International Committee

The main task of the International Committee is to raise the international profile and contribution of UK nephrology in the developing countries, including those of Eastern Europe. It was formed in 2004.

Raising the profile

This is one of the current priorities of the Renal Association. Some activities are mentioned below, but this is a good place for a reminder of a number of initiatives sponsored by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and its Commission for the Global Advancement of Nephrology (COMGAN). These include:

The contribution of UK nephrology in the developing countriesThe Sister Renal Center (SRC) program chaired by Professor Rashad Barsoum through which renal units in the UK can pair up with units in the developing countries. This program offers a range of incentives and advantages to the Supporting Center/SC (in the UK) and the Emerging Center/EC in the developing world. The SRC program has 3 levels C to A according to the duration of sistership and the level of activities and achievement. The benefits increase from C to A with support provided by ISN for fellowships, senior scholarships, hand-on training of paramedics and organisation of meetings in-between the two centres. They also provide travel grants to the World Congress of Nephrology, Nexus meetings as well as the American Society of Nephrology. They also support subscription to Kidney International, Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology and the online ISN educational Gateway. They provide hard copies of leading textbooks in Nephrology and Internal medicine and educational CDs and other library enhancement material.

So far only a small number of UK units have been involved in the SRC (see box). I encourage you to read more about the SRC program and link up with colleagues in the developing world. The annual deadline for application is September the 30th of every year.

Sister Renal Centre programmes involving the UK in 2006

Level B
Cardiff - China (South East University Hospital)
 

Level C
Sheffield - Bangladesh (Birdem Hospital Dhaka)
Sheffield - Nigeria (University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital)
Oxford - Belarus (4th City Clinical Hospital)
London, Guy's Hospital - Lasi, Romania


The ISN fellowship program is chaired by Professor John Feehally and encourages UK units to welcome trainees from the developing world. In the past, the UK was a leading host nation; nowadays only a small number of UK renal units welcome ISN fellows. You can register your interest to host an ISN fellowship by recording your unit's interest in order to be included in the ISN fellowship matching program.

The ISN COMGAN research committee chaired by Professor G Remuzzi has launched the ISN Program for Detection and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease, Hypertension, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease in Developing Countries (KHDC). This program supports collaborative research with emphasis on the detection and management of CKD, hypertension and diabetes in the developing countries. Applications for grants up to $20,000 are called for twice a year on the 1st of April and 1st of October. The ISN COMGAN brings essential teaching and training to some 14,000 doctors and health care practitioners in the emerging world annually. The CME Program is a COMGAN Global Outreach Program. It is chaired by Professor Norbert Lameire and encourages nephrologists from the UK to become involved in teaching of nephrology and educating nephrologists in the developing World. If any UK nephrologist or renal histopathologist is keen to be involved in some of the CME workshops and seminars organised by Norbert Lamiere; he can be directly contacted or you are welcome to contact me and and I will flag out your expertise and willingness to Norbert.

Overall, it would be very nice for UK nephrologists to become more involved internationally. The ISN COMGAN and its different programs offer such an opportunity. It is high time we get involved. For more information visit the ISN website.

Meguid El Nahas

International Committee membership Start Retire
Chair: Albert Ong 2009
Immediate Past Chair: Jo Adu 2009
RA President: Prof Peter Mathieson 2004
ISN Fellowship Committee Chair: Prof John Feehally 2004
Mr Ali Bakran 2005
Dr Aminu Bello 2004
Prof Terry Cook 2004
Dr John Eastwood 2004
Dr Ibrahim Fahal 2005
Dr David Goldsmith 2004
Dr Megan Griffiths tbc
Dr Paul Harden tbc
Prof Steven Sacks 2004
Prof Robert Unwin tbc
Prof Alan Watson 2004
Prof Magdi Yaqoob tbc

 

Contact: Jo Adu, Renal Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, B15 2TH Tel 0121 472 1311; email dwoms@blueyonder.co.uk
Minutes and documents
Pre-2007 documents from Archive page

Jo Adu, Renal Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, B15 2TH Tel 0121 472 1311; email

Specific aims of the International Committee:

  1. Attract more overseas trainees to the UK.
  2. Raise the international profile of UK nephrologists as teachers and educators in the developing countries.
  3. Generate more dynamic and creative links between UK renal units and those in the developing countries.

 

Actions:

  1. Establish a database of those involved in the above activities or interested to be involved.
  2. Identify ongoing ISN sister units arrangements within the UK.
  3. Derive profiles of interest of UK nephrologists based on geographical and thematic areas.
  4. Liaise with the Research Committee regarding ongoing research linking UK to developing countries. Keep committee informed of EU, MRC, Wellcome Trust, ISN COMGAN as well as other initiatives that may be useful sources of funding for joint research projects between UK institutions and developing countries renal units.

Downloads

  1. International committee minutes April 2009
    .pdf file (91.22 KB)
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