ISN Regional Training Center helps expand renal awareness and education across China
Around 400 delegates, mostly from the five major regions of Northwest China as well as nephrologists from Tajikistan, Pakistan and Kazakhstan, took part in the Silk-Road Forum of Kidney Disease, from August 8 to 10, 2017 in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
An ISN endorsed event, the meeting was organised by the National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Diseases, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, an ISN Regional Training Center, as well as the Division of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China.
Both centers are actively involved in the ISN Sister Renal Center Program. ISN Fellow Jiong Zhang also spoke alongside several global leaders in nephrology from the United Kingdom, the United States, Pakistan and Tajikistan.
This forum and conference provides a great platform for training and exchanging knowledge between nephrologists from Northwest China, Middle Asia and Russia. Through the ISN Sister Renal Center Program more nephrologists and renal pathologists are planning more training in Nanjing and Brown University, with Brown University agreeing to welcome fellows from the emerging center.
Jiong Zhang believes that this ISN Endorsed meetings, this forum and conference help to implement ISN’s mission, popularize comprehensive nephrology, strengthen the role of ISN towards national and regional affiliated societies to develop jointly funded ISN Programs focused on more disadvantaged areas within the country and region.
In China, there is an inbalance in nephrology care and research exists between the east and west. Although facilities have undergone some development, renal specialists in theses area still need comprehensive clinical and basic research training as well as courses in renal pathology, blood purification, kidney transplant and renal intensive care. These international meetings offer them a valuable and much needed opportunity for training.
Since 1997, the National Clinical Research Center of Kidney Disease and Brown University have built up a close and fruitful ISN Sister Renal Center partnership, becoming an A level Sister Renal Center pair in 2009, and receiving the Schrier Award in 2011. After that, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital of Tongji University joined in the partnership established by Nanjing and Brown, this program graduated from A level last year.
