Membership is open to any MD, PhD, DVM, or equivalent degree holder who has demonstrated accomplishments in nephropathology, as determined by the Membership Committee. The RPS is international, with members from 31 countries and all continents; Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America. The society, established as the Renal Pathology Club in 1978, became the Renal Pathology Society in 1993.

The Renal Pathology Club - A Brief History
By Jay Bernstein

     A group of renal pathologists (P. Burkholder, J. Churg, R. Cotran, F. Cuppage, D. Jones, M. Kashgarian, J. Kissane, K. Mostofi, and G. Striker), acting in large measure at the instigation of Conrad Pirani, who served as acting chairman, met on November 20, 1977, during the American Society of Nephrology meeting at the Washington Hilton Hotel, to consider the creation of a renal pathologists' organization. F. Silva assisted as secretary. They suggested an informal group for the discussion of controversial topics, recent progress, and unusual cases. Membership was to be open to renal physicians and scientists with a strong interest in human and experimental renal pathology. A committee was appointed to organize a scientific program for the following year, and plans were made to develop an organizational structure. The organizing committee met again during the meeting of the International Academy of Pathology in March, 1978. Conrad Pirani served as both chairman and secretary. The structure of the organization, whether to have constitution and bylaws, was discussed, without action taken. The first scientific meeting of the Renal Pathology Club took place at the New Orleans Hilton Hotel on Sunday, November 19, 1978 before the meeting of the American Society of Nephrology. The scientific program, chaired by M. Kashgarian, was devoted to focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis, with presentations by J. Bernstein, M. Kashgarian, P. Burkholder, and A. Michael. The Steering Committee met again at the San Francisco Hilton Hotel during the lAP meeting on March 6, 1979. In C. Pirani's absence, J. Bernstein served as secretary. The informal structure of the organization was confirmed, and all pathologists in the ASN were invited to join. The second meeting of the RPC was held before the ASN meeting in Boston on November 18, 1979, the scientific program chaired by R. Cotran and R. McCluskey. R. Habib presented a classification of glomerulonephritis, with discussion led by J. Churg. The main subject, rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, was presented in papers by W. Couser, C. Wilson, R. Atkins, and R. Colvin. The Steering Committee chaired by C. Pirani, met again on February 26, 1980 at the New Orleans Hyatt-Regency Hotel during the meeting of the lAP. The Steering Committee reaffirmed that all pathologists were invited to attend the annual scientific meeting and that the meeting was open to any scientist or physician attending the ASN. The third meeting was held before the ASN meeting at the Washington Sheraton Hotel on Sunday, November 23, 1980. J. Churg and C. Pirani chaired a discussion of renal involvement in disproteinemia, with presentations by L. Morel-Maroger, F. Silva, T. Maack, and D. Clyne. The Steering Committee met the same day to discuss the relationship between the RPC and the ASN. The RPC agreed after long discussion to accept an offer of cosponsorship by the ASN, and arrangements were made for the ASN to include in its program a jointly sponsored session on the first day of their meeting in 1981. The ASN, in the person of the incoming president, M Burg, accepted the recommendation, and R. Cotran and M. Kashgarian were asked to work closely with the program chairman of the 1981 ASN meeting. C. Pirani, having served as chairman and secretary from the onset, asked to step down, and the organizing committee unanimously elected R. Heptinstall chairman for a period of three years. J. Bernstein, who had been sharing the secretarial duties with C. Pirani, agreed to continue as secretary. The fourth meeting was held just before the ASN meeting on Sunday, November 22, 1981 at the Washington Sheraton Hotel. R. Cotran and R. Heptinstall chaired a scientific program on endothelium and coagulation, with presentations by M. Gimbrone, C. Remuzzi, J. Churg, and R. Heptinstall.  The fifth meeting of the Club was held on Sunday, December 12, 1982 at the Hyatt-Regency Hotel in Chicago. The scientific program, chaired by F.Carone, was on renal cystic disease, with presentations by J. Grantham, F. Carone, and A. Evan. The program this time was cosponsored by the National Kidney Foundation because of concern by the ASN that it could not support the meeting of a special interest group in competition with its own scientific sessions. The problem was discussed by the organizing committee at a meeting on December 4, 1983 in Washington, D.C., but no scientific program was scheduled for 1983. The organizing committee considered the alternatives available and opted to approach the NKF about meeting under their auspices. J. Bernstein met with I. Greifer, medical director of the NKF, and R. Glassock, president-elect, and both indicated support for the proposal. Several of the original members of the organizing committee retired in favor of new members, and R. Heptinstall stepped down from the chairmanship, being replaced in a two-year term by B. Spargo. A scientific meeting was not held in 1984, the next meeting of the RPC taking place on December 15, 1985 in New Orleans, under the auspices of the NKF. This was the first in a long series of meetings to be held early Sunday morning. The NKF restricted attendance to registrants, with a reduced fee to those attending only the Sunday morning pathology session. The subject of this, the sixth scientific session, chaired by B. Spargo, was the pathology of renal transplantation, with presentations by R. Colvin, R. Sibley, and B. Croker. The seventh meeting was held on December 7, 1986 in Washington, D.C., as part of the NKF meeting. The scientific session on diabetic kidney disease was chaired by L.M-M. Striker, with presentations by B. Myers, P. Bennett, H. Rennke, and C. Pirani. The Steering Committee declined to consider a formal organization of the Club. J. Churg was elected to the chairmanship for a two-year term, and J. Bernstein continued as secretary. The eighth meeting on December 13, 1987 was again held with the NKF in Washington, D.C. The scientific session, chaired by F. Carone, on polycystic kidney disease, contained presentations by F. Carone, Y. Kanwar, J. McAteer, and K. Gardner. The ninth meeting, held with the NKF on December 11, 1988 in San Antonio, Texas, included a scientific program, chaired by S. Rosen, on vasculitis, with presentations by J. Churg, C. Jennette, F. van der Woude, and R. Cotran. In a potentially significant initiative, A. Cohen and F. Silva reported interest on the part of the U.S. -Canadian Academy of Pathology (lAP) in enhancing participation by renal pathologists. There was a strong consensus for participation in the specialty subsections at the US-CAP. R. Cotran was elected by acclamation to the next two-year term as chairman, succeeding J. Churg. J. Bernstein continued as secretary. The tenth meeting took place on December 3, 1989 in Washington, D.C., with a scientific program, chaired by M. Kashgarian, on glomerular mesangial disease, containing presentations by D. Lovett, S. Emancipator, M. Schwartz, and J. Olson. A proposal from the RPC to meet with the US-CAP was accepted by their Education Committee and was to be presented to Council in March 1990. In the ensuing discussion the RPC Steering Committee confirmed the importance of its continuing to meet with the ASN, with whom it would have basic scientific programs, while developing programs at the US-CAP more oriented to clinicopathologic correlation. A panel of nominees was chosen to replace more senior members, no longer active on the Steering Committee.  With the acceptance of participation by the RPC in the US-CAP program, an interim meeting of the Steering Committee was held in Boston on March 5, 1990. Programs were confirmed for the next two meetings, one at the NKF in December 1990 and the next at the US-CAP in March 1991. The Steering Committee then reconsidered, at R. Cotran's suggestion, the restructuring and formalization of the Renal Pathology Club, with constitution, bylaws, dues, etc. With a favorable consensus, an ad hoc committee was asked to report at the next meeting in December.  At the eleventh meeting on December 2, 1990 in Washington, D.C., the scientific program, chaired by J. Bernstein, was on membranous glomerulonephritis, with presentations by C. Andres, S. Rosen, and R. Glassock. The Steering Committee, in considering the format of the scientific session. agreed on a disease-oriented, focused program of three speakers, preferably with two pathologists (pathology and pathogenesis) and a nephrologist (clinicopathologic correlation). A draft of the bylaws of a newly structured Renal Pathology Society (to replace the informal Renal Pathology Club) was given its first reading. J. Bernstein was elected to a two-year term as chairman succeeding R. Cotran, and C. Jennette was elected secretary.  The first meeting with the US-CAP took place as one of the "companion meetings" on Sunday, March 18, 1991 in Chicago. M. Kashgarian and F. Silva moderated a session on current topics in renal pathology, with presentations by C. Jennette, A. Cohen, R. Colvin and B. Bane. The revised bylaws were read again, with minor modification. The twelfth meeting of the RPC was on November 17, 1991 in Baltimore. The scientific program on cyclosporine nephrotoxicity was chaired by V. D'Agati, with presentations by M. Mihatsch, C. Remuzzi, and W. Bennett. At the business meeting of the membership of the RPC, the new bylaws were read and approved. The annual meeting of the membership would be held in the fall at the NKF meeting, with an interim meeting at the US-CAP. Members of the Renal Pathology Club would automatically become charter members of the new Renal Pathology Society.  At the US-CAP in Atlanta, March 15, 1992, the companion meeting, chaired by J. Bernstein, included presentations by C. Nast, B. Beckwith, V. D'Agati, and M. Schwartz. The RPC entered a transition period, with the appointment of standing committees. Nominations of officers and executive committees were taken at the NKF meeting in Baltimore on November 15, 1992. With balloting by mail, the Steering Committee would be dissolved and the new officers installed before the next meeting. The thirteenth and final annual scientific meeting of the RPC, chaired by A. Cohen, was on focal segmental glomerular sclerosis, with presentations by C. Hill, A. Fogo, and S. Korbet.

The Renal Pathology Club became The Renal Pathology Society in March, 1993.
J. Bernstein 3/2/94