Honorary Members

William Drukker (born on January 11th, 1910, died on 26th August 1992) was one of the three EDTA founders. Together with Stanley Shaldon and David Kerr in 1963, they founded the European Dialysis and Transplant Association during the Symposium on Acute Renal Failure which took place in the Royal Free Hospital in London. W. Drukker was the first EDTA Secretary-Treasurer from 1964 to 1969. He was also a member of the first EDTA Council. In 1969 he was one of the founders of the EDTA Registry and the first Chairman of this successful institution. He was one of the pioneers of haemodialysis in the Netherlands: in fact, he installed the first regular haemodialysis programme for chronic renal failure in the Netherlands in 1963.

Arthur Colville Kennedy (born on October 23rd, 1922, died on December 30th 2009) was one of the first EDTA Councilors. He was elected to the second term of the Council in 1967. A. C. Kennedy was the first EDTA President elected for the term of 3 years. Before him, the Presidency was for one year and was also linked to the organization of the EDTA Congress (which produces the only EDTA publications of those years, the Proceedings). He was one of the pioneers of dialysis in the United Kingdom. He received the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

During the ERA-EDTA Congress in Florence in 1984 a third “Honorary Member” recognition was given. Twelve years after the first Congress in Florence, its President Luigi Migone (1912-2002) became an Honorary Member. In 1967 he was elected to the EDTA Council with A. C. Kennedy. In 1972 he was the President of the mentioned above Congress in Florence and the President of our Society. L. Migone founded the Italian Society of Nephrology in Parma in 1957, and he became its honorary president. During his career, he held positions of high responsibility in the International Society of Nephrology.

Willem Johan Kolff was born in Leiden (The Netherlands) on February 14th, 1911, and he died on February 11th, 2009, in Newton Square (USA). He was the inventor of haemodialysis and one of the pioneers of artificial organs. During the II World War, he invented the artificial kidney and few years later the artificial heart. He is widely known as one of the most important medical inventors of the twentieth century. His inventions saved the lives of millions of people around the world. He received a total of thirteen honorary doctorates from universities around the world and received 127 international awards. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 1985 during the Congress in Brussels, Belgium.

Belding Hibbard Scribner was born in Chicago (USA) on January 18th, 1921, and died on June 19th, 2003, in Seattle (USA). He was one of the pioneers in kidney dialysis. In 1960, together with W. Quintonhe and D. Dillard, he invented the Scribner shunt which saved the lives of countless people with end-stage kidney disease around the world. His invention allowed the treatment of many patients, but it was not enough. This caused a public dispute on the selection of patients and was one of the origins of bioethics. Thanks to Prof Scribner’s efforts in 1962 the first in the world, out-of-hospital dialysis centre was established in Seattle. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 1985 during the Congress in Brussels, Belgium.

David Nicol Sharp Kerr (born on December 27th, 1927) was one of the three EDTA founders. Together with Stanley Shaldon and William Drukker in 1963 the three of them founded European Dialysis and Transplant Association during the Symposium on Acute Renal Failure which took place in the Royal Free Hospital in London. D. N. S. Kerr was the first Editor-in-Chief of EDTA Proceedings, from 1964 to 1970. In 1976 he also became a member of the EDTA Council. In 1983 Prof D. N. S. Kerr was the President of the XX EDTA Congress in London (UK). Prof Kerr worked on a broad range of nephrological topics, most notably in dialysis and the bone disease of renal failure. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 1986 during the Congress in Budapest, Hungary.

Marcel Legrain was born in Paris in 1923 and died in 2003 at the age of 80. He was one of the pioneers of nephrology in Europe and one of the founding fathers of the Société de Néphrologie, established in 1960. This was a Society which gathered nephrologists not only from France but from all Francophone countries. In 1976 he was elected as an ERA-EDTA Ordinary Council Member and in 1978 he became the President of the ERA-EDTA. At that time, he was introducing novel methods of haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. He made a great contribution to establishing nephrology in Algeria and other North African countries. He was recognized as an Honorary Member of ERA-EDTA at the 24th Congress in (West) Berlin, in 1987.

Jules Traeger was born in 1920 and served as a nephrologist in Lyon. He was one of the pioneers of kidney transplantation and dialysis in Europe. He was the third President of the ERA-EDTA and the President of the Congress in Lyon at the same time, serving his term in 1966. He was the co-editor of EDTA Proceedings which were published at that time in English and French. J. Traeger developed the anti-lymphocyte serum (ALS). In 1963 he opened, in Lyon, the first dialysis centre in Europe. He performed the first double kidney and pancreas transplantation in France. He was recognized as an Honorary Member of ERA-EDTA at the 25th Congress in Madrid, in 1988.

Fred S.T. Boen was born in 1927 in Jakarta, Indonesia. After moving to Europe he worked in Amsterdam. He was one of the pioneers of peritoneal dialysis and the first who wrote about the kinetics of peritoneal dialysis in 1959. In the 60s he worked in Seattle together with another ERA-EDTA Honorary Member – Professor Belding Hibbard Scribner – on the advancement of dialysis. Professor Fred S. T. Boen was Secretary-Treasurer of the ERA-EDTA, serving his term from 1979 to 1984. He was elected twice as an ERA-EDTA Council Member. He was recognized as an Honorary Member of ERA-EDTA at the 25th Congress in Madrid, in 1988.

Mary Graham McGeown, better known as Mollie McGeown, was born in 1923 in Lurgan in Northern Ireland and died in 2004 in Belfast. She was one of the pioneers of nephrology and transplantation. Her influence on this last field with her “Belfast Recipe” was recognized and appreciated not only in Northern Ireland but all over Europe. With hundreds of publications, and numerous positions she held Professor McGeown has shown a path for other female scientists and clinicians. She was recognized as the first female Honorary Member of the ERA-EDTA at the 26th Congress in Gothenburg, in 1989.

Bruno Watschinger was born in Linz, Austria on June 14, 1920. Working together with Prof Kolff he invented the first usable dialyser which was a breakthrough in the world of nephrology. Prof Watschinger was the President of the ERA-EDTA Congresses in Vienna in 1973 and again in 1990. In 1969 he was elected to the ERA-EDTA Council. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 1991 during the Congress in Rimini, Italy.

Stanley Shaldon was born in London, UK, on November 8, 1931, he died on December 20, 2013, in Monaco, at the age of 82. Together with David Nicole Sharp Kerr and William Drukker in 1963 they founded the Western European Dialysis Association (WEDA) the 1st name of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association during the Symposium on Acute Renal Failure which took place in the Royal Free Hospital in London.

He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 1994 during the Congress in Vienna, Austria. In 2011 he was awarded the “ERA-EDTA Award” for his outstanding contributions to nephrology. He had over 350 peer-reviewed publications. Among his many achievements were: developing an arteriovenous fistula by applying central vein catheters as access for dialysis, (known as the “Shaldon-catheter”), drawing attention to the significance of pure dialysis water, chemokines in uremia and the toxicity of dietary salt. Prof Shaldon was a member of the ERA-EDTA Council in 1964 and 1970.

In 2012 ERA-EDTA decided to grant a prize that is given annually to young investigators which is named the “Stanley Shaldon Award for Young Investigators”. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 1994 during the Congress in Vienna, Austria.

John Stewart Cameron was involved in many breakthroughs in the nephrological field: he started long before this became an accepted practice and integrated adult and paediatric nephrology practices; he was co-author of one of the first, if not the first, Randomized Controlled Trial in nephrology; he pioneered in the use of descriptive mathematics in follow-up studies; his group was among the first to use azathioprine for glomerulonephritis and lupus, and the first to apply oral cyclophosphamide for lupus; he published several studies on the involvement of complement and platelets in glomerulopathies. Prof Cameron authored and co-authored approximately 460 publications. In 1982 he was elected to the ERA-EDTA Council. He was the president of the ERA-EDTA from 1984 to 1987. He was also the President of the International Society of Nephrology. In 2012, at the ERA-EDTA in Paris, France, he received the ERA-EDTA Award for lifetime achievements in nephrology. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 1998 during the Congress in Rimini, Italy.

Alexander Meikle Davison was born in Scotland on January 31, 1940. In 1982 A. M. Davison became the Editor of the EDTA proceedings and founded, in 1985 the first official journal of EDTA – Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation (NDT). The first issue was published in 1986. The journal has played a major role in raising the international standing of the ERA-EDTA. Prof Davison served as the NDT Editor-in-Chief until 1993. In 1996 he was elected Ordinary Member of the ERA-EDTA Council and from 1999 to 2002 Prof Davison served as the President of the ERA-EDTA. During his term, the ERA-EDTA Registry was moved from London to Amsterdam. In 2014 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) he will receive the ERA-EDTA Award for outstanding contributions to the ERA-EDTA. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 2002 during the Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Vincenzo Cambi was born in 1937. Apart from his contribution to ERA-EDTA, Prof Cambi, after his stay in Seattle from 1969 to 1971 at Prof Scribner’s institute, was the person who invented the concept of short dialysis (4 hours 3 times a week) that now is considered the standard dialysis all over the world. From 1978 to 1980 he served his first term in the ERA-EDTA Council as an Ordinary Member. In 1984 he was the President of the EDTA-ERA Congress in Florence. In 1984, he has re-elected as Ordinary Council Member for a second term. In 1990 he was elected Secretary-Treasurer, where he remained till 1996. In 1991, during this mandate as Secretary-Treasurer, the yearly ERA-EDTA Congress had been planned in Belgrade, former Yugoslavia, but a war broke out a few months before. It was thanks to him that the Congress was “rescued” by transferring it to Rimini, Italy. His main achievement, however, was the registration of ERA-EDTA as a Charity in England, which made the Society more stable and secure regarding its finance and tax status. In 1996, when his term as Secretary-Treasurer ended, Prof Cambi was elected by the Council as Chief Controller (a position that is now named “Chief of the Administrative Office”) and held this position until 1999. In 2012, at the ERA-EDTA in Paris, France, he received the ERA-EDTA Award for outstanding contributions to the ERA-EDTA. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 2002 during the Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Eberhard Ritz was born on January 23rd, 1938, in Heidelberg, Germany. His main interests concern calcium metabolism in renal failure, hypertension and the kidney, diabetic nephropathy, and cardiac problems in renal failure. In 1990 he was elected to the ERA-EDTA Council and from 1993 to 1999 he was the Editor-in-Chief of NDT. In 2003 he was the President of the World Congress of Nephrology in Berlin, organized jointly by ERA-EDTA and ISN. From 2007 to 2009 he was the President of ISN. He is an honorary member of the Australian, British, Czech, French, Italian, Polish, Spanish and South African Societies of Nephrology. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 2005 during the Congress in Istanbul, Turkey.

Franciszek Kokot was born on November 24th, 1929, in Olesno, Poland. He is one of the pioneers of European nephrology. He was one of the first to publish his records of cases of primary hyperaldosteronism, hyperthyroidism, and in-depth analysis of hormonal disorders in acute or chronic renal failure or transplant kidneys as well as hormonal activity of ischemic kidneys. It is worth emphasizing that these significant publications were based on laboratory test results using radioimmunoassay methods developed entirely by Professor Kokot. He was a member of the ERA-EDTA Council in 1978-1981, 1987-1990 and 1993-1996. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 2010 during the Congress in Munich, Germany.

Vittorio Emanuele Andreucci was born in Naples on February 12, 1937. Author of numerous books for both medical students and specialists. He was the author of over 300 publications in international scientific journals. In 1972 and 1979 he was elected the Ordinary Member of ERA-EDTA Council. From 1972 to 1979 he served as the Secretary-Treasurer and from 1981 to 1984 as the President of ERA-EDTA. During his term as President, the Association changed its name from EDTA to ERA-EDTA which reflected enlarging the scope of the Society to all fields related to nephrology. He was given the ERA-EDTA Honorary Membership in 2013 during the Congress in Istanbul, Turkey.

Jacques Bernheim was instrumental in the many innovations that took place in ERA-EDTA in the ’90, which now are considered the “norm” of the Society. He was elected Council member in 1990; between 1991 and 1992 he was the Chair of the Paper Selection Committee and was the first person to promote a computerized system for processing the abstracts submitted to the annual ERA-EDTA Congresses. In 1993 he was elected President of the Society. During his term as President, he incorporated an important track of basic science into the scientific program of the annual Congress thus avoiding the creation of yet another European Nephrological Society (EKRA); the Registry started its move from London to Amsterdam; EDTNA/ERCA and ERA-EDTA decided to hold separate annual Congresses; he finalized the current legal structure of ERA-EDTA as a Charity based in London. He is also the founder of the Ethics Committee. Jacques Bernheim was also a very active and prolific researcher. His work encompassed both clinical and experimental research with a special interest in Metabolic Bone Disorder, uremic cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. He was one of the first to start measuring Parathyroid Hormone levels in Europe. He also performed extensive studies on the role of vitamin D in kidney disease.

During the Opening Ceremony of the Congress in Vienna, Professor James Douglas Briggs has been recognized as an Honorary Member of ERA-EDTA.

Professor James Douglas Briggs was born on 21 May 1938. He completed his medical education in Glasgow. Undoubtedly looking at his medical career he is one of the pioneers of European Nephrology. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.

In 1993 Professor Briggs was the President of the very successful ERA-EDTA Congress in Glasgow. In 2006 he was very instrumental in preparing the Congress again in Glasgow.  From 1994 to 1997 he was the Ordinary Council Member. A year later he started his term on the Registry Committee and in 1997 he became the Chairman of the ERA-EDTA Registry. During his term, he reorganised the Registry and moved the Office from London to Amsterdam. Installing the Registry in Academic Medical Centre (AMC) brought a significant increase in the number and degree of sophisticated analyses carried out by the Registry and the development of closer links with the European National Registries. The philosophy, structure and functions of the new Registry were described in detail in his famous article (Briggs D., Jager K.: The first year of the new ERA-EDTA Registry, Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., 2001, 16, 1130-1131). From 1997 to 2000 Prof Briggs became the Subject Editor on Transplantation in Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. For many years Professor Briggs served ERA-EDTA as one of the directors of the subsidiary company ERA-Eurocongress Limited.

Serving ERA-EDTA in multiple positions Prof Briggs was always very open-minded and understood the value of collaboration with nephrologists from Eastern and Western Europe. During the Opening Ceremony on May 21, Professor James Douglas Briggs will receive a gold membership card reserved for Honorary Members, a special plaque, and a diploma.

Francois Berthoux (France) was born on January 19, 1942, in Mervans. His professional and research career was linked with Lyon and Saint Etienne. He is the Director of “the Research Group on Glomerulonephritis and Renal Transplantation” at the University Jean Monnet of Saint –Etienne. He has published over 330 publications. In 1976 he became an ERA-EDTA member and, after 27 years, in 1993 he was elected as an Ordinary Member of the ERA-EDTA Council. He was then elected as President of the ERA-EDTA for the term 1996-1999. In 2000 he was the President of our Annual Congress in Nice (France). During his term he was involved in moving the ERA-EDTA Registry from London to Amsterdam (Academic Medical Center), resolving the difficult situation of moving the ERA-EDTA Congress in 1997 from Jerusalem to Geneva and strengthening the ERA-EDTA Headquarters in Parma, together with Prof Carrera and Prof Cambi.

Prof Berthoux received his Honorary Membership in June 2017 during the ERA-EDTA Congress in Madrid.

Dr Andrew Levey is an Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

He has made major contributions to patient care, research, clinical practice guidelines, training, and healthcare policy related to CKD. His research spans a wide range, including serving as principal nephrologist co-investigator for the Modification of Diet and Renal Disease (MDRD) Study, a study that produced fundamental contributions to the whole area of clinical nephrology.

He used this large database to develop an equation to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from serum creatinine. He also led the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases’ effort to pool databases from studies to develop equations based on creatinine, cystatin C, and other filtration markers.

The use of GFR equations to estimate kidney function and inform prognosis has transformed research and clinical practice in CKD.

Overall, Dr Levey invented the concept of CKD, which has had a profound impact on the epidemiology and the clinical management of kidney diseases.

In 2023 the ERA Council decided to award the Honorary Membership to Professor Carmine Zoccali.

He has contributed to research in several fields, most notably hypertension and cardiovascular complications in chronic kidney disease (CKD), CKD progression and clinical epidemiology of kidney diseases at large.

He is known for his studies on cardiovascular risk in CKD and dialysis patients. He was among the earliest investigators who focused on the relevance of endothelial dysfunction and inflammation for the high risk of cardiovascular disease in these populations. In this research area, he was the first to link endogenous inhibitors of the nitric oxide system with death and cardiovascular disease, and the first to document a relationship between sympathetic over-activity and these outcomes.