Call for expressions of interest/nominations for
ISN Educational Ambassadors Committee Members

The ISN welcomes expressions of interest/nominations for the positions of members of the ISN Educational Ambassadors (EA) Committee. The members will start at the World Congress of Nephrology 2025 (WCN’25). 

About the ISN Educational Ambassadors (EA) Committee

The purpose of the EA Committee is to help manage the Educational Ambassadors Program, which is part of the overall Capacity Building effort of the ISN and strives to bring essential teaching and training to doctors and healthcare practitioners in low, lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries as per World Bank status. The program enables renal centers around the world to receive expert guidance and hands-on training to advance new initiatives, skills or services, and community-based research or screening programs.

The objectives of the ISN EA Committee are to:

• Ensure implementation of the ISN strategic framework – as defined by ISN governing bodies (Executive Committee/Council) – in decision-making processes and across all activities of the Educational Ambassadors Program.
• Distribute the budget allocated to the EA Program in the most equitable possible manner (depending on the incoming applications) and in a way that is consistent with the aims of the Program and the ISN strategic planning framework (objectives and priorities).
• Actively engage and liaise with ISN Regional Boards and other relevant ISN Supporting Groups to maximise information exchange and strategic planning while promoting the Program’s activities.

The Role

Roles and responsibilities of EA Committee members include:

• Review, analyze and evaluate the applications submitted by renal centers to select the most relevant trainings for financial support. This goes along the following evaluation criteria:
  • Relevance and impact of the training as per local needs/ goals and objectives of training (sustainability);
  • Match between needs and training objectives and expert(s) selected;
  • Scope of training;
  • Involvement of other healthcare professionals (nurses, dieticians, technicians);
  • Relevance of requested budget;
  • Relevance of training duration;
  • Endorsement of principles of the Declaration of Istanbul;
  • Synergies with other ISN Programs.
• Note that applications are expected to come at any time during the year, and feedback from committee members is expected within 10 working days.
• Provide support for training projects in low, lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries as per World Bank status, for instance: help and advise in establishing a suitable training program developed to meet the needs of local/ regional nephrology communities;
• Approve allocation of relevant budget for supporting travel and/or accommodation of Educational Ambassador;
• Actively liaise with the ISN Regional Boards members to maximize synergies and strategic planning, become aware of their recommendations on regional needs and priorities, and get their support in disseminating about the opportunities offered by the EA Program at a regional level, trigger applications as well as follow up and find out about the impact of the selected courses;
• Develop and implement impact assessment of the EA Program;
• Participate in face-to-face meetings organized each year at WCN as well as in virtual meetings organized on ad-hoc basis.

Selection Criteria 

• Interest in and prior experience in the EA program and/or other capacity building activities of the ISN
• ISN member in good standing
• Email accessible and able to regularly connect to conference calls
• Apply by 5 p.m. CEST on Friday, October 18, 2024

Timeline

To learn more about:

• the ISN Educational Ambassadors program, click here
• the ISN Educational Ambassadors Committee, click here
• this position, or if you have questions, email Mara Rodrigues at mrodrigues@theisn.org