The official ERA-EDTA Newsletter - Year 2 Issue 3

J.B. Cannata-Andía

The launch of the fellowship programme

From  Jorge B. Cannata-Andía, ERA-EDTA President

Dear Colleagues,

As President of the ERA-EDTA, I have the pleasure to announce the first call for the ERA-EDTA long-term Fellowship Grants.

The purpose of the ERA-EDTA Fellowship Programme is to support basic and clinical research in the field of Nephrology in Europe, mainly among young investigators. In addition, the ERA-EDTA Fellowship Programme will facilitate scientific exchange and collaboration between European Research Institutions.

Long-Term Fellowships are awarded for prolonged visits (12 to 24 months) and are intended for advanced training through research. The fellowships provide the travel costs and a stipend for the fellow and his/her family. Applicants should have a long-term commitment to perform research in the field of kidney function or disease and related areas, including renal pathology, pathophysiology, hypertension, cardiovascular consequences of renal disease, clinical epidemiology, dialysis and transplantation.

Shortly we will also announce the first call for the short-term fellowships (up to 3 months) established mainly to apply a technique not available in the home institution and to promote research collaboration between two institutions.

Applications have to be sent to the ERA-EDTA President and submitted online through the ERA-EDTA web-site.

Do not miss the opportunity to apply. The first deadline for Applications for the long-term Fellowships is May 26th, 2006. You will find all the complete information, and rules, in the ERA-EDTA web page.

My warmest best wishes,

Prof. Jorge B. Cannata-Andía

P. Ronco

  J.G. Fox

ERA-EDTA Members awarded by the National Kidney Foundation

At the upcoming "2006 Spring Clinical Meeting" of the National Kindley Foundation (Chicago, IL - USA - April 19-23, 2006) five ERA-EDTA members, including the current and past ERA-EDTA Presidents, will be awarded.

Out of the six winners of the Distingueshed Lectures / Awards, three will be given to ERA-EDTA members:

1) The Shaul G. Massry Distinguished Lecture - G. Remuzzi (Italy);
2) The Donald W. Seldin Award - H. Murer (Switzerland);
3) Garabed Eknoyan Award - F. Locatelli (Italy).

Out of the five winners of the International Distinguished Medals, two will be given to ERA-EDTA members: J.-B. Cannata-Andia (Spain) and G. Mircescu (Romania).

The ERA-EDTA extends its warmest congratulations to all of them!

For more information click here: http://www.kidney.org/news/meetings/clinical/lecturers.cfm

top

Advancements in the field of a Pan-European System for training and CME in Nephrology

From Rosanna Coppo, Chairperson of the ERA-EDTA Administrative Offices

Over the last 5 years the ERA-EDTA has strongly increased its relationships with the UEMS (Union Européenne des Specialitées Médicales) which have recently come to an important agreement. This is very important, since it clearly increases the scientific and educational visibility of our Society and represents a step forward towards a pan-European system in teaching and educating in Nephrology.

In February 2006, in Brussels, the Board of Nephropathy was officially set-up under the auspices of Dr. Maillet, Secretary General at the UEMS, who took part in the meeting of the Speciality Section of Nephrology: he gave a strong recommendation to put the Section of Nephrology in close relationship with a Scientific Society as strong as ERA-EDTA.

Continue

   R. Coppo

C. Zoccali

QUEST Initiative: News from the II QUEST Convention in Vienna

From Carmine Zoccali, Chairman of the ERA-EDTA Registry

In a recent survey, made on the basis of electronic contacts through NDT-Educational,  Epidemiology & Clinical Epidemiology resulted to be the least appealing sub-speciality in nephrology. Only a tiny minority of nephrologists show an interest towards epidemiology and allied  sciences. In crude numbers, the electronic contacts to epidemiology articles is about 1/10 than those of the most successful sub-speciality, i.e. hypertension. In a way this is disappointing because clinical epidemiology is now considered as the basic science to modern medicine and because the vast majority of ERA-EDTA members are clinicians. To start enlarging the potential and the horizon of the ERA-EDTA Registry and to spur interest in epidemiology, we felt that we needed a new initiative, the QUEST initiative, QUality EUropean STudies. I emphasise the substantive, “initiative” rather than “project”.

Continue

QUEST working groups aiming to launch trials in Europe - Activities of the ERA-EDTA Registry group and members

From Christoph Wanner, Member of the ERA-EDTA Registry

Vienna, Belvedere at night

Vienna (Austria), March 12, 2006. The second QUEST convention devoted an entire afternoon session to review ideas and protocols about urgent research questions in Clinical Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation. Already during their first QUEST convention in Toledo (Spain), March 2005, the workgroups felt that the type of a clinical study should be prospective, if possible randomized or controlled, should contain an intervention, and should rely on outcome or solid endpoints. It was aimed also at bringing the Registry in such a position to take advantage of its data gathering capacities. Finally, overall feasibility should be guaranteed within the frame of a reasonable budget.

Continue

top

Oxford University Press – ERA-EDTA Bookclub

Members of the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplantation Association can receive an exclusive 25% discount on Nephrology titles and a number of other selected titles from Oxford University Press at the ERA-EDTA/OUP online bookclub.

To place your discounted order online visit http://www.oup.co.uk/promotions/medicine/era_edta/, where you will also find details about a number of highlighted titles in Nephrology including:

Oxford Handbook of Urology
Discounted price: £18.71 (RRP: £24.95)

Supportive Care for the Urology Patient
Discounted price: £37.46 (RRP: £49.95)

Oxford Handbook of Dialysis
Discounted Price: £18.71 (RRP: £24.95)

And the forthcoming:

Oxford Handbook of Clinical Nephrology and Hypertension
Discounted price: £18.71 (RRP: £24.95)

You can pre-order your copy of this title from the bookclub at http://www.oup.co.uk/promotions/medicine/era_edta/

A short report on the 4th ERA-EDTA Epidemiology course in Salzburg

From Kitty Jager, ERA-EDTA Registry Managing Director

The 4th ERA-EDTA Course on Epidemiology was held on March 4-6, 2006 in a small village near Salzburg (Austria). In a friendly and informal atmosphere thirty-one nephrologists and nephrology research fellows from Albania, Austria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia took part in this 2-day CME course.

Continue

top

ERA-EDTA 2005 Highlights, May 27, 2006, Rome, Italy

The 4th Renal Failure Academy, June 1-3, 2006 - Sinaia, Romania

top

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation is the official journal of ERA-EDTA and it is one of the world's leading journals devoted to original clinical and laboratory research in nephrology, dialysis and transplantation. Published monthly, the journal provides an essential resource for researchers and clinicians throughout the world.

Impact factor: 2.840

View Current Issue (Volume 21 Issue 4 April 2006)

The new issue of NDT-Educational is online!

NDT-Educational is the educational Website of ERA-EDTA. Every two weeks new CME Slides forum, Case Studies, Full Papers Article, Literature Monitor, Video and more.

Visit NDT-Educational at www.ndt-educational.org

Do you want to receive NDT-Educational? Please register here. It's completely free!

Nephrorad is a group of motorcyclists connected to nephrology and dialysis who are attending the ERA-EDTA 2006 Congress. 

Please click here for more information: www.eraedta2006.org/nephrorad.htm