About Us

History:

The Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and National Training (KRESCENT) Program, is a national kidney research training program launched in 2005.  Originally a partnership between the Kidney Foundation of Canada (KFOC), The Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute for Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (CIHR-INMD), the program was developed after the Kidney Foundation of Canada hosted a national consultation to address the current state of kidney disease research and address gaps found within the community.  From this exercise, it was recognized that despite the rising prevalence of kidney disease, the number of well-trained Canadian kidney research scientists continued to decrease. It became apparent that a program was required to train and maintain an increased number of highly skilled kidney research scientists in the country.  

Since 2005, with the help of partners including government and provincial agencies, other Canadian networks, and private support from both individual and industry donors, KRESCENT has been intimately involved in the recruitment, training, and mentorship of those who will assume leadership roles in kidney health in Canada.

Program details:

KRESCENT continues to be administered and supported by the Kidney Foundation of Canada, supported by CSN and has most recently been the recipient of a Health Research Training Platform grant from CIHR-INMD.
The program pursues two main goals:

1. To enhance kidney research capacity in Canada and;
2. To foster collaborative research and knowledge translation across the four pillars of research

The program provides competitive salary support to post-doctoral fellows, early career researchers, and allied health scholars as well as career development, mentorship and collaborative learning exercises. Trainees are provided unique and valuable opportunities, including training in patient, family and community engagement, Indigenous cultural safety training, anti-black racism and micro-aggression training, and exposure to a vast variety of national experts both within and outside of their direct field of interest.

The program additionally supports a summer studentship program aimed at Black and Indigenous undergraduate and medical school students, aimed to both provide a culturally safe kidney research training experience for emerging research scholars, and to address known disparities in the kidney research community.

KRESCENT aims to strategically strengthen a diverse, sustainable cohort of kidney researchers and a culture of research excellence across disciplines and along many career trajectories. Our goal is improved, equitable outcomes and experiences for patients, including racialized communities disproportionately affected by kidney disease.

KRESCENT is a testimony to the leadership of individuals, organizations and companies committed to reducing the burden of kidney disease in Canada. The program prides itself on recruiting, fostering, and producing well rounded, exemplary researchers across all fields related to kidney health and disease.