Announcements

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• Educational Ambassador Program
• Transplant Immunosupression: Today's Issues

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Educational Ambassador Program 

The International Society of Nephrology Commission for the Global Advancement of Nephrology (COMGAN) and its Education Committee announce a new program to enable centers in developing countries to host expert faculty for 1- to 4-week periods to help start or upgrade a new clinical initiative designed to benefit patient care (peritoneal dialysis, management of acute kidney injury, pediatric nephrology, and renal pathology, among many others).

The ISN encourages applications from centers in developing nations that would be interested in hosting an educational ambassador, as well as qualified nephrologists in the developed world who are willing to share their expertise with a renal center in a developing country.

May 1st is the deadline for the submission of final applications from emerging centers wishing to invite an educational ambassador in the following year; application forms from potential educational ambassadors are welcomed throughout the year.

ISN will match the needs of the center with qualified experts who have volunteered to become educational ambassadors. Centers are asked to provide local accommodations; travel costs will be covered by ISN. Timing is flexible and negotiable. All nephrologists with a hospital or university teaching position and an existing or potential interest in international renal health care are encouraged to apply.

For renal centers in the developing world, this new program offers support for a unique opportunity to start new programs and expose students, residents, fellows, and practitioners to in-depth contact with an established ISN teacher with directly relevant experience and expertise. For nephrologists in the developed world, the program represents a unique professional opportunity to promote international understanding and collaboration and to demonstrate commitment to the global health community by sharing expertise where it is most needed.

More information and application forms are available at www.nature.com/isn/society/outreach/isn_20090.html.

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Transplant Immunosupression: Today's Issues 

The “Transplant Immunosupression: Today's Issues” course will be held from September 23-26, 2009, at the Radisson University Hotel, Minneapolis, MN.

The course will focus on current trends in immunosuppressive protocols for the care of transplant recipients, risk factors for transplantation and how to adjust for them, and care of the recipient with specific pre- or posttransplant issues. A major component of the course will be the opportunity to interact with faculty who use different protocols and have opposing views. In addition, the course will offer “How I Do It” sessions where groups of experts discuss how they care for patients with specific transplantation issue. A precourse for transplant coordinators will again be offered.

For more information or for abstract submission, the University of Minnesota's Office of Continuing Medical Education may be contacted by phone (+1-612-626-7600 or +1-800-776-8636), fax (+1-612-626-7766), or e-mail (cme@umn.edu). Additional information is also available online at www.cmecourses.umn.edu.