2007 JASN IMPACT FACTOR 7.111	HOME   AUTHOR INFO   EDITORIAL BOARD   SUBSCRIBE   FEEDBACK   ALERTS   HELP
advanced	CURRENT ISSUE	ARCHIVES	JASN Express	ONLINE SUBMISSION

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content

What a difference a year can make! Think back to 2001 and the Annual Meeting in San Francisco. The ASN Program Committee had their first planning meeting on October 17, 2001, in San Francisco. The World Congress of Nephrology had just adjourned with a disappointing 7,400 in attendance. However, the Program Committee, led by Dr. Paul Klotman, was enthusiastic about planning the best scientific meeting of the ASN ever. In Dr. Klotman’s initial letter to the membership in the Call for Abstracts, he stressed,

"As the meeting has grown in size, many of us have felt the need to re-emphasize the interactive identity of the meeting, one in which clinicians and basic scientists meet in the same venue."

After months of hard work, 11,200 attendees and exhibits flocked to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the 35^th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition. The meeting was kicked off with the Presidential Address by Dr. Roland Blantz and the State-of-the-Art lecture by Dr. Richard Lifton on Friday, November 1. Dr. Lifton addressed the audience on "Genes, Genomes, and the Future of Medicine." Dr. Beatrice Hahn followed on Day 2 with a lecture on "AIDS as a Zoonosis: Scientific and Public Health Implications." Dr. Jurgen Schnermann was presented with the ASN’s Homer Smith award, and Dr. Fadi Lakkis was presented with the ASN’s Young Investigators award on Sunday, November 3rd. The meeting concluded on Monday, November 4, with a State-of the Art lecture, "Nuclear Receptors and Lipid Physiology," by Dr. Ronald Evans.

The three and a half days included an outstanding cast of 575 speakers and moderators participating in 120 sessions, including the eight official evening symposia. The official evening symposia were added in 2001 to expand the educational offerings to members. In 2002, two symposia were designed specifically with the basic scientists in mind. Dr. Kenneth Spring spoke on "Imaging Function in the Renal Epithelia," and Dr. Ernest Wright addressed "The Role of Na/Glucose Co-transporters in Glucose Homeostasis."

A total of 3816 abstracts from 61 countries were processed, with a majority on display as posters in the exhibit hall or presented orally in the Free Communication sessions. The Program Committee carefully selected the abstract review committees, taking into consideration the qualifications of each reviewer, intending to also provide for reasonable geographic representation. As a result, an outstanding cast of international experts were selected to review the abstracts. The abstracts were published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

One hundred seventy-six companies joined the ASN as exhibitors to share their latest treatments, equipment, and techniques. Forty-five of the exhibitors were newcomers to the ASN; of those, six were associated with basic science. The ASN was especially pleased that basic science exhibitors indicated interest in participating in Renal Week, and we would like to continue adding basic science companies for our scientist members. If you know of a company that may be interested, please contact the ASN’s Exhibits Coordinator.

Finally, the ASN would like to thank the Program Committee for their hard work and focus over the last year. The members of the committee were Drs. Peter Blake, Hugh Brady, Frank Brosius, Thomas Coffman, Robert Colvin, Ali Gharavi, Jordan Kreidberg, David Rothstein, Lisa Satlin, Steven Scheinman, Stuart Shankland, and 2003 Program Committee chair, Dr. Bruce Molitoris. Sincere thanks goes to Dr. Paul Klotman for infusing the committee with energy and upholding high standards in the presentation of science. Overall, the meeting was well received, with topics covering all the major areas of nephrology.

We look forward to seeing you next year in San Diego. Save the Dates: November 12–17, 2003!

Public Policy Report

Election Year Outcomes: Impact on ASN
The Republican sweep of the House and Senate in the November elections will have far-reaching effects on Congress, impacting not only the so-called "lame duck session," which had just started as of press time, but also the schedule for the new 108^th Congress. Of primary concern to ASN is the still uncertain outlook for funding for NIH — and thus NIDDK — for the current fiscal year, which began October 1. To date, Congress has been operating under a series of short-term funding bills that are designed to keep the government operating at current levels. With a few races still up in the air and given the general unwillingness of the new Republican majority to undertake substantive issues until their new Members are sworn in, it appears most likely that final funding levels for NIH/NIDDK will remain in limbo until January at least. The soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) has indicated that the session will likely be short, culminating in a long-term continuing resolution that would fund the government until February or March 2003. The longer there is a delay in finalizing the NIH budget, the greater the possibility that certain new and/or previously accepted kidney grants may be delayed and that paylines could be reduced.

With the change in leadership, the Chairs of all Senate Committees will shift, with Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK), Charles Grassley (R-IA), and Judd Gregg (R-NH) expected to become Chairs of the Appropriations (NIDDK funding), Finance (Medicare issues), and HELP (public health) Committees, respectively. Due to retirements, campaign losses, and other reasons, there will be a general reshuffling of Committee membership and new faces on House and Senate Committees, which will be of interest to ASN. Two new physician members were elected to the House, and several sitting members were defeated in their quest for higher office.

Another important change will take place at the Senate Budget Committee, as Senator Don Nickles (R-OK) assumes leadership of the committee from long-time Chair, Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM). Senator Nickles, a fiscal conservative, will likely draw a hard line with Senate Appropriations Committee members. Several policy and congressional budget experts believe that Sen. Nickles and House Budget Chair Rep. Jim Nussle (R-IA) will draft guidelines that squeeze non-defense appropriations and press congressional spending committees to produce specific cuts in popular domestic spending programs. Congressional budget experts also believe that Senator Nickles and Rep. Nussle will be supportive of White House Budget Director Mitch Daniel’s efforts to push for fiscal austerity in areas of the budget not deemed critical during the "war on terrorism."

Looking Ahead
Certain healthcare issues are expected to remain at the top of the Republican agenda, including medical liability reform, a Medicare drug benefit, legislation to help the uninsured, and various programs to counter bio-terrorist threats. Of interest to ASN are statements by Sen. Gregg that he intends to address the issues of reauthorization of the laws governing transplants, as well as loan repayments. With workforce issues still among ASN’s key priorities, this may provide nephrologists with a way to gain congressional interest on a number of these issues.

In addition to finding ways to address the projected future shortage of nephrologists, ASN will also keep working to ensure that the clinical trials consortium continues to move forward and that funding for NIDDK increases to keep pace with the growth in the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) populations. This will become even more important next year, as continued large increases in the NIH budget are no longer assured. ASN will also be closely monitoring regulatory initiatives at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid funding (CMS) that could dramatically impact nephrologists, such as the proposed new ESRD Disease Management Demonstration Project.

Within the context of all these issues, ASN will also be reaching out to educate the new members of the House and Senate about kidney disease, to foster increased research, and to promote legislation to benefit ASN members and their patients. A new Congress presents new opportunities as well as new challenges, and ASN’s Public Policy department, formerly called Government Relations, will continue to work to meet these goals.

ASN Welcomes New Director, Public Policy

ASN is very pleased to announce that Paul Smedberg joined ASN on October 30, 2002, as its new Director of Public Policy. Paul will be responsible for coordinating the Society’s activities in the advocacy, education, and policy arena. He will work closely with the Executive Director, ASN Council, and several of the Society’s committees to identify and track issues relevant to ASN members, develop the society’s positions related to these issues, and advocate for these positions.

In addition, Paul will build and maintain relationships with federal legislative and regulatory bodies; coordinate relationships with non-governmental regulators and collaborators; build, maintain, and participate in coalitions; develop services and tools for use by members of the society; and pursue entrepreneurial initiatives to expand society activities.

Most recently, Paul worked for the National Health Council, where he served as Director of Governmental Affairs. He created policy initiatives and programs and targeted communications to advance the Council’s strategic public policy agenda. During his tenure at the Council, Paul created two signature programs for the Council and developed strong and cooperative working relationships with a cross-section of the healthcare community. He held administrative responsibility for the Council’s voluntary health agency CEO committee and served in a leadership role on various health-related coalitions.

Before joining the Council, Paul opened and established the Washington, DC, office of the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA). As Director of the APDA office, Paul organized the National Parkinson Disease Awareness Week and the first annual APDA Walk-a-Thon in the DC area. He worked closely with congressional and committee staff members and the Parkinson community to develop effective communications, strategies, and lobbying efforts that impressively led to the successful enactment of The Morris K. Udall Parkinson Research & Education Act on November 13, 1997.

Paul earned a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in History from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. In December 2001, Paul became a Fellow of the Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In his personal time, Paul is very active in his community. Paul currently serves as the Mayor’s representative to the City of Alexandria, VA, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, which is the principal advisory committee on fiscal issues to the City Council. For five years, Paul served as Board President of Community Partners for Children, an organization that addresses needs for underserved children in Alexandria.

Welcome, Paul!!

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. K. Port, R. L. Pisoni, J. Bommer, F. Locatelli, M. Jadoul, G. Eknoyan, K. Kurokawa, B. J. Canaud, M. P. Finley, and E. W. Young Improving Outcomes for Dialysis Patients in the International Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., March 1, 2006; 1(2): 246 - 255. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content