Spotlight on SEN: How the ISN became a key ally in growing Ecuador’s nephrology community
SEN members during a kidney care campaign
We caught up with Darío Jiménez Acosta, President of the Ecuadorian Society of Nephrology (SEN), to learn how SEN is advancing kidney care locally and strengthening global ties through the ISN as a Collective-member society.
Tell us about SEN and its origins
SEN has been active since 1990, organizing national congresses and hosting the 1998 SLANH congress in Quito. It became officially recognized in 2012, a move that expanded its reach and impact both nationally and internationally.
Who are SEN’s members, and what is its mission?
Our mission is to promote kidney health through education, prevention, and timely treatment. SEN brings together nephrologists, nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, general practitioners, and others involved in kidney care. We also work closely with the government to support early detection and treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
We have seen a rise in SEN members joining the ISN; what’s driving this?
We’ve made a strong push to engage young nephrologists through “Super Summits” across Ecuador, automatically enrolling them in SEN, ISN, and the Latin American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension (SLANH). We also offer scholarships that cover ISN membership, connecting them to training opportunities like ISN Fellowships and the ISN Sister Renal Centers Program. Several members now serve on ISN and SLANH committees.
SEN recently expanded its open-access journal, REV-SEN, what prompted this?
We launched the journal in 2013 and expanded it in 2023 to serve as a platform for regional research and scholarship. Many strong Latin American studies struggle to find space in high-impact journals due to cost or saturation. REV-SEN offers rigorous peer review and is now indexed on several platforms, including Latindex and Crossref. SEN fully funds the journal and is working to ensure its sustainability through our website.*
SEN has also led awareness campaigns like the recent one in Portoviejo. Can you share more?
Public outreach is a priority. For the past five years, we’ve trained primary care physicians and specialists to detect and manage CKD early. Our PREVERC campaigns engage a wide range of healthcare professionals. We also drafted a Renal Health Law and submitted it to national authorities to push for prevention-focused policies and reduce the economic burden of dialysis.
How do you see SEN’s collaboration with the ISN evolving?
The ISN has been a key ally in growing our society and connecting Ecuadorian nephrologists to global opportunities. Looking ahead, we hope for even greater support in helping our members access specialized training. We’re also eager to collaborate more closely on publishing, both contributing to ISN journals and offering REV-SEN as a platform for ISN-approved regional research.
Interested in becoming an ISN Collective-member society? Discover the many benefits!
* Through Research4Life, the publication fee for accepted papers in Kidney International Reports® is free if all authors come from Group A countries and 50% if all authors come from Group B countries. Find out more and consult the table.
