maintenance of Certification (MOC)
examination are increasing registration numbers each year. Please register
early to ensure a place in the 2008 course. The pre-registration
deadline is Friday, August 8, 2008.
Onsite registration may not be possible, due to space limitations. The timing of BRCU in late August maximizes participants' readiness for the ABIM certification and MOC examinations, which take place November 24, 2008 (also May 12, 2009, for MOC only). After completion of the course and the self-assessment test, participants have nearly three full months to fill in any newly discovered gaps in their knowledge. This course provides a timely, comprehensive, and thorough update for the practicing nephrologist. The Palace Hotel is the location for the ASN BRCU. This historic landmark provides the atmosphere and quality service you would expect from an elegant hotel. Its central location is steps away from Union Square, the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), and the cable cars, making the Palace a perfect base for your extracurricular adventures. BRCU concludes at the start of the Labor Day weekend, which means participants can plan a holiday vacation in the Bay Area. ASN has reserved a block of rooms at a reduced rate at The Palace Hotel. ASN recommends that you make your online hotel reservation as soon as possible to ensure your guest room at the special rate of $234.00 plus taxes. The deadline for hotel reservations is Thursday, July 31, 2008. The hotel may not be able to honor the lower ASN rate after this date; however, rooms may still be available. The ASN's Board Review Course event travel coordinator, Apollo Travel, has negotiated special air travel discounts for our meeting attendees. Hotel and Travel Information are available here.
To register for the Board Review Course & Update, visit the registration website. Online registration accepts American Express, MasterCard, or Visa. |
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Report of the ASN
Basic Science Committee The ASN Basic Science Committee is responsible for
developing basic science educational programs, such as ASN's Advances
in Basic Science Conference (ARC); developing and hosting the basic
science evenings during Renal Week; recommending initiatives to the ASN
Council that will enhance the activities of basic scientists in the
Society; and responding to special requests by the council in areas
related to basic science in nephrology.The committee’s recent activities have focused on programming responsibilities. The schedule, speaker list, and topics have been finalized for the 2008 ARC: Human Disorders of Protein Processing: Mechanisms, Consequences and Therapeutic Implications, which will bring together internationally recognized scientists with expertise that ranges from protein folding dynamics and intracellular trafficking to renal folding diseases and drug development. The committee submitted and received an NIH R13 (small conference) Grant that will be used to provide travel awards for participants. Recently, the committee selected, in conjunction with the ASN Program Committee, topics for two basic science evening sessions during Renal Week 2008. These sessions are designed to be more technically oriented for the basic scientist. The 2008 topics are:
Pat Preisig, PhD Yale University Chair, ASN Basic Science Committee |
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JASN Hidden
Heart Condition Increases the Risk of Death in Patients Waiting for
Kidney Transplants An often asymptomatic condition—systolic dysfunction, or decreased pumping of the heart—poses an increased risk of death for patients on kidney transplant waiting lists. Study findings reveal that a clinical indicator beyond well-known risk factors for cardiovascular mortality should be considered when caring for patients waiting for kidney donations. The study also suggests that changes in organ allocation policies may be warranted. TOC; Full Study Medical Research is Essential to
Improving The Economy and Bettering Lives: Now is Not the Time to
Stifle the Funding of Science Health care in the United States is expensive, but its funding is crucial because it also is a major contributor to the economy and can better lives. This essay claims that because of the cost of health care, this is not time to shrink the budget at the NIH, which funds medical research that leads to potentially curative therapy. TOC; Full Study Evidence Lacking on Health
Benefits of Drinking Lots of WaterA recent look at what is known about the health effects of drinking water reveals that most supposed benefits are not backed by solid evidence. The findings indicate that most people do not need to worry about drinking their recommended eight glasses of eight ounces ("8x8") of water per day. TOC; Full Study |
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