The KRESCENT Program: An initiative to match supply and demand for kidney research in Canada

Abstract

The prevalence of kidney disease is rising in Canada, and new approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment are required. A kidney research training strategy, which enhances capacity while fostering collaboration and knowledge translation, may help to address this health care problem. This manuscript describes the Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and National Training (KRESCENT) Program that was launched in 2004 with a major goal to enhance kidney research capacity in Canada. KRESCENT is an innovative training program, which recruits from a variety of research disciplines, and emphasizes multi-disciplinary research approaches, team-based collaboration and knowledge translation. The program provides salary support for post-doctoral fellows, new investigators and allied health doctoral trainees, and also offers core curriculum and mentorship support. The curriculum involves knowledge acquisition, application and integration and uses workshops and web-based problem modules to enhance research skills. Training in methodological approaches and career development is also included. Initial evaluation of KRESCENT suggests that kidney research capacity in Canada has increased, and trainees have a high success rate in obtaining academic positions (~88%) and peer-review grant support (~50%). KRESCENT represents a novel collaborative approach to kidney research training in Canada that may serve as a suitable model for training in other countries, or in other medical disciplines.