Congresses

Future ISN Congresses

XVth International Congress of Nephrology, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2-6 May 1999

The XIVth International Congress of Nephrology was held in Sydney from 25th-29th May, 1997. This was the first Congress held in the southern hemisphere and the first to involve cooperation between local, regional and international societies of Nephrology. The local organisers, the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology worked closely with the Asian Pacific Society as well as the ISN. After four years of intense organisation, I am happy to report that the Meeting was an outstanding success, both scientifically and socially. There were 4,079 registrants, 427 accompanying guests and 590 exhibitor personnel. Ninety seven countries were represented with Japan, Australia, USA and Italy each having over 350 delegates. As with recent Congresses, the thematic approach was applied to the main scientific programme and this provided a detailed analysis of renal development, transport and genetics; acute renal failure and environmental renal disease; immune-mediated renal disease; progressive chronic renal disease; hypertension and vascular disease; dialysis and transplantation. There were four plenary sessions, which involved eight presentations. At the fourth plenary, the Richards Award was presented to Drs Alex Leaf and Klaus Thurau and the Hamburger Award to Drs Renee Habib and Priscilla Kincaid-Smith. The programme of continuing medical education (i.e. Perspectives and Advances in Clinical Nephrology, PACN) consisted of major presentations each morning and smaller interactive sessions each afternoon. Large sessions have been used for this purpose at previous Congresses. However, the latter small meetings were a relatively new approach and were designed to generate interchange on controversial topics. These small sessions were highly successful and well attended. Indeed, the organisers of PACN were very satisfied with their effort.

On 22-23rd May, 1997, for the first time, an International Training Course was incorporated into the ICN. This sponsored course involved 60 nephrologists from the Asian Pacific rim who were nominated by their local societies to attend an intensive programme in basic and clinical nephrology. Sessions involved a mixture of case presentations, discussion, didactic teaching and speaker/scholar interchange. Invitees were provided with travel and accommodation expenses, as well as registration for the main meeting. Most had spent a week in an Australian or New Zealand renal unit prior to coming to Sydney for the Congress. There was unanimous agreement that this course was an outstanding success, both in terms of organisation and content. We hope that it is possible to continue this initiative, as it would appear to have numerous benefits to our speciality worldwide. A second innovation for the XIVth ICN was the development of symposia on behalf of our ten major sponsors. These were held on the weekend prior to and the first two evenings of the main programme. The overall theme related to renal management. Attendance and participation were outstanding. On the evening of Sunday 25th May, the Opening Ceremony was held at the Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour. A cloudless night and a temperature of 21°C, coupled with the stunning beauty of the Opera House, assured the success of an occasion that was attended by over 2500 delegates. The concert that followed set the standard for a social programme that was sustained throughout the week. Numerous events were conducted throughout the city. The congress party, held on Wednesday 28th May, again at Sydney harbourside, was a great success. The weather held firm and the attendance was superb.

Many delegates set off for distant parts of Australia to attend post-Congress Satellites. Several of these meetings incorporated groups of specialists that meet regularly throughout the world to discuss specific issues relevant to nephrology. They include hypertension in diabetes mellitus, acute renal failure and ANCA. A new group, formed to discuss renal disease in indigenous populations, gathered in central Australia (at Ayers Rock) for the first time. This satellite attracted a large attendance and a great deal of interest. Hopefully it, too, will achieve sustained interest at meetings to come. We in Australia are delighted with the result of the Congress and trust that it will enhance both scientific and personal relationships among nephrologists throughout the world.

Robert C. Atkins