Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and Training Program 2.0

The Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and Training (KRESCENT) Program 2.0 will expand and improve the successful original program, a unique, innovative and sustained collaboration between founding partners: the Kidney Foundation of Canada, Canadian Society of Nephrology and CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes. The KRESCENT 2.0 platform will address the growing problem of Canadians living and dying with kidney disease, by increasing the number of well-trained kidney scientists. In addition to salary support, KRESCENT 2.0 will provide intensive hands-on experiential research training at twice-yearly meetings and through direct mentorship. KRESCENT has been successful with approximately 2/3 awardees becoming professors at Canadian universities and of those, 70% obtaining national research funding. The remaining 1/3 have gone on to careers in nonprofit and private sectors. We have trained people from across Canada with diverse backgrounds; 47% identify as women, 28% as a 'visible minority', but none as Black or Indigenous. During a formal consultation with key stakeholders including patients, nonprofit, private, governmental bodies as well Indigenous scholars, we identified key aims to enhance the proposed "KRESCENT 2.0" training platform. These include; enhanced training for non-academic careers; training Black and Indigenous scholars, and how to work with racialized groups disproportionately affected by kidney disease; cultivating mental wellness of trainees; improving training in patient-oriented research; and enhancing sex and gender training in kidney research. We have created a diverse team of mentors and partners that includes multiple jurisdictions, disciplines and sectors. Together this evolution of the already successful KRESCENT program will increase the number of well-trained kidney scientists and promote new approaches to improved diagnosis, prevention, treatment and patient experiences for Canadians living with kidney disease.