The official ERA-EDTA Newsletter - Year 2 Issue 1

R. Coppo

A report from the Chairperson of the ERA-EDTA CME Activities and of the Administrative Offices, Rosanna Coppo

In December 2003, the ERA-EDTA Council launched a new educational initiative: a series of CME Courses on different topics, to be held both in Eastern and Western European countries.

After two years, this adventure has turned out to be so successful that we are receiving many requests for new Courses all over Europe. The ERA-EDTA Council will continue this initiative with new ideas for the future.

Read Rosanna Coppo’s presentation

Education remains at the core of the Society

Interview with the ERA-EDTA Secretary-Treasurer, Adrian Covic

Prof. Covic, the ERA-EDTA Council is putting a lot of efforts into new initiatives for young Nephrologists. What should we expect in 2006?
Keeping the line of developing existing programmes and creating exciting new educational initiatives, ERA-EDTA has decided to significantly increase - by 50% - the funding reserved for travel grants to attend the ERA-EDTA Congress. The total sum – 50.000 Euro - will thus be allocated to 89 grants based on the best-rated abstracts: 23 for Basic Sciences, 23 for Nephrology, 23 for Dialysis and 20 for Transplantation.

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And what about the research? Are there any projects that have been defined?
The ERA-EDTA Council has decided to perform a clinical trial, in order to promote and co-ordinate studies aimed at slowing the progression of renal disease. 
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is perceived as a major public health problem. Apart from the need for dialysis and renal transplantation, the increased risk for cardiovascular events in patients with even a mild degree of renal function impairment, makes CKD a true challenge for European Health Systems.
ARPA (Arrest Renal disease Progression Aim) will focus on patients, presenting risk factors for progression of renal diseases and will find out the most effective drug combination for preventing functional decline. The project is designed to pragmatically test the validity of available treatments used in combination. In addition, ARPA is a catalytic framework to boost research in various “buzzing” fields.

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   A. Covic

C. Zoccali

The QUEST Initiative: one more step forward

From Carmine Zoccali, Chairman of the ERA-EDTA Registry

The QUEST initiative (QUality European STudies) is a new opportunity for starting research programs on the epidemiology of renal diseases, created within the framework of the ERA-EDTA Registry. The Registry has submitted a pan-European research project to the European commission in March 2005 and this project has received a positive evaluation; however there is still competition for EU funding and the selection process is still underway so that the final decision is still unknown. The QUEST participants, although hopeful for a good outcome with the 2005 submission, intend to make another submission in 2006.

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EKRA merges with ERA-EDTA

From Jürgen Floege, President of EKRA

   J. Floege

ERA-EDTA CME Courses
Introductory Course on Epidemiology

On March 4-6, 2006 the ERA-EDTA Registry will organise the fourth ERA-EDTA Epidemiology Course in Salzburg, Austria. Dr. Kramar is the host of this course. The first three editions were held in Rome, Italy (September 2004), Toledo, Spain (March 2005) and Würzburg, Germany (October 2005). The aim of these courses is to provide a basic-intermediate level of knowledge on epidemiology and applied biostatistics to European nephrologists with an interest in general and clinical epidemiology of renal diseases. On the basis of surveys done among course participants, these courses can be considered a true success. This is a small class course and therefore all persons who might be interested are invited to contact the course co-organizer and ERA-EDTA Registry Manager, Kitty Jager (k.j.jager@amc.uva.nl) immediately.

News from the ERA-EDTA Council

ERA-EDTA COUNCIL CANDIDATES
At the time of the Glasgow Congress, three Ordinary Council members will end their term (K.-U. Eckardt - Germany; G. London – France and D. Tsakiris - Greece). If you are interested in becoming a candidate for election to Ordinary Council Member, please send a written statement to the Secretary-Treasurer before March 1, 2006. All candidates must be full members of the Association and any proposals for election must be accompanied by supporting letters obtained from two other full members of the Association. Furthermore C. Zoccali (Italy) will end his first term as Chairman of the Registry. He is eligible for a second three year term. However should any Full member, having been a member of the Association for at least five consecutive years, wish to apply for this ex-officio post, he/she must send his/her candidacy letter to the Secretary-Treasurer before March 1, 2006 accompanied by supporting letters obtained from two other full members of the Association.