 |
||||
| 2007 JASN IMPACT FACTOR 7.111 | HOME AUTHOR INFO EDITORIAL BOARD SUBSCRIBE FEEDBACK ALERTS HELP | |||
| CURRENT ISSUE | ARCHIVES | JASN Express | ONLINE SUBMISSION | |
|
||||
| 2007 JASN IMPACT FACTOR 7.111 | HOME AUTHOR INFO EDITORIAL BOARD SUBSCRIBE FEEDBACK ALERTS HELP | |||
| CURRENT ISSUE | ARCHIVES | JASN Express | ONLINE SUBMISSION | |
Don’t forget to renew your dues on the ASN web site at http://www.asn-online.org. This year, a membership number will be required to submit an abstract to Renal Week. If you have already renewed your membership, the Membership ID can be found on the mailing label of JASN or by contacting the ASN at email@asn-online.org.
Renal Week 2003
Don’t miss the high-quality, packed program being planned for San Diego, California! Renal Week will be held November 12–17, 2003. The preliminary program and registration materials will be mailed to members in June. Be sure that you have renewed your dues so you won’t miss this important mailing. More information will also be posted on the ASN web site (http://www.asn-online.org) as it becomes available.
Abstract Deadline and 2003 Program and Abstract Supplement
The ASN Council, Program Committee, and staff members have received feedback from members and Renal Week attendees that the abstract deadline has, in previous years, been too far in advance of the meeting. After much thought, the abstract deadline has been changed to June 25th. This gives authors five additional weeks to prepare materials for submission. In order to offer you a five-week extension, the abstract supplement to JASN will be distributed onsite in San Diego. All members who cannot attend Renal Week will receive their copy by mail in late November, after the conclusion of the meeting.
ASN is also working to enhance the ways that members and attendees can search the abstracts online to plan for the meeting. As in years past, the ASN web site will host an online search program that includes all the invited sessions and abstracts. Anyone can search by topic and mark the sessions/posters they are interested in attending. Those sessions marked can be printed in a customized itinerary or downloaded to a PDA. In addition, an electronic version of all abstracts will be posted in a pdf file on the ASN web site. Attendees who prefer to plan from a hardcopy of the Program and Abstract book can print the pdf version prior to arriving in San Diego. We hope that these enhanced services will provide attendees with an easy and efficient way to plan their time in San Diego.
Audiovisual Capabilities Upgraded for Board Review Course and Renal Week
New in 2003, ASN will be managing the audiovisual services at the Board Review Course and Renal Week differently than in previous years. To prevent computer problems that have in the past led to session delays, speakers will be required to present using PowerPoint or another equivalent electronic program. The ASN will have a dedicated network in hotels and the convention center, and presentations will be uploaded to a server prior to the start of the talk. No more fooling with slides or hooking up a variety of laptops to the projector!! We are confident that this new system will be better for both the speakers and attendees!
8th Annual Board Review Course
The Annual Board Review Course, organized by Bob Narins, will be held August 23–29 in San Francisco, California. Continue to check your mail and the ASN web site at http://www.asn-online.org for more information on course topics, hotel accommodations, tours, and much more!
National Institutes of Health/Biomedical Research Funding
Senate and House conferees and the Administration have finally reached compromise on the Fiscal Year 2003 Omnibus Spending Bill, ending months of gridlock. Congressional leaders and the biomedical research advocacy community are relieved that funds will start flowing for health and biomedical research programs such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and National Science Foundation.
Congressional conferees agreed to a FY 2003 NIH funding level of $27.159 billion. This figure is $3.7 billion higher than the FY 2002 funding level and effectively completes the five-year doubling effort, which had strong bipartisan support. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases received FY 2003 funding of $1.633 billion — an increase of $169.7 million.
Overall, the biomedical research advocacy community is pleased with the final compromise NIH figure, given the complexities of the negotiations, pressure by the Administration to hold down FY 2003 domestic spending, and influential congressional members pushing for increased funding for education and homeland defense. However, advocates are not so confidant NIH will receive an appropriate funding increase in FY 2004 and beyond.
Strong concern is already being voiced that President Bush’s FY 2004 budget request for the NIH will slow efforts to take full advantage of the opportunities made possible by the doubling effort. The Administration’s recommendation is a 2% increase of $549 million to the NIH budget for FY 2004. The ASN is concerned that any significant decline in the rate of growth for the NIH would threaten the stability of the biomedical research enterprise. Several medical research coalitions, including the Ad-Hoc group for Medical Research Funding, support a 10% increase over the NIH doubling in order to maintain the progress of the last five years.
The ASN will work closely with ASN members, NIDDK, and the entire biomedical research community to ensure NIH funding is sustained by appropriate federal support so current research grants are maintained and future proposals and programs are not put on hold.
New Renal Registry for Clinical Trials
As many of you know, clinical trials focused on renal disease sometimes struggle to recruit sufficient numbers of patients. ASN is currently working with the NIH on a Clinical Trials Initiative to correct this problem. The ASN is looking for interested members who would like to be listed in an ASN registry to be contacted by other clinical investigators for potential patient referrals to an NIH-sponsored, ASN-approved clinical trial. If you are interested in participating in this new registry, or if you’d like to learn more about the registry, please e-mail the ASN at email@asn-online.org with the word Registry in the subject line.
ASN "Call for Committee Nominations"
By now, all of you have received an ASN Committee Call for Nominations. For the second year, this call represents an opportunity for all ASN members to either indicate their own personal interest in serving on an ASN standing committee or advisory group or nominate another ASN member for committee participation. Much of the work of the ASN is accomplished through these very important committees and advisory groups, so this represents a way for YOU to become more actively involved in planning and decision-making that will influence the membership services offered to all ASN members. The ASN web site offers additional information about each of the ASN committees and advisory groups, and you are encouraged to check out the many and diverse ways in which you can make a difference to the ASN!
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
HOME
CURRENT ISSUE
ARCHIVES
JASN Express
ONLINE SUBMISSION
AUTHOR INFO
EDITORIAL BOARD SUBSCRIBE FEEDBACK ALERTS HELP |
