The Research on Calculus Kinetics (R.O.C.K.) Society is a multidisciplinary group of investigators dedicated to unraveling the pathophysiological events of kidney stone formation, preventing the development of new stones or growth of existing calculi, identifying demographic factors and diseases associated with the development of kidney stones, and optimizing stone removal.

The R.O.C.K Society hosts 2 meetings each year. The R.O.C.K. Society Annual Meeting focuses on new developments and encourages the presentation of research that is ongoing and in development. The next annual meeting will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from January 26 to 27, 2024. Highlights of the meeting include Keynote Speaker Ji-Bin Peng, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who will address, “Exploring the Role of Renal Magnesium Handling in Preventing Calcium Stone Formation.” The Annual Meeting program is developed by the R.O.C.K. Society leadership, under the auspices of President Jody Lulich, PhD, DVM.

In addition to the Annual Meeting, the R.O.C.K. Society continues to present a half-day specialty symposium at the AUA Annual Meeting and invites all AUA attendees on Monday, May 6, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Preliminary plans are underway and topics under consideration are the epidemiology of stone disease, including global variations, environmental determinants, pediatrics, and economics; difficult stone scenarios in both surgery and prevention; and patient-centered stone research. Planning for the session at AUA is being headed by Kris Penniston, PhD, who will become R.O.C.K. Society President at the Annual Meeting in January.

The R.O.C.K. meetings bring together the best and brightest in the specialty to debate and discuss the latest developments in stone care and research and provide an opportunity for scientific assessment and dialogue among researchers, physicians, and health care providers involved in kidney stone management. The meetings include state-of-the-art developments in stone management, as well as discussion and review of traditional and emerging methods of treatment. Informality and open discussion remain hallmarks of the Society, and meetings are structured with equal time for presentation and discussion.

Other R.O.C.K. initiatives include an inaugural Traveling Fellowship Grant, designed to support the R.O.C.K. Society mission by promoting cross-disciplinary discussion, as well as the exchange of ideas pertaining to clinical experiences and experimental research, and to develop fellowship and mutual trust among Society members and colleagues. Funds will cover travel-related expenditures to visit and meet with other Society members to develop or execute collaborative stone-related research ideas, write collaborative stone-related manuscripts, and develop skills or gain knowledge.

Please visit the R.O.C.K. Society website for additional information on meetings and activities: https://rocksociety.org