Dear RPS Membership,

The ASN Annual Meeting is over and, as usual, the RPS had substantial visibility thanks to the efforts of many RPS members.

The pre-meeting course Fundamentals of Renal Pathology, an acclaimed 15.25 credit hour course, chaired by Jan Bruijn and Agnes Fogo and buttressed with presentations by a number of other RPS members always attracts a large audience. This course not only educates the participants in the essentials of diagnostic renal pathology, but demonstrates the tremendous value of the renal biopsy in clinical practice. This theme was reinforced by the other RPS sponsored, organized and moderated activities ASN as listed below.

Clinical Nephrology Conferences:
1) “The Renal Biopsy is a Picture, the Second Biopsy is More a Movie”
Presentations by Sundaram Hariharan, Ian Roberts, J. Charles Jennette, Franco Ferrario and moderated by Vivette D’Agati and Mark Haas
2) “Newer Iatrogenic Renal Disorders”
Presentations by Charles Alpers, Glen Markowitz, Daniel Coyne, and Roger Rodby, moderated by Kevin Abbott and Vivette D’Agati
3) “Renal Biopsy: Clinical Correlations”
Case presentations by Lois J. Arend, Ginette Lajoie-Starkell, Sharan K. Singh, Prue Hill, and Tibor Nadasdy, case discussions by Sudir V. Shah, and moderated by Ian Roberts and Patrick Walker.

Clinico-Pathologic Correlation:
The case was that of ANCA and AGBM mediated crescentic glomerulonephritis presenting as a pulmonary-renal syndrome.
Discussant - Patrick Nachman; Pathologist – J. Charles Jennette

Board of Directors and Business Meeting
The RPS Board of Directors met on a Friday evening for 2.5 hours (the days of a 60 minute Board of Directors meeting are now passed). The important content was then discussed at a 90 minute RPS Business Meeting the following evening. Those in attendance were rewarded with food and libations that followed. I would like to provide a briefly recap of these meetings and our deliberations because as the activities of the Society continue to expand, broad input and participation is required to ensure the success of these initiatives.

International Committee: Surya Seshan
1. RPS International Speaker Pool
The RPS Board and other members are increasingly approached about the Society sponsoring in some fashion, or its members participating in some capacity, in various international meetings, courses, etc. Financial sponsorship at this time is not a realistic possibility. However, we have a substantial resource of talented speakers willing to engage in these activities. In order to facilitate the identification of speakers and connecting speakers with organizers, the Board of Directors proposed and the Members in attendance at the ASN Business Meeting agreed to the creation of a new informational resource on the RPS web site, an International Speaker Pool. This site would post a listing of renal pathologists willing to serve as an invited speaker. Organizers of a nephrology or nephropathology event can refer to this site and identify potential speakers to contact. This will promote the international agenda of the Society by identifying Nephropathologists willing to participate as speakers at an international nephrology or nephropathology meeting. If you have a preferred topic area or restricted geographic area for travel, please provide this information. Volunteers should e-mail Suzanne Meleg-Smith to be included in this new Website entry.

Speaker:
Contact information:
Topic(s) of interest:
Languages conversant in other than English:
Geographic limitations:

2. Host Programs for Nephropathology Training:
The RPS Board and various members also receive inquiries and requests for training opportunities. The Society has members who have fellowship programs and others who are willing to provide an educational experience for an individual to visit their laboratories and train for 1 month, or many months. The Board of Directors proposed and the Members in attendance at the ASN Business Meeting agreed to the creation of a new informational resource on the RPS web site. This entry will promote the international agenda of the Society by identifying Nephropathologists willing to host an international trainee in need of furthering their nephropathology skills. In addition to your name and contact information please provide as much detail about your program as appears reasonable. Send this information to Suzanne Meleg-Smith.

Program Director:
Program location:
Contact information:
The duration of the training experience offered (months-year):
Type of experience you can provide (clinical experience +/- basic or applied research):
Monetary support if available:
Anticipated housing availability and costs:

Nominating & Awards Committee: Jan Bruijn
Two Pirani Travel Awards were given. The awardees are:
Sanjay Jane             Washington University, St. Louis
Banu Sis            University of Alberta, Canada

Financial Committee: Pat Walker
1. The Financial Committee and Helen Liapis have been attempting to secure a mechanism for online dues payment but have encountered obstacles and this project is on temporary hold.

2. The Committee recommended, and the Board and Membership at the Business Meeting approved a proposal for creation of a new membership category to be called “Sustaining Member”. It was agreed that an additional $50 fee (in addition to the $75.00 annual due) would be required for this designation.

3. The current RPS balance is approximately $40,000. In view of the above membership category designed to increase revenues and prospect of additional income (see below “Tree of Life“) a question was raised at the Business Meeting about a target balance in our accounts and justification for this figure. After some discussion it was agreed that this is an important issue that should be addressed in the near future. The Board and Committee Chairs for 2008 will need to take up this issue.

Communications & Publications Committee: Suzanne Meleg-Smith
1. Suzanne has requested that each Committee Chair update the descriptions of their committee that is posted on the website. Three committees currently have no entry and the Financial Committee is not even posted. This request has been made.

2. The RPS Board has approved hiring a Webpage consultant (approximately $50/hr) to assist Suzanne in Webpage maintenance and development.

Education & Scientific Committee 2007: Laura Barisoni
The 4th Satellite RPS-KUFA meeting in Istanbul 2007 was a resounding success. Highlights have been previously issued.

Education & Scientific Committee 2008: Jim Pullman
The Program for the 5th Satellite Meeting to be held in conjunction with the USCAP Meeting in Denver is in preparation. More on this will follow in the near future

Research Committee:  Franco Ferrario
1. Two RPS endorsed publications appeared in print this year.
Dense deposit disease is not membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, P. Walker, F. Ferrario, K Joh, and S. Bonsib, Mod Pathol 20:605-616, 2007
Actual practices in nephropathology a survey and comparison with best practice, J. Pullman, F. Ferrario, and C. Nast, Adv Anat Pathol 14:132-140, 2007.

2. The International The IgA Nephropathy Working Group met in Oxford, England this spring. Slide circulation and slide scoring are close to completion. Correlation with clinical data will occur this spring that is intended to lead to an outcomes-based classification system for IgA nephropathy sometime next year.

3. Franco Ferrario has initiated a multicenter retrospective study of repeat biopsies in patient with lupus nephritis to validate the ISN/RPS Classification. He is recruiting participation from centers in Europe, South America and North America.

Membership Committee: Ingeborg Bajema
1. The Membership Committee has had a successful year of recruiting new regular members and junior members.

2. Members with dues in arrears two years:
After serious discussion and unanimous endorsement by the Board of Directors and the Membership in attendance at the Business Meeting held at both the Spring USCAP Meeting and the ASN Meeting, it was agreed, and letters have been sent, to 27 members whose dues are 2 years in arrears to terminate their membership if dues payment is not received by December 31, 2007. This action was taken with regret, but in fairness to paying members this action was deemed appropriate. It is hoped that some of these members will bring their dues up to date before the end of the year.

Program Committee: Alex Magil
The Companion Meeting for the USCAP in Denver will be held March 2, 2008. The program is as follows.

Title: The Role of Complement in the Pathogenesis of Renal Disease
Moderators:                           Alex Magil
                                              Andrew Herzenberg
Speakers:
Terrance Cook                      Complement in Lupus Nephritis
David Salant                         Complement in Membranous Glomerulonephritis
Charles Jennette                    Complement in ANCA Vasculitis and Pauci-immune Glomerulonephritis
Robert Colvin                       Complement in Renal Transplant Rejection

Training programs: Bob Colvin
1. The Training Program Committee raised a couple of concerns about the amount and effectiveness of nephropathology training. This issue has been raised before but has re-emerged partially following the recent publication, K. Henriksen, S. Meehan, and T. Chang AJSP 31:1703, 2007. The authors noted that the majority (88%) of significant medical diseases present in the uninvolved kidney in nephrectomy specimens for renal tumors were missed by the Pathologist. They also surveyed 147 pathology residency training programs. Responses were received by 98 programs. Twenty-nine percent of residency programs did not offer a renal pathology elective and only 32% had a required rotation. The discussion focused upon the apparent educational vacuum that exists in a number of programs and what, if anything, the RPS can do to improve this situation. The first step seemed to be to determine the needs as recognized by the programs themselves, realizing that many Residents and Program Directors may feel that since renal pathology is only a small of Anatomic Pathology and the Boards, deficiencies in training in this area may be of little concern.

In an attempt to gather data, I e-mailed Dr. Hoffman, Chairman of PRODs and Dr. Kohan, President of the Nephrology Fellowship Program Directors indicating that the RPS is interested in the perspective of the Residency Program Directors and Fellowship Program Directors about the adequacy of renal pathology training in their programs. We are aware that some centers may not have a renal pathologist or may have a very limited volume of renal biopsies. I indicated that the RPS has a strong interest in promoting renal pathology education and would be delighted to supplement the renal pathology experience in programs who express such a desire. This assistance could take many forms from making PowerPoint talks available, visiting a department to give a seminar and slides unknown conference, or hosting a resident for a renal pathology elective.

I have yet to receive a response to my emails that were sent last week.

2. The Program Committee is urging Directors of Renal Pathology Fellowship Programs to obtain ACGME accreditation. The more programs accredited validate renal pathology as a specialty requiring specialty training. It may also facilitate attracting the best candidates and increase the likelihood of obtaining institutional support for renal pathology fellows.

New Business
1. KUFA with soon be marketing reproductions of Jean Oliver’s “Tree of Life”. KUFA has generously offered to turn over to the RPS the proceeds from these sales.

2. Philip Cragle, Editor of Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine has offered to publish groups of article from RPS meetings, courses, or sponsored symposia. The BOD and Membership agreed to suggest publication of short papers written by the speakers of the 4th Annual Satellite Meeting in Istanbul.

3. The Board of Directors recommended and the Members in attendance at the ASN Business Meeting agreed that more details about qualifying criteria and the evaluation process for The Conrad Pirani Travel Award and The Lifetime Achievement Award should be developed and posted on the web site. Below is a summary of the rationale for the awards and a summary of their recommendations.

Pirani Travel Grant
The Conrad Pirani Travel Grant was established to provide travel support for junior members to attend the USCAP and ASN annual meetings. The original funds have since been supplemented by donations from generous RPS members (please consider a donation to this fund when you renew your membership). It was acknowledged that the intent of the award when established was to assist those junior members with an accepted abstract whose financial situation makes travel difficult or impossible. Accordingly, documentation of need as noted below will be required for consideration of this award. This information will be posted on the website.

Qualifying criteria:
Junior member of the RPS
Accepted abstract
Letter from Program Director or Mentor validating need, that is, travel to the meeting will be difficult or impossible without additional financial support
Submit documentation to the Chairperson of the Nominations and Awards Committee

The Lifetime Achievement Award           
The Lifetime Achievement Award has been given to three individuals, Drs. Gallo, Striker, and McCluskey. This award should rarely be given and only to an extraordinary RPS member. Below are some tentative criteria for its award.

Nomination requirements:
Nomination by two RPS members
Copy of Curriculum Vitae
Letter of justification by the nominators
Letters of support by several RPS members encouraged

Award Evaluation Process:
Send the nomination and supporting documents to the Chairperson of the Nomination and Awards Committee
The Nomination and Awards Committee will perform an initial assessment and make a recommendation to the Board of Directors.
The final decision will be made by the Board of Directors
The award will be announced or given at the ASN RPS Business Meeting

Final Comments
If you have comment about the above please send these to Helen Liapis for dissemination to the Board of Directors.

Finally, the RPS is blessed with numerous members dedicated to nephropathology and highly motivated to see that the Society continues to thrive and grow. This often makes for a lively discourse, with our discipline and the Society the beneficiaries. It is has been an honor to serve as the President of the Society this year. I am confident that our incoming President, Mark Haas will take us to another level during his term in 2008.

Best wishes,

Steve Bonsib
Outgoing President, Renal Pathology Society