Programs of the ISN Programs of the ISNThe ISN International Congresses, dedicated to fostering the highest standards of education, research and patient care throughout the world, are international gatherings of nephrologists and other scientists involved in research on the kidney in health and disease. They are held every two years, in various parts of the world, in association with national or regional groups e.g. the Asian-Pacific Society of Nephrology (1997), the Latin American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension (1999), the American Society of Nephrology (2001), and hosted by a local national Societies (1997: Australian and New Zealand Society, 1999: Argentinian Society of Nephrology, 2001: American Society of Nephrology). The Congress brings together the foremost researchers and clinical nephrologists to exchange the latest information in research and clinical practice and to share views on topics relevant to nephrology. The Congresses are organized around selected basic and clinical "Themes". Each Theme is covered in-depth as a "mini-meeting" lasting for one to four days. A Continuing Medical Education course is a part of each Congress.
ISN Forefront Conferences address the highly scientific nature of nephrology. These three-to-four-day conferences are held up to twice a year at locations around the world and deal with specific aspects of science that are fundamental to researchers in nephrology. Nephrologists join with investigators from other fields to facilitate the exposure of nephrological laboratories to new scientific domains of future importance. The ISN offers travel grants to young investigators to attend Forefront meetings.
For more information about the ISN Forefront Conferences or travel grants, please contact the Directors of the ISN Forefront Programs.
The ISN has established two honorary awards which acknowledge exceptional contributions to nephrology. They are the Jean Hamburger Award for outstanding research in nephrology with a clinical emphasis, and the A.N. Richards Award for outstanding basic research in fields relevant to nephrology.
These awards are presented every two years at the ISN International Congress. Nominations can be made at any time directly to the ISN President. Click here for a list of Hamburger and A.N. Richards Awardees 1987-1997.
The ISN Council selects candidates for the Donald Seldin and Claude Amiel lectures, given at the International Congress.
Kidney International (KI), published monthly, is the official journal of the ISN and the world's leading journal of nephrology with a circulation approaching 10,000. A subscription to the journal is included in ISN membership dues.
KI publishes manuscripts dealing with clinical and laboratory topics of relevance to nephrology. The "Nephrology Forum" series published in the journal involves discussants from all over the world who consider topics important in nephrology from recordings of live meetings held at major centres and meetings throughout the world.
The ISN encourages organisers of scientific symposia, postgraduate courses and workshops to apply to the Society for sponsorship. ISN sponsorship provides the use of the Society's name and logo "under the auspices of the International Society of Nephrology" for a sponsor or co-sponsor, announcement of the meeting in Kidney International and the potential for partial financial support. Regularly scheduled or routine meetings are not eligible for sponsorship, nor are postgraduate courses which are co-sponsored by other international groups or societies.
Requests for sponsorship should be submitted to the ISN President and must include the following information:
The ISN sponsors Commissions which are committed to the exchange of information between nephrologists and other scientists in relevant fields. Each commission consists of at least six members who represent nephrology and related sciences. The work of the Commissions promotes an open avenue of communication among ISN members in focused areas. Some Commissions have launched projects in their specific areas to serve the special needs of interested parties.
The four ISN Commissions currently active are Acute Renal Failure, the History of Nephrology, Global Advancement of Nephrology, and Nephrology Informatics. Each Commission can serve the membership of the ISN in several ways including:
The ISN has initiated several programs designed to support and strengthen patient care, education and research in less developed countries. The following is a summary of these programs.
This scheme is described above under "membership".
In 1993 a Commission for Nephrology in the Developing World, now called COMGAN, was established, with Co-ordinators Dr. Barry Brenner of Boston and Dr. John Dirks of Canada.These central offices co-ordinate the activities of a series of Commissions for different parts of the world.
These sub-commissions help co-ordinate, publicise and execute the activities of the ISN in the Developing World that are outlined below, and undertake in addition teaching activities within their areas of responsibility, together with fostering links between local units and those in developing countries. At the moment this program is expanding rapidly. For more information on COMGAN click here.
Nephrologists from less developed countries may apply for ISN financial support for one year of clinical training or research in North America, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand or Japan. As many as 30 trainees are sponsored through this program at any point in time. After training, the ISN encourages an ongoing relationship between the host and home institutions as well as between the trainees' host and home mentors.
The annual stipend for trainees is US$ 22,500 per year. Fellowship will be offered primarily for clinical training of one year duration. In selected circumstances research training and fellowships of shorter or longer duration will be allowed.
Applicants for support from the International Fellowship Program must meet certain criteria for approval. Specifically, they must:
Some ISN fellowships are co-sponsored and co-funded by national kidney associations, foundations and/or industry, thus allowing a larger number of ISN fellows to be funded each year. At present, fellowships are being sponsored by the American Society of Nephrology, the National Kidney Fund of Great Britain, and Kirin Brewery of Japan. There is no absolute age limit for the candidates, but in general, individuals are under the age of 40.
Application forms for the ISN International Fellowship Program can be obtained from the office of the ISN Secretary-General, Dr. J. Weening. The deadlines for submitting applications, including two references, are April 1 and October 1 of each year.
Applications are reviewed by an independent Committee chaired by the ISN Secretary - General, Dr. Jan J Weening.
The ISN will sponsor visits for up to 2-3 months by individuals from the developing world to a centre or centres in the developed world. These awards may be at any level of seniority or age, for physicians, and for renal technologists or renal senior nurses (e.g. those involved in dialysis or renal pathology). It is important that these visits are structured, and have a specific goal in to aquire and bring back clinical or laboratory skills to the host country. They are not intended to support lecture tours, invited visits, or similar activities. Applications, including a program outline and a letter of support from the host institution(s) can be made to the Secretary-General's office. The deadlines for submitting applications are the same as for the regular fellowship applications and the same application forms can be used.
Each year, the ISN President may elect to sponsor a postgraduate or continuing education course in nephrology to be held in a less developed country. Sponsored courses bring together physicians and scientists with an interest in kidney disease in regions of the world where educational and scientific meetings have been less accessible. Information on such ISN-sponsored courses is published in Kidney International.
Partial funding is available for the ISN President's Course, but these funds are not intended to support ongoing annual meetings. Applications should be submitted to the ISN President and must relate the specifics of the proposed program including possible topics, speakers and a detailed budget.
The ISN sponsors a program whereby senior physicians and/or scientists who are experts in nephrology and related disciplines may spend from six weeks to three months at an institution in the less developed world.
Applicants to the Visiting Scholar Program must focus primarily on "hands-on" activities which have the potential of improving the quality of patient care, education and/or research in fields relevant to the kidney at the host institution. Examples of eligible activities include assistance in establishing a new clinical program such as continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, establishing new research programs or new research laboratory techniques, or providing instruction in basic clinical and scientific techniques of relevance to the host institution or country.
The stipend, which includes travel and expenses, is US $25,000 for three months or a prorated amount for a shorter period of time. All applications must include a description of the program, its objectives, personal references and a letter of acceptance from the host institution. A visiting scholarship can be applied for by sending to the Secretary-General a description of the program, its objectives, personal references and a letter of acceptance from the host institution.
The ISN provides travel grants to both the ISN International Congress and ISN Forefront Conferences. Travel grants for the ISN International Congress favour young physicians and scientists who are submitting abstracts, a portion of the available funding is designated for nephrologists from less developed countries.
Six travel grants are awarded to young scientists from less developed countries to attend each ISN Forefront Conference. Applicants for these grants must have training and experience in an area of research relevant to the conference and an infrastructure at their home institutions adequate to allow the pursuit of techniques and approaches discussed at the conference.
Travel grant applications and a list of topics of future Forefront Conferences can be obtained from the Directors of ISN Forefront Programs.
Forms of application for International Congress travel grants may be obtained from the ISN Secretary-General and should be received by him 3 months before the Congress at the latest.
In recognition of the fact that many libraries in developing countries remain poorly stocked, the ISN supports some 200 institutions worldwide with free subscription to Kidney International, and donations of nephrological texts as they become available. While the focus has been on nephrology, material has been provided for other disciplines as well.
Authors of nephrological texts who are ISN members are encouraged to solicit extra copies for distribution in developing countries.
Authors who would like to assist, and Units or Institutions not yet in receipt of this facility may apply to the ISN Treasurer, Dr. William Mitch, to be added to the list. Please note that only libraries and units may apply: KI and/or books are not given to individual nephrologists.
The ISN is preparing and distributing teaching materials other than books such as tape-slide presentations on nephrological topics, and material on CD-ROM. Enquiries about these should be directed to the President.
The ISN recognises that access to medical literature pertaining to kidney disease is limited in many less developed areas of the world. Therefore, the ISN offers an opportunity for young nephrologists-in-training to join the ISN and subscribe to Kidney International at a reduced rate. This one-time offer provides a two-year associate membership and two-year KI subscription for US$ 120 - one half the regular annual dues. Applications for this "2 for 1" offer can be obtained from the ISN Treasurer.
Researchers in developing countries often lack the command of English necessary to report their work to an international audience. The ISN offers technical English language assistance to authors who are preparing manuscripts for submission to Kidney International or other nephrology journals.
For information about English language assistance for manuscripts contact the Editor of Kidney International or the ISN English Language Consultant.
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