Renal Association: archives

Institutional records and publications of the Renal Association, dating from its foundation in 1950 to the present day, consisting of meeting minutes, conference proceedings, annual reports, historical and project documents, and professional and educational materials.

1950-2016

22 boxes and 11 digital items

The collection is divided into sections as follows: A. Executive Committee Meetings B. General and Scientific Meetings, Conferences C. Trustee Meetings D. Annual General Meetings E. Annual Reports F. Renal Association Memorandum and Articles G. Financial Reports H. Correspondence I. Committees and Working Groups J. History of the Renal Association K. Yearbooks of Members L. Renal Association Secretariat M. Reports and Publications N. Education and Training O. Project files P. Other meetings Q. Awards and lectures R. British Association for Paediatric Nephrology S. Non-Renal Association documents and books T. Managment Board Meetings

Donated in December 2016 by Donal O'Donoghue, President of the Renal Association

The Renal Association is the professional body for United Kingdom nephrologists (renal physicians, or kidney doctors) and renal scientists in the UK. It was founded in 1950 by Arthur Arnold Osman, the first president of the Association, after the example of the French Societé de Pathologie Renale, and first met on 30 March 1950. The 30 attendees at the first meeting of the Association included urologists and obstetricians as well as physiologists and physicians. In 1953 the Association organised the first international meeting on all aspects of kidney function and disease.

Since its foundation, the Renal Association has been active in promoting and disseminating research that may ultimately improve outcomes for patients with kidney disease. The Association has also taken a leading role in the education of clinicians and scientists interested in kidney disease. Over time, it has become more active in issues around the training of doctors and the planning and development of clinical services. The Association is affiliated with the British Renal Society, the umbrella organisation for healthcare and patient organisations with an interest in kidney disease.

In January 2010 the British Association of Paediatric Nephrology became a division of the Renal Association.

The objectives of the Association are:

- To advance, collate and disseminate knowledge of renal structure and function;

- To seek means for the prevention and treatment of renal disorders;

- To deal with any matters concerning the welfare of patients with renal diseases and the organisation of services for their relief.

Membership of the Association is open to all those working or training in renal units, caring for patients with kidney disease, and/or working or training in renal research to improve patient care in the future. It is also open to clinicians in other fields who have an interest in nephrology. As of 2010 membership of the Association was over 1000.

In 1997 the Association established its first professional secretariat through an arrangement with Triangle 3, a commercial arm of the British Society of Immunology. This continued until 2006, when the Association established a new contract with MCI Ltd, the UK branch of an international association management company.

As well as a programme of meetings and conferences, the Association organises the long-established Osman and Chandos Lecture, to which were added the de Wardener Lecture in 2007. The Association also runs a series of education and training courses, including an Advanced Nephrology Course aimed at trainee nephrologists and consultants requiring an update on clinical nephrology.