Emerging Leaders

ISN Emerging Leaders Program

The ISN Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) provides early-career professionals in integrated kidney care the opportunity to work with international experts in the field to become qualified for a leadership role in the advancement of global kidney care.

Intending to build a global talent pool of future leaders, the ELP welcomes ISN members interested in shaping the direction of kidney health to ensure health promotion and access to prevention, control, and management of kidney diseases.

The ISN ELP is a collaborative initiative bringing together outstanding individuals to work on collective projects to impact the kidney health agenda worldwide.

The ELP offers participants guidance on:

  • principles of entrepreneurship, advocacy, and communication;
  • implementation science and research;
  • evaluation, development, and management of health systems;
  • developing and implementing evidence-informed policy;
  • influencing stakeholders including policymakers, funders, implementers and the media.

The ELP provides participants the opportunity to:

  • Join a global network that positively impacts the kidney health agenda worldwide through collaboration and multidisciplinary research;
  • Learn to be heard and effect change at local and international levels;
  • Access continuous professional development to take on leadership roles locally and globally.

Please note that this is not a research funding grant.

Emerging Leaders’ countries of residence:

Listen to the reasons why you should apply to the program by members of ELP cohort 2021.

Listen to the reasons why you should apply to the program by Dr. Robert Kalyesubula, member of ELP cohort 2021

Listen to the reasons why you should apply to the program by Dr. Viviane Calice-Silva, member of ELP cohort 2021.

Listen to the reasons why you should apply to the program by Dr. Elliot Koranteng Tannor, member of ELP cohort 2021

Eligibility Criteria

  • Talented and motivated early-career professionals who are within 10 years of completing residency or formal training in nephrology or a health-related field (no age limit)
  • Academic and Professional Qualifications: MD, MMed, PhD, currently at the level of Fellow, Instructor, Assistant/Associate Professor, Researcher, Scientist or an equivalent position
  • Demonstrated motivation and commitment to improving global kidney health and strong interest in working collaboratively across disciplines and regions to address kidney health challenges
  • Residing in any country
  • Must be a full member of ISN. Not yet a member? Join the ISN here.

The ISN particularly encourages renal pathologists to apply to the program.

The application round for 2025 is open from June 16 to September 15, 2025. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2025. Please go to the application platform to submit your application.

In each meeting of the ISN Emerging Leaders Program, one team member is asked to share a form of creative output, to show a different side of themselves and to inspire new ideas within the group.

Below are a few examples of the creative output shared by some members of the ELP cohort 2024.

Dr. Daniel O’Hara, an Australian nephrologist, recently penned this poem after being inspired by the group’s desire to improve global kidney care.

Dr. Mythri Shankar, an Indian nephrologist, shared a story of one of her patients about her fight for survival and hope which was published in the Journal of Nephrology of the Italian Society of Nephrology.

Dr. Becky Mingyao Ma, a nephrologist from Hong Kong, wrote this letter from “A kidney filled with cysts“.

Dr Rasha Hussein, a pediatric nephrologist from Sudan, shared with the group what she has suffered from the war in Sudan and its crisis for patients via this blog.

Liz Lightstone
(United Kingdom)
ISN President-Elect

Dr V. Jha_Photo

Vivekanand Jha
(India)
Chair

Dr. R. Kazancioglu_ Photo

Rumeyza Kazancioglu
(Turkey)

Roberto_Pecoits_Filho_006_FINAL

Roberto Pecoits Filho
(USA)

2021_Bavanandan

Sunita Bavanandan
(Malaysia)

Maria-Jose-Soler_photo-225x300

Maria José Soler
(Spain)

IMG_0869

Rolando Claure-Del Granado
(Bolivia)

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Alessia Fornoni
(USA)

Gavin-Dreyer

Gavin Dreyer
(United Kingdom)

Invitation to Partner

The ISN invites organizations to partner on this global initiative aimed at recognizing excellence and developing leaders.

As a partner, you will:

  • Be seen as a supporter of global leadership development in kidney care.
  • Be recognized as a supporter by the next generation of leaders in kidney care and network with initiators in the field.
  • Help ISN in advancing its vision of a future where all people have equitable access to sustainable kidney health.

Support

Program support: $30,000/year

Program Supporters

Supported by unrestricted educational grants by AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim.

If you have any questions, please contact elp@theisn.org

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE Emerging Leaders PROGRAM?