The society was initiated by a group of renal pathologists , acting in large measure at the instigation of Conrad Pirani who served as acting chairman. They met on November 20, 1977, during the American Society of Nephrology meeting at the Washington Hilton Hotel, to consider the creation of a renal pathologists' organization. Fred Silva assisted as secretary. The Renal Pathology Club was then born which organized conferences for over 10 years at the annual American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), and the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) meetings.