MINUTES OF THE RENAL PATHOLOGY SOCIETY BUSINESS MEETING

The Renal Pathology Society (RPS) held a business meeting on Sunday evening, November 5, 1995, during the annual meeting of the National Kidney Foundation/American Society of Nephrology in San Diego, California.

Dr. Vivette D'Agati, RPS Vice Presidents/President Elect, chaired the meeting in the absence of the President, Dr. Fred Silva who had inescapable obligations elsewhere.

Dr. D'Agati determined that a quorum was present and called the meeting to order. The Secretary-Treasurer and Committee Chairs were called upon for reports.

Dr. Charles Jennette, Secretary-Treasurer, gave a financial repost and updated the members on the RPS incorporation process. The only expenditures over the past year had been the receptions at the NKF/ASN and USCAP meetings and the first annual RPS' Young Investigator Award. A budget surplus is being maintained in anticipation of expenses to be incurred during incorporation and acquisition of independent tax exempt status. Currently the RPS tax exempt status is tied to that of the University of North Carolina.

Dr. Agnes Fogo, Chair of the Membership Committee, reported that six of the seven candidates for membership would be recommended to the Board of Directors for acceptance. One candidate would be contacted about several deficiencies in the application.

Dr. Michael Kashgarian, Chair of the Nominating and Awards Committee, nominated Dr. Arthur Cohen for Vice President (President Elect), Dr. Charles Jennette for a second three year term as Secretary-Treasurer, and Dr. Charles Alpers and Dr. Helmut Rennke for the one open Councillor seat. After each nomination, Dr. Kashgarian opened the floor for additional nominations but there were none.

Dr. Arthur Cohen, Chair of the Education and Scientific Meetings Committee, announced that the USCAP Companion Meeting of the RPS on March 24, 1996 would include presentations by Mark Weiss titled Acquired Renal Cystic Disease and End-Stage Kidneys, Fred Sanfilippo titled Current Concepts in Transplant Immunology and Pathobiology, Richard K. Sibley titled Pathology of the Transplanted Kidney: Update on Rejection and Consideration of Classification Schemes, and Stephen Bonsib titled Recurrent Diseases in the Transplanted Kidney.

Dr. Cynthia Nast, Chair of the newly approved Communications and Publications Committee led a discussion of the future of the RPS on the Internet and the World Wide Web. The RPS currently has a home page that is shared with the International Society of Nephrology Commission on Acute Renal Failure, which is maintained by Dr. Kim Solez. The RPS home page is currently information but not interactive. Members discussed options for developing an interactive WWW conference room in which both renal biopsy images and patient data could be presented for discussion over the WWW. Dr. Nast will look into this further. Dr. Jennette stated that he would try to arrange with Dr. Solez to place images and case summaries of the upcoming USCAP Renal Pathology Evening Conference cases on the RPS home page.

Dr. D'Agati asked if there was any additional old business to be discussed and none was raised.

Dr. D'Agati introduced one item of new business pertaining to a request that she had received form Dr. Mark Haas to honor Dr. Benjamin Spargo who has recently retired. Them members agreed that this should be done at the next USCAP meeting, and that the planning and implementation should be carried out by the RPS officers and the Chair of the Nominations and Awards Committee. Dr. Kashgarian proposed that the RPS create a regular mechanism for periodically honoring senior renal pathologists. This issue was referred to the Board of Directors.

The Business Meeting was adjourned and the members were invited to a RPS reception that followed immediately.

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At the Executive Board Meeting the following new members were accepted: Jaswant K. Singh, M.D., Gretchen S. Crary, M.D., Sivaselvi Gunasekaran, M.D., Mary Ann Sens, M.D., Ph.D., Stephen V. Foster, M.D., and Sheldon Bastacky M.D.