List of Accredited Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Programs
Alberta
University of Alberta
The fellow will perform supervised care for kidney transplant and kidney-pancreas transplant recipient patients, inpatient and outpatient, at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In addition, the fellow will rotate on services of transplant infectious diseases, radiology, tissue typing laboratory, renal pathology and observation of organ retrieval and transplant surgery. There will be opportunity to participate in either bench or clinical research during the fellowship program. There are multiple formal educational rounds offered related to transplantation that the fellow will participate in.
Alabama
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama Transplant Nephrology Fellowship is a one-year clinical fellowship. The transplant fellow will be part of a multidisciplinary team providing care to 200-300 new kidney transplant recipients each year. The fellow will gain particular expertise in transplant immunology, the management of organ rejection and diagnosing and managing complications arising from immunosuppression. Fellows will also gain experience with managing multi-organ transplants particularly kidney-pancreas transplants. Our program works with an exceptional immuno- histocompatibility laboratory, renal pathology service and transplant infectious diseases team. Fellows receive a stipend to attend AST sponsored educational events and conferences and have the opportunity to engage in clinical research. Fellows also get an opportunity to participate in educating medical residents in team regarding transplant management while communicating with them in consult service. Program also accepts H1-B Visa and exceptional J1 Visa applicants.
Arizona
Mayo Clinic Arizona
The Renal Transplant Fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Arizona, offers exceptional clinical and research training in kidney and pancreas transplantation. The program provides a rigorous academic environment and comprehensive training in all aspects of transplant nephrology. Fellows benefit from competitive stipends and a comprehensive benefits package, including paid CME trips, presentation trip days, generous vacation time, and an annual meal allowance. Educational objectives include proficient patient management of kidney and pancreas transplant recipients from evaluation to long-term follow-up, exposure to a strong living donor program, including participation in paired exchange programs with the national kidney registry, preparation for a successful career in transplant nephrology, implementation of innovative multidisciplinary transplantation protocols, UNOS certification eligibility in kidney and pancreas transplantation, and gaining expanded academic and research experience in organ transplantation.
British Columbia
University of British Columbia
This is a one year Clinical Fellowship accredited by the American Society of Transplantation under the direction of Dr. Olwyn Johnston. UBC has an active kidney, kidney/pancreas program performing more than 300 transplants per year at two sites. The fellowship involves all aspects of pre-, peri-, and post-transplant medical care. It also includes donor evaluation, donor acceptance, patient wait-list management, and all medical aspects of care. The fellowship offers a comprehensive multidisciplinary clinical training including dedicated blocks to transplant infectious disease and transplant immunology laboratory experience. Graduation from medical school within 10 years of starting this fellowship is a requirement.
Number of Positions: 4 each year
Duration: 1 year
Start Date: July 1
Application deadline: September 1 for next year's start date
Location: Vancouver General Hospital & St Paul’s Hospital
Salary & Benefits: $91,710.67 per annum + benefits
Application Process: Application deadline is September 1st for a start the following year. Qualified applicants must have completed Nephrology training and be eligible for an educational license in British Columbia. The application should include curriculum vitae and the contact details for two referees. Applicants should apply to Maeve Lalor, UBC Division & Programs Administrator.
California
Cedars Sinai Medical Center
The transplant medicine fellowship program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is designed to provide the trainee with a well-rounded education in clinical kidney transplantation, transplant immunology, and in transplant immunology research. At the end of the one-year program the trainee should be able to function independently in all aspects of clinical kidney transplantation and should be familiar with basic transplant research.
Loma Linda University Medical Center
The kidney transplant program at Loma Linda University offers a very robust clinical fellowship year. Fellows will be exposed to all aspects of kidney transplantation including pre-transplant, post-transplant and living kidney donors. Our program has recently become one of the largest pancreas transplant programs in the state. The fellow will be part of a close and collaborative multidisciplinary organ transplant team.
Stanford University
The Stanford transplant nephrology fellowship program started in 2006. The fellowship program provides training in a well-functioning multidisciplinary transplant team which includes transplant surgery fellows, in an institution with very active solid organ and hematopoietic cell transplant programs, an excellent renal pathology service and an excellent histocompatibility laboratory. The fellowship is primarily a clinical experience, but there is opportunity for engagement in research. Many of our graduates hold positions in academic transplant.
University of California Davis Medical Center
The Division of Transplant Nephrology at the University of California, Davis is pleased to offer a 1-year transplant nephrology fellowship program accredited by the American Society of Transplantation. Graduates are eligible to become medical directors of a kidney transplant program. The UC Davis Transplant Center, located in Sacramento, California, performs 250-350 kidney transplants and 50-70 liver transplants each year. The transplant nephrology fellowship program is designed to give the fellow a rich experience in transplantation while still providing a balanced work-life schedule including minimal night and weekend responsibilities. Fellows will have firsthand experience in every aspect of pre- and post-kidney transplant care with a gradual increase in independence throughout the fellowship. Additionally, fellows are provided dedicated time to rotate with the renal pathologists, the HLA laboratory, transplant infectious disease specialists, and transplant hepatologists. The Transplant Center also participates in a broad selection of clinical trials, and fellows have the opportunity to initiate their own projects or take part in ongoing projects.
Requirements: Applicants should have completed an Internal Medicine residency in the US and be board-certified in Internal Medicine. Applicants should also be board-certified or board-eligible in Nephrology. Both H-1B and J-1 visa statuses are accepted, though our center will not be able to support waiver applications.
Application Process: We will accept applications year-round for one fellow per year, typically beginning each July, though start dates can be negotiated. Please send a current CV and two letters of recommendation to the fellowship director.
University of California Los Angeles
The UCLA Kidney Transplant program offers a one-year Transplant Nephrology Fellowship. This fellowship has been training fellows for over 30 years. We offer a “hands-on” experience with training in all clinical aspects of kidney and pancreas transplantation. You will have ample opportunity for participation in clinical, translational or lab-based research projects. A second research year may also be available. The transplant fellow will be supported to attend AST conferences. This is an opportunity to live and train in beautiful Los Angeles. Housing stipend is included with the position. Interviews are on a rolling basis. Please apply through the website/contact the following: https://uclahealth.org/nephrology/transplant-fellowship. Please do not hesitate to contact us with additional questions.
University of California San Diego
The UC San Diego Health Kidney Transplant Nephrology Fellowship is a one year training program designed for trainees who have completed a standard two-year nephrology fellowship and are Nephrology board eligible. The Transplant Fellowship provides specialty training in kidney transplantation and fulfills UNOS requirements for designation as a Transplant Physician at UNOS accredited transplant programs. The Transplant Fellow is an integral member of the transplant team and receives broad, firsthand experience and training in all aspects of kidney transplantation, from evaluation prior to transplant to management of the recipient with a failing allograft. The fellow also is trained in the evaluation and management of multi-organ transplant recipients. Designated time is spent in pathology, the HLA laboratory and at Lifesharing, the local organ procurement organization. The fellow also receives training in handling of donor offers. The fellowship provides the opportunity for electives and involvement in clinical and basic research. The Transplant Fellow attends national AST sponsored educational programs as well as national transplant and nephrology meetings.
University of California San Francisco
The transplant nephrology training program at UCSF is a one-year clinical fellowship. Fellows spend a total of 6 months on the inpatient service and 6 months in the outpatient setting. The inpatient service is a combined medical-surgical team and includes new transplant recipients and transplant patients admitted for complications related to their transplant. The outpatient experience includes posttransplant clinic, recipient evaluation clinic, living donor evaluations, and weekly multi-disciplinary selection conference. Fellows have the opportunity to pursue research projects during the outpatient rotation. Didactic teaching includes weekly transplant lectures, journal club, weekly renal grand rounds, and a structured HLA course. Fellows also attend pathology conference daily during their inpatient rotation.
University of Southern California
The mission of the University of Southern California Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Program is to educate Fellows in the comprehensive assessment and management of kidney transplant recipients. The training program at the Keck Medical Center of USC will provide fellows an excellent subspecialty education in this aspect of kidney diseases. The program is organized to provide the Fellow competency in the specialty as established by American Society of Transplantation and United Network of Organ Sharing guidelines.
Colorado
University of Colorado
The AST-accredited transplant nephrology fellowship program at The University of Colorado offers a comprehensive training program covering all aspects of transplant nephrology for physicians who have satisfied their ACGME general nephrology clinical training obligations. Both one-year (clinical) and two-year (research track) training options are available. We are a high-volume transplant center, performing over 300 kidney and kidney/pancreas transplants per year. The transplant fellowship year involves equal time spent in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Transplant nephrology fellows gain experience working closely with transplant nephrology faculty, surgeons, pharmacists, social workers, and nurses to provide exceptional care to our patients. Transplant nephrology fellows can expect to gain experience in all pertinent areas of clinical transplant nephrology including pre-transplant donor and recipient evaluation and selection, post-operative immunosuppression management, evaluation and management of graft dysfunction, desensitization, and paired exchange.
Additional aspects of the training program include:
- A protocol biopsy program offering ample opportunity for fellows to gain biopsy experience.
- Optional transplant infectious disease and transplant pathology elective rotations.
- Dedicated time in the tissue-typing center where fellows will gain expertise in cross-match techniques and interpretation.
Year-round education includes:
- Regularly scheduled journal clubs, transplant case conferences, and transplant pathology conferences
- Scheduled didactic sessions covering, but not limited to, the AST-recommended education curriculum topics.
- Patient-specific bedside teaching during daily multidisciplinary rounds
- Participation in weekly multidisciplinary donor, waitlist, and recipient selection meetings
- Optional general nephrology educational conferences including didactic lectures, journal clubs, case conferences, and pathology conferences
- Clinical or translational research projects mentored by academically recognized transplant nephrology faculty.
Connecticut
Yale University School of Medicine
The Section of Nephrology, Section of Transplantation and Immunology and Yale New Haven Transplantation Center offers an intensive year in advanced clinical training in transplant nephrology to applicants that have completed an ACGME-certified fellowship in nephrology. While the fellowship is structured so that the fellow will qualify as a UNOS-certified Kidney Transplant Program Medical Director, our mission is to provide a scholarly training environment for fellows to become competent transplant nephrologists who will serve as future leaders of transplant programs and contribute academically to the field of kidney and pancreas transplantation.
The fellowship offers a very thorough exposure to both inpatient and outpatient management of kidney and pancreas transplantation, both before and after transplantation. The fellow is an integral part of the multidisciplinary care team during their training and actively participates in patient management and all aspects of the transplant program, including donor and recipient selection and quality and performance improvement initiatives. They are also required to participate in meaningful clinical research and in other academic conferences sponsored by the Section of Nephrology and the Yale New Haven Transplantation Center.
Each transplant nephrology fellow is expected to develop a small project or clinical trial in the field of transplantation during their fellowship year. Our faculty, which collectively has unique expertise in the areas of transplantation, immunology, and clinic research, are available to mentor the transplant fellow during this process. Naturally, many other members of the Yale community are available to provide scientific guidance as well. Opportunities are also available for the trainee with an interest in pursuing basic laboratory research.
Our mission is to provide a scholarly training environment for fellows to become competent transplant nephrologists who will serve as future leaders of transplant programs and contribute academically to the field of kidney and pancreas transplantation. The many conferences and teaching opportunities offered through our joint departments complements a rigorous clinical experience that prepares the fellow to be a highly competent specialist in the field of transplant nephrology.
District Of Columbia
MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute
The transplant nephrology fellowship's goal is to provide exposure in all aspects of transplantation. This includes an education focused on immunology/HLA, living donor and recipient evaluation, combined organ transplantation and immediate and long term management of transplant patients at a busy transplant center. There is a dedicated curriculum through the year with time dedicated for research and electives.
Florida
Cleveland Clinic Florida
The Cleveland Clinic Florida Kidney Transplant Treatment Program, we perform between 150-200 kidney transplants annually. We strongly believe that the ideal training program should provide the right mix of education, clinical volume, academic complexity and innovation.
Our fellowship program consists of a comprehensive curriculum in pre-kidney transplant evaluations, care of patients’ post- kidney transplant (inpatient and outpatient setting). Our large volume kidney transplant program allows training in living donor evaluations and follow ups, along with skilled development in histocompatibility and immunosuppression management. Our high volume kidney transplant program continues to grow every year and you will be exposed to a variety of patients with not only renal failure but patients with a multitude of medical issues that needs to be sorted through.
Every day we strive to innovate and increase access to transplantation by expanding the donor pool. We continue to promote our living donor program by encouraging recipients to identify living donor ambassadors that can promote donation and help them identify potential donors. In addition, we actively participate in paired exchange programs, which further increased our Living Donor Kidney Transplant volumes. At the Cleveland Clinic, we educate our fellows to become leaders in the field of transplantation by never accepting the status quo and by embracing relentless innovation. Our goal is to attract the finest candidates.
Mayo Clinic Florida
The renal transplant fellowship program at Mayo Clinic Florida is a one-year fellowship open to General Nephrology trainees/graduates and is dedicated to providing education and extensive clinical exposure in the medical and surgical management of renal, pancreas and other solid organ transplant patients. Our goal is to have trainees succeed in growing their clinical expertise and knowledge to provide the utmost personalized care for transplant patients. The fully supervised training curriculum combines 6 months on the inpatient hospital service, 3 months of outpatient clinic. The remaining months are dedicated to research with a mentor, transplant Infectious Disease experience as well as HLA lab, renal transplant pathology, acquisition of skill in performing renal allograft biopsies and apheresis. The trainee is also involved in recipient and donor selection, as well as morbidity and mortality rounds which optimizes and rounds off the trainees learning experience.
Miami Transplant Institute
The UM/JMH Transplant Fellowship Program provides a vast opportunity to nephrology transplant fellows due to the number of transplants done per year: Approximately 400 kidney transplants this past year and around 13 simultaneous pancreas- kidney transplants. We also provide numerous procedure opportunities in particular kidney transplant biopsies. In regards to clinical experience in the outpatient setting, we have ongoing follow-up of 1,000 future transplant recipients on the waiting list as well as transplanted patients that are followed by a multidisciplinary team including our transplant nephrology fellow. Consequently there is a vast array of clinical and research opportunity for any nephrology transplant fellow especially as our LRD (living donor) program grows and more highly sensitized patients are being considered for transplantation at our center.
University of Florida
The division offers a 12-month fellowship training program in transplant nephrology accredited by the American Society of Transplantation (AST) Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Training Accreditation Program. In order to participate in the program, individuals must have completed a nephrology fellowship program and be board-eligible or board-certified in nephrology.
The educational program consists of six months on the inpatient kidney and pancreas transplant service, with the remaining months for more intensive outpatient clinical work, training in transplant pathology and immunogenetics, as well as dedicated research time. The fellow is expected to participate in one or more scholarly research projects and will also participate in teaching residents and general nephrology fellows. We encourage attendance and presentation of research at national transplant meetings, including the American
Society of Transplantation Fellows’ Symposium and the American Transplant Congress.
Interested applicants should have completed, or plan to complete nephrology fellowship training and be board-eligible or certified in nephrology.
Georgia
Emory University
Emory Transplant Center is one of the largest Transplant Programs in the country. We are a center of Academic excellence and nationally renowned for excellence in basic science and clinical research. In the last year, 2022, we performed 375 kidney transplants (270 deceased and 105 living donors), 10 simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplants, 111 liver transplants, 47 heart transplants, and 21 lung transplants. Emory transplant nephrology fellows will gain extensive experience with dual organ transplants such as liver-kidney and heart-kidney and will have the opportunity to rotate with other solid organ transplant services.
Emory Transplant Center is the First in Nation to earn Patient Centered Specialty Practice (PCSP) Level 3 recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). During the transplant fellowship, in addition to having extensive training and experience in clinical management of new and long term kidney transplant patients, Emory transplant nephrology fellows will also learn how to do ultrasound of the transplanted kidney, and how to perform bedside ultrasound guided kidney transplant biopsy. On average, each transplant nephrology fellow does 50 to 75 kidney transplant biopsies. Emory Transplant Center has one of the largest cohorts of the kidney transplant patients receiving Belatacept. Transplant nephrology fellows will gain extensive experience with management of patient on Belatacept. We currently train 2 Transplant Nephrology Fellows a year and have trained 19 Transplant Nephrology fellows since starting the program in 2007 of which 9 fellows have been trained in the past 5 years. Most of our trainees have joined Academic transplant centers and a few have joined Private Practices with large volumes of Transplant patients.
Iowa
University of Iowa
The Organ Transplant Center at the University of Iowa is a fully integrated multi-disciplinary administrative and clinical center that provides a customized training and educational program for Transplant Nephrology Fellows at the University of Iowa Hospital and at the Iowa City VA Transplant Center. Stable transplant inpatients are cared for on a multidisciplinary transplant unit where Transplant Nephrology has admitting privileges and primary responsibility for patients admitted to the Transplant Nephrology Service. Transplant Nephrology also provides consultative services to Transplant Surgery and Transplant Hepatology for their patients admitted to the multidisciplinary transplant unit and for patients with kidney and liver transplants who are admitted to all other services including critical care units. The Transplant Nephrology Fellow will be primarily responsible for all aspects of care for patients (including immunosuppressive therapy management) admitted to Transplant Nephrology as these patients are managed solely by Transplant Nephrology. The Transplant Nephrology Fellow will work closely with the Transplant Nephrology faculty on the care of all patients. The Fellow will also work closely with Transplant Surgery Fellows and General Surgery residents assigned to the transplant surgical service for patients admitted to the Transplant Surgery Service. Generally these are patients admitted for their transplant surgery or are readmitted for a surgical complication following transplant surgery. The Transplant Nephrology Fellow is responsible for evaluation and management of volume and electrolyte disorders, acute kidney injury, hypertension, diabetes and for providing dialysis for patients admitted to Transplant Surgery. The Fellow performs biopsies in the ultrasound suite under the supervision of the Transplant Nephrology Staff. The Transplant Nephrology Fellow sees transplant follow-up patients, potential living donors and pre-transplant evaluations in the transplant clinic each week.
Illinois
Northwestern University
Our Transplant Nephrology Fellowship provides trainees the opportunity to gain knowledge, procedural skills, interpersonal skills, professionalism and practical experience to become an independent and highly qualified transplant nephrologist. Fellows care for patients with a wide range of illnesses and in all stages of illness. Daily teaching rounds, inpatient and outpatient service and several weekly conferences are an integral part of fellow training. Faculty members from the Department of Surgery serve as mentors and role models in clinical care, professionalism and research. Fellows are evaluated on these qualities at the end of each rotation period. Fellows completing the program will be fully UNOS-certified for transplant nephrology. The fellowship consists of evaluating and managing kidney transplant candidates and recipients. The pre- and post-transplant management of kidney transplant candidates and the immediate post-operative management are a major focus of training. The fellow attends a required number of deceased donor procedures, kidney donor procedures and other relevant surgical procedures in order to gain a thorough understanding of surgical issues related to care of kidney transplant recipients and allow UNOS certification.
University of Chicago
The transplant program at University of Chicago is a large and growing program that serves a diverse range of patients with a wide range of acuity and complexity. Working closely with attendings in the transplant nephrology and surgery services, the fellow gains experience not only in straightforward transplantation but also in surgically, medically, and immunologically complex transplantation. As the first transplant nephrology fellowship in Chicago, the program has a long track record of successfully training fellows since 2001. The fellowship provides a breadth of exciting clinical experience within a scholarly and academic framework, individualizing the program to the interests of the fellow and encouraging the trainee to grow and flourish as he/she gains clinical and academic skills.
University of Illinois at Chicago
The UIC Transplant Nephrology Fellowship program offers comprehensive training in all aspects of kidney transplantation. The program involves multi-disciplinary clinical training, including active participation in daily inpatient rounds with transplant surgeons, weekly renal transplant pathology meetings, and weekly listing meetings. Fellows also receive training with the transplant infectious disease team and transplant hepatology team. The program performs 280-300 kidney transplants annually, making it one of the largest kidney transplant programs. Additionally, the program performs 30-40 kidney-pancreas/pancreas transplants annually, which makes it one of the biggest pancreas transplant programs.
Our fellows at UIC gain invaluable experience in managing early cases of cross match-positive, ABO-incompatible, and morbidly obese kidney transplant recipients. UIC is renowned for its expertise in handling complex cases of morbidly obese kidney transplant patients, who pose both medical and surgical risks. This experience is unique to UIC and is highly valuable for our fellows. During the fellowship, fellows have the opportunity to participate in monthly clinical and research conferences and can also engage in research activities at the active research center of the transplant center. The clinical program provides a distinctive learning opportunity in the management of various complex cases, including:
- Morbidly obese individuals who undergo simultaneous robotic-assisted kidney transplant and sleeve gastrectomy or robotic-assisted
kidney transplant alone.
- Cross match-positive and ABO-incompatible kidney transplant recipients.
- En-bloc kidney transplant.
- Kidney transplants from HCV NAT positive deceased donors.
- Simultaneous kidney and liver transplant, as well as kidney transplant following liver transplant.
- Islet cell transplant.
Fellows are exposed to these unique cases and gain valuable experience in their care. The program emphasizes a comprehensive
approach to managing complex cases, ensuring the best possible outcomes for transplant recipients.
UIC transplant nephrology fellowship accepts two fellows per year. We accept applications from J1 and H1b holders. Internal medicine residency in the US is not required. General Nephrology training in
the US is required.
Indiana
Indiana University School of Medicine
The Transplant Nephrology Program at IU School of Medicine is a one-year program accredited by the American Society of Transplantation. IU Health Transplant is a high-volume center and performs approximately 250-275 kidney transplants a year, in addition to 20-30 pancreas transplants, 150 liver transplants as well as one the few centers in the country with intestinal transplants. There also is a robust Living Donor transplant program in addition to the Kidney Paired Exchange, a dedicated Transplant Infectious Diseases team and extensive exposure to all aspects of kidney and pancreas transplantation. Our program is designed to graduate trainees as highly qualifies, well versed and experienced clinical and academic transplant nephrologists in all aspects of transplant medicine. This includes understanding and applying innovative immunosuppressive regimens, evaluating high risk candidates, as well as the standard full basic curriculum of kidney and pancreas transplantation. The IU Health transplant team comprises of 5 full time transplant nephrologists, multiple skilled transplant surgeons, nurse coordinators, and dedicated transplant ID, and transplant cardiology and transplant hepatology physicians. We have a large outreach practice, which the fellow is exposed to in terms of models of care. The fellow remains on site at one hospital - University Hospital. In addition, we offer training in unique aspects of transplantation such desensitization, HIV+ to positive transplants, HCV+ to Neg transplants, combined liver-kidney transplants, intestinal transplants. There is also plenty of research opportunities - internal and external Database outcome studies, as well as industry and pharma based sponsored trials. Many faculty hold or have held leadership positions in AST, ASN as well as UNOS.
Kansas
University of Kansas Medical Center
The University of Kansas Nephrology Fellowship Program has been training fellows in transplantation since 1986. The formal transplantation nephrology fellowship started in 2019. This one-year fellowship for board-eligible nephrologists interested in pursuing a career in kidney transplantation is accredited by the American Society of Transplantation. The program accommodates up to one trainee per year. Fellows are exposed to many routine kidney and pancreas transplants, as well as to highly complex cases requiring specialized expertise. Daily teaching rounds, inpatient and outpatient service and weekly conferences are an integral part of training offered. Our fellowship is based in a world-class academic medical center, offering state-of-the art education and patient care through our partner, The University of Kansas Health System. The health system’s Center for Transplantation is the region’s largest and most successful program, having completed over 3,200 kidney transplants and over 5,200 solid organ transplants.
Louisiana
Ochsner Medical Center
At our institution, we take immense pride in having the largest transplant program on the Gulf Coast, which has garnered a well-deserved reputation both nationally and internationally. Our transplant nephrology program is a comprehensive 12-month journey that covers all aspects related to kidney care, including extensive training in solid organ-kidney transplant evaluation and follow-up procedures. We accept applications for our fellowship program throughout the year, ensuring that talented individuals have the opportunity to join our ranks. Last year, we successfully performed 210 kidney transplants, which included an impressive 55 from living kidney donors, showcasing our commitment to expanding donor options. Our innovative kidney-paired exchange program, alongside a state-of-the-art tissue typing laboratory, enhances our ability to facilitate successful transplants and better serve our patients.
Our dedicated staff comprises five experienced transplant nephrologists who work collaboratively with nine skilled transplant surgeons and two transplant surgical fellows. Additionally, we have a robust team that includes over 10 APP social workers, transplant coordinators, and specialized transplant pharmacists. This collaborative environment is further strengthened by our commitment to educating our fellows; we performed upwards of 300 kidney biopsies with the assistance of Interventional Radiology, equipping our trainees with essential skills that meet the graduation requirements. Accreditation from all relevant regulatory agencies speaks to the high standards of our program, and we maintain strong relationships with third-party payers to ensure a sustainable and quality educational experience for our fellows. Our fellows enjoy an unparalleled quality of life, bolstered by our supportive infrastructure that includes multiple transplant nephrologists and surgeons, as well as a significant number of transplant advanced practice providers. This staffing strategy not only promotes a well-balanced call schedule but also allows for a focused educational experience that doesn't compromise personal time.
We offer a strong core curriculum enriched by transplant-focused lectures, interactive journal clubs, and various academic meetings covering both foundational and complex topics in kidney transplantation. Our commitment to continuous education ensures that our fellows remain at the forefront of the field. Moreover, our fellows benefit from opportunities for continuing medical education (CME) and ample vacation time, allowing them to recharge and enjoy the vibrant culture of New Orleans. The city is renowned for its rich heritage, filled with a myriad of festivals, great restaurants, and a dynamic social scene that contributes to an overall enjoyable living experience. We actively welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds, understanding the demographic makeup of the nephrology fellows' population. Our legal team is poised to assist with any immigration-related inquiries or concerns, ensuring that all candidates feel supported throughout the application process. Given the substantial volume of transplant procedures, kidney biopsies, and donor and procurement surgeries, our trainees have the unique advantage of rapidly meeting and exceeding graduation requirements. The blend of inpatient, outpatient, and immersive core curriculum experiences equips our fellows with the necessary skills to emerge as skilled transplant physicians prepared to practice autonomously.
In summary, our program offers a comprehensive blend of academic excellence and cultural vibrancy, providing our trainees with an unparalleled experience in transplant nephrology. For further information or to discuss the fellowship in more detail, we encourage you to reach out to our transplant center.
Tulane University
The Transplant Nephrology fellowship program at Tulane Abdominal Transplant Institute is 12 months, comprehensive clinical training program designed to provide the trainee with a well-rounded education in clinical kidney/pancreas transplantation, transplant immunology, and transplant clinical research. With approximately 125 kidney and pancreas transplants per year, the trainee will achieve the required expertise to independently care for transplant patients.
The training includes exposure to multi-disciplinary care of kidney and pancreas patients, evaluation of liver disease patients for potential combined liver-kidney transplants, achieve expertise in performing and interpreting renal allograft biopsy, and the role of histocompatibility laboratory at its applications. The trainee will have dedicated time to pursue research and other educational activities.
The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Program consists of:
• Transplant in-patient rotation
• Outpatient transplant clinic
• HLA lab and Transplant pathology
• Research
The fellow is expected to participate in one or more scholarly research projects and will also participate in teaching residents and general nephrology fellows. We encourage attendance and presentation of research at national transplant meetings, including the American Society of Transplantation Fellows’ Symposium and the American Transplant Congress.
Massachusetts
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
The training year is for one year and the rotations comply with all the AST transplant fellowship requirements. The fellow works rotate through both the inpatient and outpatient settings. They have the opportunity to pursue independent work in either clinical education or research. The fellow presents regularly at our monthly M&M conference and presents clinical cases at our weekly intake meetings. There is no overnight call required but the fellow rounds on inpatients on a few Saturdays during their inpatient rotation.
Brigham & Women's Hospital
Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) has the oldest transplant program in the country with the first successful kidney transplant performed in 1954. The BWH’s nephrology training is one of the top-rated programs in the country and the transplant nephrology program provides the best opportunities for training transplant nephrologists since 1956. Many of its graduates became leaders and directors of academic transplant programs in the United States and abroad.
This one-year program is accredited by the American Transplant Society and the American Society of Nephrology. Upon completion of their training, the individual will be UNOS-certified Transplant Nephrologist.
Massachusetts General Hospital
The program is American Society of Transplant (AST) approved. Typically, there is one transplant nephrology fellow, one clinical nephrology fellow, one transplant surgical fellow and a fourth-year surgical resident, a third year surgical resident and an intern on the service. The program is integrated between the surgery and the nephrology fellowship programs in order to benefit from the expertise of all its members. The program thrives from a true multidisciplinary effort.
Staff coverage and supervision in the transplant unit is provided by both a staff transplant surgeon as well as a staff transplant nephrologist at all times. Transplant rounds are held daily with the transplant surgeon and transplant nephrologists, residents, fellows, and other support staff in attendance. Decisions regarding immunosuppression are made with reference to jointly established policy guidelines and protocols. Infectious disease consultants are present on morning rounds and available at all times. A transplant pharmacist is present at morning rounds. There is a weekly transplantation conference, which again brings together members of the different departments working in transplantation-related fields. During these sessions, invited guests both national and international, present different areas in the field of transplantation. The fellow also has the opportunity to present research and clinical reviews at these conferences.
Maryland
Johns Hopkins University
Our transplant nephrology fellowship program is a one-year program that provides a clinical training in the transplant nephrology field. We accept candidates who completed at least two years general nephrology fellowship training. Our mission is to provide comprehensive training in transplant nephrology to feed the national transplant workforce with physicians well-equipped to provide high quality patient care, promote innovation, advance transplant research, and severe as future leaders in the transplant community.
Michigan
Henry Ford Health
The goal of our program is to provide a varied and comprehensive in-patient and out-patient experience using all the patient material in the transplant practice with instruction and teaching at the bedside and in ambulatory practice setting enhanced with a variety of tools to facilitate learning. Fellows/trainees will have multiple opportunities to encounter, learn, and display all of the ACGME-approved core competencies as they relate to the practice of transplant nephrology.
University of Michigan
The Nephrology Fellowship offered by the Division of Nephrology of the Department of Internal Medicine provides an opportunity to pursue advanced training in clinical nephrology and to undertake training in basic science research or clinical research. The program is designed for trainees who wish to receive outstanding training in order to pursue a career in academic medicine (basic science, clinical research, or clinical education) or private practice. The mission of the University of Michigan Nephrology Fellowship program is to produce physicians that 1) are clinically competent in the field of Nephrology, 2) are capable of working in a variety of settings, 3) possess habits of life-long learning. In addition, the program aims to train a subset of fellows to become independent investigators in either clinical or basic science relevant to kidney disease.
This program provides fellows with the opportunity to become leaders in the organization and management of patient care, emphasizes scholarship and self-instruction, development of critical analysis of clinical problems, and the ability to make appropriate decisions. Fellows participate in Transplant Nephrology Outpatient Recipient Clinics (both Acute and Chronic), Recipient/Donor Evaluation Clinics, PreK Clinics and Biopsy Clinics. Patients are seen in the Taubman Center clinics under the supervision of a teaching faculty member. Our Acute clinic will follow our renal transplantation patients for their first 90 days after transplantation. Our Chronic clinic will follow our renal transplantation patients throughout the remainder of their first year after Transplantation. Teaching faculty members provide supervision each week on a rotating schedule.
A. Required:
1. Inpatient Service (2 week blocks, minimum of six months)
a. Primarily responsible for 30 inpatient renal transplant recipients
2. Outpatient Clinic (2 week blocks, minimum of six months)
a. Primarily responsible for 30 outpatient renal transplant recipients
b. Outpatient follow-up must be continuous for a minimum of at least three months after transplantation
3. Each transplant nephrology fellow must perform a minimum of 10 renal transplant biopsies during the training period.
4. Each transplant nephrology fellow must observe at least 3 renal transplants, at least one of which is a living donor transplant and one
a deceased donor transplant. Each transplant nephrology fellow must also observe at least 3 organ recovery procedures, at least one of
which is from a deceased donor and one from a living donor
5. Each transplant nephrology fellow must obtain experience evaluating 25 potential kidney transplant recipients, and 10 potential living
donors, as well as participate in selection committee meetings.
6. Vacation (2 x 2 weeks)
7. Conferences
a. Nephrology Grand Rounds: Clinical Cases/Research/Journal Club/M&M/Ethics (Wednesday: 2 hours per week)
b. Basic Science: Topical Seminar/Journal Club (Tuesday: 1 hour per week for those doing basic science)
c. General Nephrology Fellows Lectures: Seminar (Tuesday: 1 hour per week excluding summer).
d. Transplant Conference: M&M/ Topical Seminar (Monday 1 hour per week)
e. Transplant Nephrology Grand Rounds: Curriculum/Journal Club (Friday 1 hour 1st and 3rd weeks)
B. Electives:
1. Immunology - HLA lab (1-week minimum)
2. Renal Pathology (with Dr. Evan Farkash, renal pathologist; 1-week minimum)
3. Transplant Surgery (1-week minimum)
4. Transplant Coordinators (1-week minimum)
Minnesota
Mayo Clinic Minnesota
The Renal Transplant Fellowship at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, is a one-year accredited program. It offers fellows exposure to a large number of routine kidney and pancreas transplants, as well as exposure to highly complex cases requiring specialized expertise. These include highly sensitized recipients, patients with glomerulonephritis and high risk of recurrence, and complex living kidney donors. Fellows gain exposure to a large living-donor program and a kidney paired donation program. The program is also known for long-term follow-up that incorporates protocol biopsies.
Educational goals for the Renal Transplant Fellowship are to: • Proficiently manage kidney transplant patients throughout the continuum of care, from the initial evaluation process through long-term follow-up care • Prepare for a successful career in nephrology with an emphasis on kidney and/or pancreas transplantation • Apply innovative, multidisciplinary protocols for living and deceased donor kidney transplantation • Achieve eligibility for future United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) certification in kidney and pancreas transplantation • Obtain expanded academic and research experience in the area of organ transplantation.
University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota is one of the oldest and prestigious transplant programs in the country. Greater than 13,000 organ transplants including 10,000 kidney transplants have been performed at University of Minnesota including the world's first pancreas transplant in 1966. We average ~200 kidney transplants per year with half from deceased donors and half from living donors. We routinely perform close to 30 simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplants, 5-10 simultaneous liver-kidney transplants, and 2-4 simultaneous heart-kidney transplants per year.
This 1-year Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Training Accreditation Program accredited fellowship is clinically robust and centered around making the selected candidate a well-rounded clinical transplant nephrologist qualified to head a United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) transplant nephrology program. The transplant fellow rotates between the inpatient transplant nephrology consult service where they will work closely as a consultant with the transplant surgery service, outpatient transplant nephrology clinic where they will see post-transplant patients as well as evaluate potential transplant and donor candidates. 1 week will be spent in the HLA lab, 3 weeks on the inpatient transplant ID consult service, and 4 weeks on research with the goal to present an oral abstract at American Transplant Congress. The transplant nephrology fellowship has a well-designed didactic curriculum taught by world experts in organ transplantation with decades of experience. There are a number of additional research opportunities in clinic outcomes research, basic science research, and xenotransplantation available as well.
Missouri
Washington University in St. Louis
The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship at Washington University/Barnes Transplant Center provides multidisciplinary training in all aspects of Transplant Nephrology and Kidney-Pancreas transplantation, since we began training fellows since 2001. Our center performs 300 living and deceased donor kidney transplants per year, performs ABO incompatible and paired kidney exchanges, follows over 3,000 patients for the lifetime of the kidney transplant, and performs 100+ kidney allograft biopsies per year. Our OPO is unique in that it has its own center where fellows are able to observe procurements without leaving the city.
There is close collaboration between transplant nephrology and transplant surgery including joint daily teaching rounds and co-management of patients. The Transplant Nephrology team performs necessary nephrology consultation for recipients of other solid organ transplants (liver, heart and lung) and we do combined organ transplants. The transplant fellow will receive excellent inpatient and outpatient clinical training, spending a cumulative 6 blocks in each realm. Fellows will learn about selection of transplant and donor candidates, recommend and manage induction and maintenance immunosuppression, manage the care of transplant patients before and after their transplant, and evaluate and treat a variety of conditions including allograft dysfunction, rejections, and infections.
Fellows will have time for reading and research and regularly present their work at conferences. Our long-term follow-up of patients provide ample opportunity for developing questions for research projects. We have weekly transplant didactics and journal clubs geared toward the education of fellows to prepare them for practice. Fellows case conferences and renal grand rounds are additional weekly educational events. Fellows have dedicated protected time in the HLA laboratory with our HLA director, and have dedicated elective time joining rounds and clinics of another non-renal transplant service. Fellows have regular interaction with our nephropathologist when we review biopsy cases during regularly scheduled meetings. By the end of the transplant fellowship, our fellows will be independent physicians, capable of becoming medical director of a kidney transplant program.
North Carolina
Duke University Medical Center
The Duke University Transplant Center and Division of Nephrology are excited to offer a one-year fellowship to qualified board-eligible nephrologists interested in a career in transplant nephrology. This 12-month program offers a unique multidisciplinary training experience in a thriving kidney transplant program, which performs over 200 kidney transplants annually. As a high-volume solid-organ transplant center, trainees are exposed to a diverse patient population that includes recipients of liver, heart, and lung transplants. With joint nephrology-surgery inpatient rounds and an integrated outpatient clinic, trainees participate in patient care beginning with the transplant event, and follow newly transplanted patients from their first visit to the outpatient clinic. This allows trainees to have continuity of care with individual patients throughout their first year of transplant.
Trainees will additionally be provided with a strong mix of learning opportunities that span the year. These include a structured didactic curriculum, access to a comprehensive online lecture series, teaching opportunities in the general nephrology fellowship transplant curriculum, a guided review of seminal articles in transplantation, and a hands-on rotation in the transplant HLA laboratory. Fellows will attend transplant administrative and clinical conferences to get a complete look at the inner processes of a large academic transplant program. These include participation in the Donor and Recipient Selection Committees, the Quality and Performance Improvement meetings, Program Retreats, and the Morbidity and Mortality conferences. Trainees are encouraged to pursue research or other academic projects throughout their year, and are given access to accomplished faculty with a wide array of interests in nephrology, immunology, and kidney transplantation. Faculty are committed teachers and mentors, dedicated to the career development and long-term success of our trainees. The ultimate goal of our transplant nephrology fellowship is to develop both complete physicians, comfortable with all aspects of clinical transplantation, as well as capable leaders with the knowledge and ability to direct a multidisciplinary transplant program.
University of North Carolina
The transplant nephrology fellow is involved in the care of kidney and pancreas transplant recipients at all stages of the transplant process. The transplant nephrology fellow attends approximately 50 outpatient transplant clinics per year and rotates on the inpatient transplant consult service at least 6 months per year. The transplant nephrology fellow is supervised by a transplant nephrology faculty member during all clinics and inpatient consult rotations. In the clinic the transplant nephrology fellow performs approximately 15 new donor evaluations, 50 to 75 new recipient evaluations, and approximately 250 established kidney and pancreas recipient visits per year.
The transplant nephrology fellow is responsible for directing the pre transplant evaluation process for all donors and recipients they evaluate, interpreting their test results, and for attending weekly multidisciplinary selection conference where the fellow provides input regarding waitlist status decisions. Post-transplant outpatient care is shared by transplant nephrology and transplant surgery for the first perioperative care month before transitioning to transplant nephrology care at 1 month post-transplant. The transplant nephrology fellow, under the supervision of a transplant nephrology faculty member maintains primary decision making responsibility for these patients with regard to transplant immunosuppression, evaluation of allograft function, infection prophylaxis, and management of comorbid medical conditions. The transplant nephrology fellow will maintain continuous outpatient follow-up of at least 30 transplant recipients for at least 3 months. Inpatient rotations include 6 months of inpatient responsibility including performance of new consultations and follow-up consultative care for all kidney and pancreas recipients hospitalized at UNC Hospitals. This includes consultative co-management with the transplant surgery service on all new transplants and consultative care of transplant recipients on other hospital services including the inpatient nephrology service. Duties include co-management with the transplant surgery team of immunosuppression decisions in at least 30 new transplants per year.
The transplant nephrology fellow attends daily rounds with the transplant surgery service including a nephrology attending on rounds. The transplant nephrology fellow also rounds with the assigned nephrology attending on all kidney and pancreas transplant patients on services other than transplant surgery. Additionally, recipients of other solid organ transplant (lung, heart, liver) requiring nephrology consultation are seen by the transplant nephrology fellow. All inpatient kidney and pancreas recipients and recipients of other solid organ transplants with kidney disease are discussed at these rounds. Clinical decisions include adjustment of immunosuppression, evaluation of allograft dysfunction, treatment of rejection or infectious complications, and advice regarding management of medical problems including diabetes mellitus and hypertension. The transplant nephrology fellow directs ESRD care of these patients including dialysis as needed. Transplant biopsy responsibilities are shared with the general nephrology fellows. The transplant nephrology fellow performs a minimum of 10 kidney transplant biopsies during their 12 month fellowship. The transplant nephrology fellow has the opportunity to rotate with University of North Carolina Histocompatibility lab, Nephropathology and immunocompromised infectious disease consults.
Nebraska
University of Nebraska
The University of Nebraska Medical Center is offering a one year transplant nephrology fellowship position for board eligible nephrologists interested in comprehensive advanced training and experience in all aspects of kidney transplantation. The transplant fellow with rotate for 6 months on in the inpatient service with the multidisciplinary inpatient transplant team including a general nephrology fellow and advanced practice provider, giving the transplant fellow opportunities to gain experience in supervising and teaching transplantation while being guided by senior faculty. The fellow will attend outpatient clinics focused on recipient and donor candidate evaluation as well as post-transplant management of kidney transplant recipients. The fellow will be proficient in performing allograft biopsies and interpreting renal transplant histology with our renal pathologists. They will have dedicated time to learn HLA tissue typing and crossmatch teqniques as well as elective time to rotate on non-renal transplant services. In addition, the fellow participate in ongoing clinical trials, and be encouraged to develop individual research projects. The goal of our fellowship is to develop transplant nephrologists who are ready to become the medical director of a transplant programs and are capable of advancing the field of transplantation.
New York
Columbia University Medical Center
The CUMC Transplant Nephrology Fellowship provides comprehensive clinical training in all aspects of kidney transplantation and is an active "hands-n" experience. Our program is a high volume, academic program, averaging 200 transplants annually, split approximately evenly between live donor and deceased donor transplants. The Transplant Nephrology Fellow spends 6 months on the inpatient Service and 6 months on the outpatient service, working closely with Transplant Nephrologists and Transplant Surgeons on a daily basis. Electives are scheduled during the out-patient months. We perform Paired Kidney Donation, ABO incompatible transplantation as well as transplantation in the presence of anti-donor antibodies, following desensitization if indicated. We accept high KDPI deceased donor kidneys, as well as those with long cold ischemia times.
The Renal Transplant Fellow is a fully active and involved member of the team, working closely with the transplant nephrologists, surgeons and pathologists in all aspects of the patients' care, and has the opportunity to participate in the evaluation process of potential renal transplant recipients as well as potential living kidney donors, in conjunction with and under the supervision of the Transplant Nephrologists. The Fellow participates fully in the weekly selection process for kidney transplant candidates and live kidney donors. On the in-patient service, the Transplant Nephrology Fellow is an integral part of the daily rounds done jointly with the Transplant Nephrology and Transplant Surgery Attendings. He/She will be involved in decisions regarding immunosuppression and in all other decisions regarding the medical management of fresh transplant recipients, and those admitted with complications following transplantation, including the evaluation and management of allograft dysfunction. This will include decisions regarding appropriate tests, and the performance of allograft biopsies when indicated. The Renal Transplant Fellow will confer directly with the Renal Pathologist regarding the interpretation of transplant renal biopsy material. On the out-patient rotation, the Transplant Nephrology Fellow will have his/her own clinic sessions working independently, as well as sessions working closely with the and seeing patients jointly with the Transplant Nephrology Attending.
Our Transplant Nephrology Fellows average nearly 100 bedside realtime ultrasound-guided allograft biopsies over the course of the fellowship. The Fellow will also be trained in the management of Pancreas Transplant Recipients, serve as a consultant to other medical and surgical subspecialty services who have admitted renal transplant recipients, and participate in the care of Heart, Liver and Lung Transplant recipients who are experiencing renal dysfunction. In addition, the Transplant Nephrology Fellow participates in the evaluation and post-operative management of combined Heart-Kidney, Liver-Kidney and occasionally Lung--Kidney recipients. The Transplant Nephrology Fellow is expected to participate in clinical research activities of Transplant Attendings and submit a first-author abstract to the annual TC Meeting. By the completion of the fellowship, he/she will be fully trained to work in the busiest most academically demanding programs in the US.
Montefiore Medical Center
The Kidney Transplant Center at Montefiore Medical Center – Albert Einstein College of Medicine, initiated in 1967, is one of the oldest continuously operating UNOS approved Kidney Transplant program in the USA. Our transplant nephrology fellowship provides a broad experience in all aspects of kidney transplantation, including inpatient and outpatient kidney-pancreas transplant recipient and immunosuppressive management, performing transplant kidney biopsies and interpretation of the biopsies, consultation services to nonrenal transplant patients, and participation in clinical and translational research. Montefiore/Einstein’s Kidney-Pancreas Transplant Program performs 180-200 kidney transplants each year including combined kidney and pancreas, liver, heart and lung transplants. Our program currently follows over 1,500 kidney transplant recipients providing comprehensive patient care, education and training experiences, and clinical and translational research opportunities. Candidates must be board certified or board eligible in Nephrology.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai provides subspecialty training in the science and practice of transplantation medicine. The Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Program of the Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute performs over 250 kidney transplants and 5-10 kidney-pancreas transplants annually. Our program offers a wide array of transplant options, such as our HIV-positive to HIV-positive transplant program, the safe and successful use of organs from hepatitis C-positive donors, and kidney-paired donation through multiple organizations. Mount Sinai is also one of the leading centers in liver, intestinal, heart, and lung transplants. In 2021, Mount Sinai became the first center in the world to successfully perform a deceased donor tracheal transplant.
Fellows work with expert transplant nephrology faculty and are involved in the care of recipients of non-renal solid transplants with renal problems or dual organ transplant recipients. The training program follows a structured didactic curriculum in core topics, supplemented by regular grand rounds, journal clubs, and clinical conferences. Clinical rotations are designed to optimize the right balance between training in inpatient medicine, outpatient continuity clinic, and research. Trainees obtain attentive mentoring from the faculty, who work closely and collaborate with researchers in the Translational Transplant Research Center.
New York University Langone Medical Center
The kidney transplant program at NYU Langone Transplant Institute caters to a diverse population of patients from the New York area and across the nation who have chronic kidney disease (CKD). We perform approximately 350 kidney transplants annually and provide comprehensive transplant services to patients who have CKD and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). These services include evaluation for kidney transplant candidacy, preparation for transplant and follow-up care for those on the waiting list, and acute and ambulatory post-transplant care.
Our one-year transplant nephrology fellowship program provides experience and training in all aspects of kidney transplantation. As a fellow, you manage kidney and dual-organ transplant recipients—including liver–kidney, kidney–pancreas, heart–kidney, and lung–kidney—under the supervision of our transplant nephrologists and surgeons, who collaborate to provide outstanding patient care. We accept one candidate each year into the fellowship program.
In our program, you receive in-depth training in transplant immunology, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing and cross-match testing, kidney allocation policy, and renal allograft pathology, and become skilled in performing renal allograft biopsies. You also gain experience in the innovative solutions we offer high-risk transplant patients, including ABO-incompatible transplants, HLA-incompatible transplants, and kidney paired donation protocols. This experience helps you build skills and expertise in techniques offered only at a handful of centers across the country. Additionally, you have the opportunity to contribute to and participate in ongoing clinical research at the Transplant Institute. If you choose, you may also participate in translational and basic science research in immunology and transplantation in the context of the broader NYU Grossman School of Medicine community.
Eligibility: Candidates for this fellowship must have completed or be in the process of completing an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)–accredited nephrology fellowship program.
Northshore University Hospital
The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship at Northshore University Hospital is a one-year clinical fellowship. The transplant fellow will be part of a multidisciplinary team providing care in a rapidly expanding kidney transplant center. The fellow will gain particular expertise in all phases of transplantation, transplant immunology, the management of allograft dysfunction, including organ rejection, and diagnosing and managing complications arising from immunosuppression. Fellows will also gain experience with managing multi-organ transplants including liver kidney and heart kidney recipients. Fellows have the opportunity to engage in clinical research and will have access to the resources of both the transplant institute and our large nephrology department.
State University of New York at Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo has capacity for 1-2 fellow positions in ASN/AST certified Transplant Nephrology Fellowship. Candidates must complete accredited general nephrology fellowship program and 3 years accredited internal medicine residency or alternate pathway eligible with medical licensure in the United States. Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest, C.V. and at least 3 letters of recommendations to UBNephr@buffalo.edu. The trainee will be expected to perform at level of Clinical Instructor in Medicine within the department of Medicine. At completion of training, the trainee should satisfy criteria as primary physician for kidney (and) pancreas transplant programs. Salary is based on PG-Y level equivalent. UB is an equal opportunity employer.
Weill Cornell Medicine
The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine (NYP-WCM) provides advanced education and training to the future generation of transplant nephrologists. Our kidney transplant program has a long and distinguished history having performed the very first kidney transplant in the New York tri-state region in October 1963. Our Department of Transplantation is comprised of prominent clinicians and scientists committed to training the next generation of physicians. We have an ideal balance of clinical medicine and basic, translational and clinical research. Our faculty consists of 7 transplant nephrologists, 3 kidney transplant surgeons, 2 kidney pathologists, and 6 histocompatibility experts.
Our program is unique in that two of our clinical faculty, Drs. Manikkam Suthanthiran and Darshana Dadhania, have expertise in histocompatibility testing and are New York State licensed Directors of Immunogenetics and Transplantation Laboratory. Our faculty are nationally recognized leaders by societies such as American Society of Transplantation, American Society of Nephrology, American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, The Transplantation Society, and International Society of Nephrology. We have a highly productive research laboratory with continuous NIH funding for the past three decades. Our Gene Expression Profiling (GEM) Laboratory under the leadership of Dr. Suthanthiran has pioneered the development of noninvasive biomarkers to ascertain kidney status and has functioned as the Molecular Core for multi-center NIH sponsored Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation. Our faculty has active research projects focused on developing mRNA/miRNA profiles predictive of acute rejection in kidney allografts, allograft fibrosis, diagnosis and prognostication of BK virus nephropathy and studies of alterations in the gut microbiome in kidney allograft recipients. Our graduates of transplant nephrology fellowship are academic faculty at prestigious institutions such as University of Michigan, University of Chicago, University of California at San Francisco and NYP/Weill Cornell Medicine and Hamad Medical Corporation/Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.
Ohio
Cleveland Clinic
Our fellowship program consists of a comprehensive curriculum in pre-kidney transplant evaluations, care of patients’ post- kidney transplant (inpatient and outpatient setting). Our large volume kidney transplant program allows training in living donor evaluations and follow ups, along with skilled development in histocompatibility and immunosuppression management.
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
The Comprehensive Transplant Center at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center is one of the largest organ transplant programs in the nation, performing approximately 300 kidney and 30 pancreas transplants annually. There are currently six full-time transplant nephrologists who participate in all aspects of patient management, working alongside the transplant surgeons. The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Training Program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is a one-year intensive clinical program approved by the American Society of Transplantation. There is one position available each year that is available to candidates who have completed two years of an ACGME-accredited (or equivalent) nephrology fellowship.
The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Training Program at Ohio State provides fellows with extensive inpatient and outpatient clinical experience as well as longitudinal didactic teaching.
The program prepares fellows to:
• Manage kidney and pancreas transplant recipients at all stages of their care
• Become competent in immunosuppressive regimens
• Diagnose and manage complex nephrology issues
The Transplant Nephrology fellow is expected to perform at the level of a junior faculty member since he or she has completed the traditional nephrology fellowship and is board-eligible. Therefore, fellows are allowed a significant amount of input in all decisions regarding immunosuppression as well as patient management.
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
The Division of Nephrology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical (UHCMC), is currently seeking a qualified applicant for its American Society of Transplantation (AST)/American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) accredited transplant fellowship for the upcoming academic year. UHCMC provides an opportunity to pursue advanced training in clinical transplant nephrology and to undertake mentorship in research. Graduates may pursue a career in either academic medicine or private practice as a transplant physician and fulfill qualifications to be a transplant program medical director. Applicants must have completed at least two years of general nephrology fellowship training. The transplant fellowship involves one year of training that integrates the six core competencies (patient care, medical knowledge, practice based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems based learning). Each fellow will participate in clinical training, teaching and scholarly activities. Transplant fellowship training involves all aspects of pre-transplant care including list management, kidney donor evaluations and assessment and acceptance of deceased donor organs, as well as post-transplant care including performing biopsies and management of immunosuppression. Our fellows have firsthand experience in immunology through rotations in the HLA lab and transplant kidney biopsy assessments with pathology; they work closely with our surgical colleagues during multidisciplinary rounds. Our sites of practice include in-patient and continuity clinics at UHCMC. After one year of clinical training, our goal is for graduates to be capable and confidant in independently evaluating and managing patients with a wide variety of kidney transplant related issues.
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
The Division of Nephrology, Kidney C.A.R.E. Program at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center offers a one-year standard or two-year alternative pathway AST-accredited Transplant Nephrology Fellowship. The University of Cincinnati Transplant Program has been a national leader in organ transplantation for over 45 years with a very active kidney and kidney-pancreas transplant program. The Transplant Program is currently training two fellows and is staffed by 6 transplant Nephrologists, 6 Transplant Surgeons and a full complement of ancillary professionals including pharmacists, social workers and Transplant Immunology personnel. The one-year transplant fellowship will provide a broad-based experience in all aspects of kidney transplantation including inpatient (at least six months) and outpatient care of transplant patients, performance of renal allograft biopsies and mandatory training in pathology, immunology, tissue typing, and immunosuppressive protocols. The University of Cincinnati Transplant Program is a leader in clinical research protocols and the fellow will be expected to participate in ongoing clinical trials and develop a research project during the fellowship year.
The two-year transplant fellowship contains the same components of the one-year fellowship, with additional research related to transplantation. Our overall goal is to mold the Transplant Fellow into an outstanding clinician with experience that extends all the way from a strong clinical base to state of the art research protocols, especially in the context of antibody mediated rejection and desensitization.
Clinical Training and Education: The Transplant Fellowship provides a broad-based experience in all aspects of kidney transplantation, including inpatient (at least six months) and outpatient care of transplant patients, performance of renal allograft biopsies and mandatory training in pathology, immunology, tissue typing, and immunosuppressive protocols. The Transplant Fellow plays an integral part in the care of kidney and kidney-pancreas transplant recipients. We have an integrated Transplant Nephrology and Transplant Surgery Program, with multidisciplinary patient rounds every day. The Transplant Fellow is an essential part of every aspect of decision making and, more importantly, the learning process. In addition to bedside teaching, the fellow will participate in a year-long transplant-specific core curriculum series and also attend journal clubs and grand rounds presentations. The fellow will also be expected to develop a research project and actively participate in ongoing clinical trials.
Ontario
London Health Sciences Center University Hospital
The Solid Organ Transplantation (SOT)(Kidney) training program at Western University offers trainees exposure to a large number of routine kidney and kidney-pancreas transplants, as well as highly complex cases requiring specialized expertise. These include highly sensitized recipients and patients with high risk of disease recurrence. Trainees also gain exposure to the living-donor program, the kidney paired donation (KPD) program and the national highly sensitized program (HSP).
Educational goals for the SOT (Kidney) training program are to:
• Proficiently manage kidney transplant patients throughout the continuum of care, from the initial evaluation process through long-term follow-up care.
• Prepare for a successful career in Solid Organ Transplantation with an emphasis on kidney and kidney-pancreas transplantation.
• Apply innovative, multidisciplinary protocols for living and deceased donor kidney transplantation.
• Achieve eligibility for United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) certification in kidney transplantation (currently applicable to medical stream only).
• Obtain expanded academic and research experience in the area of kidney transplantation.
Upon completion of training, an AFC Diplomate is expected to function as a competent specialist in Solid Organ Transplantation (Kidney), capable of an enhanced practice in this area of focused competence (AFC), within the scope of General Nephrology (medical stream) or Urology (surgical stream). The AFC trainee must acquire advanced knowledge of the theoretical basis of the discipline, including its foundations in the sciences and research. Diplomates must demonstrate the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes for effective patient-centered care and service to a diverse population. In all aspects of specialist practice, the Diplomate must be able to address issues of gender, sexual orientation, age, culture, ethnicity and ethics in a professional manner.
McMaster University
The Renal Transplant Fellowship Program at McMaster University is a multi-faceted program designed to achieve fellow competency based on achievement of major tasks. Education is provided in a number of settings including didactic teaching and contextual learning through patient interaction. The didactic component is delivered via weekly protected academic half-day sessions specifically designed for the renal transplant fellow. Contextual learning is achieved by attempting to integrate didactic sessions to rotations the fellow is taking. To further emphasize competency and milestone-based learning, the fellow has an organized longitudinal clinic (pre and post-transplant) in order to maximize patient interaction and “working in the field”. Additional learning is via organized meetings, rounds, didactic sessions specific to the rotation, case-based learning, webinars, electives, journal clubs and patient-centered learning.
St. Michael's Hospital
The St. Michael’s Hospital transplant fellow will complete a 1-year fellowship designed to provide in-depth training in transplant nephrology. Fellows will gain experience in: (1) evaluation of living donors (including ABO incompatible donors and kidney paired exchange) and deceased donors (including expanded criteria donors and donation after cardiac death), (2) evaluation of potential kidney transplant recipients, (3) perioperative kidney transplant management and immunosuppression, and (4) evaluation and management of short- and long-term transplant complications. The fellowship is generally divided into thirteen 4 week blocks:
1) 6.5 blocks of transplant in-patient ward service (including perioperative transplant care and management of post-transplant complications)
2) 6.5 blocks reserved for research time, and exposure to renal transplant radiology (including biopsies), renal pathology, and HLA lab. The fellow will also participate in pre-transplant recipient assessment, living donor assessment, post-transplant, and failing transplant clinics at St. Michael’s Hospital. They will also participate in monthly 1 hr group case discussions around pre-transplant recipient assessments, as well as a monthly 1 hr group combined radiology/transplant surgery/nephrology rounds. There is no in-house call. In general, the transplant fellow will be responsible for 1 weekend as well as 2 weeknights of general nephrology and transplant call.
St. Michael’s Hospital is the second largest renal transplant program in Canada, performing over 100 kidney transplants per year. Our post-transplant clinic follows roughly 1900 prevalent kidney transplant recipients, and our pre-transplant clinics service a wide ESRD catchment area encompassing much of the province of Ontario. The Transplant Division is composed of 4 full-time transplant nephrologists, 2 nephrologists performing living donor assessments, and a nurse practitioner. The Transplant program is part of a larger 12 member Nephrology Division at St. Michael’s Hospital. Transplant patients are admitted to the Nephrology ward at St. Michael’s Hospital. The Division runs a full academic program, including Monday Case Rounds, Tuesday Nephrology Rounds, and Thursday General Nephrology Teaching rounds. Fellowship Duration: 1 year, Funding: $88,000 CAD/year.
Eligibility: Physicians who have completed training in Internal Medicine and Nephrology AND Eligible to apply for educational CPSO license.
Application Process: Interested applicants are asked to send a 1 page letter of interest, a copy of their CV, and the contact information for 3 references to Dr. Darren Yuen (Darren.yuen@utoronto.ca).
University of Toronto
This fellowship will allow nephrology trainees to develop competency in managing all aspects of kidney and kidney-pancreas transplantation. It includes rotations on both the Renal Transplant and Pancreas/Islet Transplant Inpatient services. Other rotations include the Transplant Infectious Diseases service; HLA lab; outpatient clinics; renal transplant pathology; pediatric transplant nephrology; and research. There is an assigned longitudinal post-transplant clinic, as well as pre-transplant donor and recipient assessment clinics.
The educational program includes renal transplant seminars, transplant journal club, Multi-Organ Transplant (MOT) rounds and MOT Fellows’ seminars. There is also a hands-on seminar in renal transplant ultrasound and biopsy performance. The fellowship is based at the Toronto General Hospital, with some clinics at St. Michael’s Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children.
Oregon
Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University was the first health facility in the Western United States to initiate a transplant program. Since the founding of the program in 1959 it has transplanted more than 5,000 organs, currently transplants over 150 organs each year, and has been training transplant medicine fellows for the past twenty-five years. The Transplant Medicine training program is accredited by the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Nephrology. Our program is designed to provide all-inclusive training in renal transplant medicine. Our faculty is strongly committed to the training process and fosters collegial relationships among the physicians, surgeons, pathologists, infectious disease specialists, and pharmacologists who specialize in transplantation. The medical transplant team at OHSU has primary responsibility for prescribing and adjusting immunosuppression, providing medical support for inpatients, and managing patients in the outpatient clinics. This primary and direct responsibility for patient care is a strong advantage of the OHSU training experience. Training is further enhanced by weekly transplant grand rounds, renal transplant biopsy conference, and a comprehensive didactic program that covers basic topics in transplantation. During this one-year fellowship, the fellow will spend a minimum of six months on the kidney/pancreas transplant inpatient service and twelve months in the kidney/pancreas transplant outpatient clinics. The fellow will also spend time in the Immunogenetics Laboratory learning basic principles of tissue typing and learning deceased donor management with the organ transplant recovery team. There will also be protected time to conduct a clinical research project in transplantation. At the completion of training, the fellow will meet all UNOS, AST, and ASN requirements to function as a UNOS designated transplant physician and medical director of a kidney/pancreas transplant program. OHSU is located in Portland, Oregon, one of the most livable cities in the United States. Portland is known for its beauty, bicycle-friendliness, comprehensive transit system, land use regulation, progressive societal and environmental thinking, and ready access to outdoor recreation activities on Oregon's mountains, rivers, and coastline.
Pennsylvania
Albert Einstein Medical Center
The transplant program at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia has been in continuous existence since 1964. The hospital is situated in the city limits and serves predominantly the inner-city population. It has a robust referral pattern from the Tri-state region, an on-site HLA laboratory, and opportunities for clinical and basic research. The transplant nephrology fellowship was established in 2011. The hospital performs Kidney, Pancreas and Liver transplants. Transplant fellows will see transplant patients in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Fellows will be responsible for kidney recipient evaluations, participation in listing meetings, living donor evaluation, and will participate in living donor meetings.
Thomas Jefferson University
The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University is accredited by the American Society of Transplantation and directed by Maitreyee Gupta, MD, Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Director. It is designed to provide one year of advanced training and expertise in the field of kidney transplantation, to trainees who have completed ACGME general nephrology training requirements. We accept one fellow every year into our program. The Thomas Jefferson University Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Program is an integrated service of transplant professionals - nephrologists, surgeons, physicians-scientists, advanced practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, other transplant sub-specialists, coordinators and support staff. The program focuses on developing fellows' clinical skills and leadership qualities in managing complex transplant patients and leading teams. It fulfills the requirements established by United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) for individuals to stand as the approved transplant physician for any kidney transplant program.
The Transplant Fellowship experience includes both in-patient (6 month) and out-patient (6 month) management of transplant recipients as the primary transplant caregiver. The trainees will learn to lead medical management with regards to immunosuppression, rejections, diagnose and treat infections specific to kidney transplant recipients and use of molecular biomarkers for surveillance. They will become apt at managing anti-infective prophylaxis, diabetes, hypertension, anemia, dialysis for delayed graft function and weaning off immunosuppression when needed. Training includes direct observation of at least three kidney transplants and procurements. It also includes understanding indications for transplant biopsies, performing and interpreting them. Transplant candidate evaluations are done by a multidisciplinary team which reports to transplant evaluation committee. All new transplants are cared for in one nursing unit dedicated to solid organ transplantation. All new recipients are discharged closely in dedicated clinics by transplant nephrologists and surgeons. Long-term transplant recipients' hospitalization are admitted to medicine service and nephrologists lead as consultants. Twice weekly pre-transplant recipient evaluations, participation in weekly multidisciplinary recipient selection and waitlist management committee, donor evaluation and presentation at multidisciplinary donor selection committee, are built program essentials to give rigorous in-depth transplant training experience. Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI), is increasingly becoming a requirement for healthcare providers and participation in monthly QAPI meeting, Casebased error reduction conferences are designed to train our fellow to be future health care leaders.
The elective experience includes at least one week of transplant Infectious Disease service and two weeks in HLA laboratory. They also participate in CKD clinics for non-kidney solid organ transplant recipients. The conferences include weekly renal division conferences and grand rounds, weekly multidisciplinary patient selection committee and transplant journal clubs. Trainees will be expected to participate in clinical research projects and present/publish and resultant data. Every year the American Society of Nephrology conducts an extensive 3-day Fellow Symposium in September and our fellows are encouraged to leverage this for networking and expending their knowledge base. Direct mentorship and career development guidance for the experienced faculty ensures support for accelerated person and professional growth. All transplant clinics and in-patient rounding that trainees attend are in close vicinity of 1-2 block with Center-City Jefferson Hospital. This is a high-volume transplant center in Philadelphia including simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant, liver-kidney transplant and simultaneous heart-kidney transplantation, with excellent outcomes.
University of Pennsylvania
The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is accredited by the American Society of Transplantation and is designed to provide nephrology trainees, who have satisfied their ACGME general nephrology clinical training obligations, the opportunity to acquire one year of further specialized training in kidney transplantation. We accept one fellow per year into our program. The University of Pennsylvania Health System Kidney/Pancreas Transplant Program is an integrated service of transplant surgery and transplant nephrology and includes surgeons, nephrologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, transplant coordinators and support staff. This experience fulfills the necessary requirements established by the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) for individuals to stand as the approved transplant physician for any kidney transplant program. Transplant candidate evaluation is done by a multidisciplinary team which reports to the multidisciplinary Transplant Evaluation Committee. All fresh and early transplant patients are hospitalized in one nursing unit largely devoted to abdominal organ transplantation. All recipients are followed after transplantation, especially early after transplantation, in a clinic devoted to abdominal organ transplantation. Long-term transplant recipients are hospitalized in the medical unit with the Transplant Medicine Service being the consultant.
The Kidney Transplant Fellowship year will comprise the following:
Six-month Clinical Experience including:
- The management of at least 30 kidney transplant recipients continuously as the primary transplant caregiver in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. In the early postoperative period, trainees will be expected to co-manage transplant recipients with the transplant surgeons and to take the lead role in the management of issues related to anti-infective prophylaxis, fluid-electrolyte balance, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, anemia and dialysis. Fellows will participate in the decisions regarding selection and dosing of immunosuppressive therapy from the time of transplantation.
- Observation of three kidney transplants
- Observation of three procurements
- Training in the performance of renal transplant biopsies, including a) the indications for; b) the performance of and c) interpretation of, renal transplant biopsies. The trainee will be expected to perform a minimum of 10 documented transplant biopsies during the training period
- Didactic pathological experience with the trainee reviewing renal transplant biopsies with an experienced renal transplant pathologist
- Twice-weekly pre-transplant recipient evaluations and reevaluations, with time spent with each attending transplant nephrologist
- Participation in the weekly Patient Selection Committee Meeting
- Donor evaluation and presentation at Donor Selection Committee
- The Fellow will be expected to review a topic each week with transplant nephrology team, 20 to 30 minutes, topics suggested below (alternatives would be to review a current journal article).
Six-month Elective and Research Experience will include:
- At least one week on Transplant Infectious Diseases Service (fellow to arrange well in advance directly with Transplant ID attending (required)
- Two weeks in the HLA laboratory, fellow to arrange well in advance with Dr. Kamoun (required)
- Rotation through pediatric program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and HLA laboratory (optional)
- Experience on another organ transplant service at UPenn (liver, heart, lung) (optional)
- CKD clinics for non-kidney solid organ transplant recipients (optional)
- Trainees will be expected to participate in clinical or basic transplant research projects and present and/or publish the resultant data.
- Trainees may have the opportunity to extend their research experience for longer contingent upon alternative sources of funding being available.
Conference Schedule:
- Weekly Renal Division conferences to include Journal Club, Grand Rounds, and Research conference
- Weekly Multidisciplinary Patient Selection Committee Meeting
- Weekly Transplant Surgery Conference
- Weekly Transplant Nephrology Conference
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Welcome to the Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute (STI). Established in 2013, our fellowship program is dedicated to training the next generation of transplant nephrologists. We equip our fellows with the clinical knowledge, administrative skills, and research experiences necessary to make meaningful contributions to the fields of kidney and pancreas transplantation.
With the increasing number of kidney transplants performed annually and the growing population of kidney transplant recipients, there is a critical need for a well-trained transplant nephrology workforce. At UPMC, we are fully committed to creating a nurturing atmosphere that maximizes the diverse training opportunities available within our institution. UPMC performs approximately 200-220 kidney transplants annually, including multi-organ transplants (kidney-pancreas, heart-kidney, liver-kidney, and lung-kidney). Of these, 30-40% are from living donors, through both direct donation and kidney paired donations.
Our program ensures that fellows meet all training requirements set by the American Society of Transplantation. In addition, the following aspects of the UPMC kidney and pancreas transplant program greatly enhance the learning experience:
- Co-managing fresh transplant recipients with surgical teams: A well-structured inpatient rounding structure that facilitates coordinated care for patients as well as learning opportunities for trainees from several backgrounds. In the outpatient setting patients are primarily managed by nephrology faculty in collaboration with surgical faculty.
- Busy outpatient clinics: Our outpatient clinics cover all aspects of kidney transplantation, including evaluation, waitlist management, living donor care, and post-transplant follow-up.
- Streamlined waitlist management program: This program includes nephrologists, surgeons, coordinators, social workers, and living donor coordinators. The waitlist committee meets weekly to discuss complex patient scenarios and develop management plans to ensure the transplant readiness of waitlisted patients.
- Exposure to transplant kidney allograft biopsy procedures and pathology interpretation: Fellows will develop skills in performing percutaneous biopsies under ultrasound guidance. About 400-500 biopsies are performed annually withing the program. Fellows are involved in reviewing results with pathologists on the same day and devising treatment and follow-up plans. Weekly pathology conferences provide a platform to learn from experienced faculty in nephrology, pathology, and histocompatibility.
- Dedicated transplant intensive care unit (TICU) for abdominal transplant recipients: Fellows benefit from working with a multidisciplinary team that includes intensivists, pharmacists, and experienced nursing staff. The TICU caters to complex patients with liver disease and intestinal failure, both before and after transplantation. Consulting on patients with renal issues in the TICU offers fellows a valuable opportunity to learn about non-renal abdominal organ transplant issues.
- Supportive APP team: Our experienced and supportive Advanced Practice Providers (APP) team helps reduce the burden of transitioning to a new system and minimizes the time and effort required to learn system-related issues.
- Educational and research opportunities: Fellows will benefit from exposure a wide variety of educational conferences (clinical and research) and opportunities to work with experienced basic, translational, and clinical researchers (see below).
While the above paragraphs highlight many strengths of the training program, the primary reason for considering training as a fellow here is our commitment to creating a relaxed and nurturing environment that is conducive for the assimilation of new skills and knowledge. While the main drivers of how good a transplant nephrologist you will be are your own dedication, hard work, curiosity, and ambition, we believe that it is our responsibility to provide the fellows the support they need to become well rounded and expert transplant clinicians. In the end, we want our fellows to look back at their year of transplant nephrology training at UPMC-STI with a sense of pride, joy, and satisfaction.
South Carolina
Medical University of South Carolina
The MUSC Transplant Center is one of the top 20 busiest transplant centers in the country with nearly 300 renal transplants per year and a very active pancreas transplant program. Our center's outcomes are among the best in the nation. The section of transplant nephrology includes seven full-time faculty members and four mid-level practitioners with robust support from transplant surgery, pharmacy, and infectious diseases.
The MUSC Division of Nephrology offers one-to-two one-year renal transplant nephrology fellowship positions. Applicants must be in good standing or have completed a two-year ACGME-accredited nephrology fellowship. Our fellowship is designed to meet the United Network of Organ Sharing, American Society of Transplantation (AST), and the American Society of Nephrology criteria for certification as a transplant physician and to be eligible to qualify to be a transplant program medical director. Our goal is to produce both an excellent clinician and scientist who is well-qualified for a career in transplant nephrology. Our graduates have moved on to desirable positions, mostly in academic institutions.
Tennessee
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
The renal transplant fellowship program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN is a one-year program designed to provide the fellow with a comprehensive experience in the care of renal and pancreas transplant recipients. The renal transplant fellow is involved in the management of patients from pre-transplant evaluation to pre and post-transplant periods.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
The transplant fellow plays an integral role in transplant management from pre-transplant evaluation, perioperative medicine and immunologic clearance, immunosuppression and daily management during the operative admission, post-operative maintenance management for the one year he/she is a fellow. The transplant fellow evaluates living donor and deceased donor recipients and provides recommendations regarding induction and maintenance immunosuppression. The transplant fellow is in charge of evaluating all immunosuppression levels of those patients in house and in his/her clinic and recommending changes as appropriate. The transplant fellow evaluates patients with renal allograft dysfunction both in the outpatient and inpatient setting and is responsible for setting up and performing allograft biopsies in a shared relationship with the renal fellow rotating on the transplant service. The transplant fellow is able to adequately manage antirejection therapies including those given both for cellular and humoral rejection. The transplant fellow is provided with the following education program: 1. Inpatient experience: the fellow spends 6 months on the inpatient transplant service with an average census of 20-30 patients. The fellow is primarily responsible for evaluating new deceased and living donor transplant recipients and following those patients peri-operatively in conjunction with the transplant surgical service. The transplant fellow performs transplant allograft biopsies on those patients with allograft dysfunction. The transplant fellow is also responsible for supervising the renal fellow and residents on the service in conjunction with the transplant attending. 2. Outpatient experience: the transplant fellow is responsible for evaluating transplant candidates, transplant candidate re-evaluations while active on the waiting list and living donor candidates through a weekly evaluation clinic. He/She is responsible for presenting those patients at the weekly multidisciplinary selection committee. The fellow also has 2 half day clinics per week in which they see transplant recipients in follow-up. The newly engrafted transplant recipient is seen in conjunction with transplant surgery for the first 6 weeks and then is followed soley by the fellow with transplant nephrology attending oversight. 3. Research: the fellow has 6 months while not on the transplant inpatient service dedicated to research and electives. The fellow is tasked with coming up with a clinical research project to be completed at the end of the 1 year fellowship and most commonly is a retrospective cohort study. The transplant fellow is also asked to write a transplant review or case report and submit to a transplant journal. 4. Electives: the fellow spends 2-4 weeks in the HLA laboratory devoted to tests related to transplantation including HLA typing, crossmatching and flow cytometry. The fellow spends 2 weeks in a renal pathology rotation working closely with the renal pathologist reviewing biopsies and receiving one-on-one didactic training. In addition to the above electives, the fellow is required to spend 2 weeks in the transplant infectious disease clinic with exposure to a wide variety of pathology including bacterial, viral and fungal infections. 5. Didactics: the fellow is required to attend our weekly Transplant Conference in which a variety of topics are discussed including surgical and medical management issues, review and discussion of transplant protocols, performance improvement initiatives, morbidity and mortality issues, and monthly pathology review of cases. The fellow is also provided the AST/ASN Transplant Core Curriculum and is asked to participate in the ASN Webinars and on-line Journal Club. The fellow is provided the Primer in Kidney Transplantation as well. 6. Other: in addition to the above, the transplant fellow is encouraged to attend lectures as part of the Transplant Administrator course, the Transplant Fellowship Symposium and the ATC Annual Meeting. The transplant fellow is an integral member of nephrology and works closely with the general nephrology fellows while on the transplant inpatient service. The transplant nephrology fellows has right of first refusal for all patients presenting for deceased or living donor transplant and follows those patients from time of initial pre-operative evaluation in house until the end of their first year of fellowship. Those patients then comprise the transplant fellow's outpatient clinic. In addition to his/her own clinic, the transplant fellow will see long-term follow-up patients in conjunction with each transplant nephrology attending. The transplant fellow and nephrology fellow alternative kidney allograft biopsies with both easily meeting the requiring number of biopsies for the program. The general nephrology fellows are assigned to work with a transplant attending in the clinical setting for 6 months independent of the transplant fellow's clinic. The transplant fellow is given the opportunity to attend all general nephrology didactic sessions weekly including: clinical journal club, renal physiology, renal grand rounds, renal pathology conferences. None of the transplant didactic sessions overlap with the general nephrology conferences.
Texas
Houston Methodist
Houston Methodist Hospital has been at the forefront of Transplant in Houston for over 60 years. We lead nationally in multi-organ transplants and perform over 250 kidney transplants per year. The transplant nephrology fellow is integrally involved in the pre-operative evaluation and assessment of candidates, peri-operative management, and post-operative longitudinal care. The fellow gains exposure to transplant infectious disease, living donor evaluation, and transplant immunology. The fellowship is divided into 6 months on the inpatient service and 6 months in the outpatient setting. The inpatient service is a census of 15-20 patients and consists of multidisciplinary rounds, with a focus on management of new kidney alone and multi-organ kidney transplant recipients and posttransplant complications. A dedicated plasmapheresis rotation provides ample exposure to pre-transplant desensitization and posttransplant antibody-mediated rejection. Outpatient months include living donor and recipient evaluations, participation in the multidisciplinary Medical Review Board for kidney and non-kidney solid organ transplant listings, HLA rotation, and outpatient renal transplant biopsy, with two months protected for research.
During these research months, the fellow works on a project of their interest under the direction of either transplant nephrologists, surgeons, or the HLA lab personnel. The transplant fellows has a dedicated weekly post-transplant continuity clinic to allow longitudinal follow-up of transplant patients within the first three years post-transplant. Educational resources include access to the American Society of Transplantation (AST) Core Curriculum, transplant textbooks, and attendance at national transplant meetings, including the AST Fellows Conference and the American Transplant Congress. Didactic sessions include a dedicated weekly conference covering all aspects of transplant in conjunction with our transplant pharmacists, monthly multidisciplinary transplant journal club in conjunction with our transplant surgery team, bi-monthly transplant case review and performance improvement meetings, weekly transplant biopsy conference with our 5 dedicated transplant nephropathologists, and weekly transplant grand rounds. The transplant fellow is encouraged to submit case reports for presentation and publication. They are also involved in reviewing and updating clinical practice guidelines for key elements of pre-and post-transplant comprehensive care, involving immunosuppression, infectious disease prevention/surveillance, cardiovascular, mineral bone disease, and malignancy screening and treatment.
University of Texas - Southwestern
Fellows complete 6 months of inpatient training and 6 months of outpatient training. We follow the AST guidelines for transplant nephrology fellowship training. Weekly didactic lectures, monthly transplant grand rounds, real time review of biopsies, HLA and radiology rotations, and attendance at the AST fellows symposium and ATC.
Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah is a fast-growing program (150-200 kidney transplants/year) located in beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah. Our transplant program has a unique structure in which transplant surgeons, nephrologists, hepatologists, infectious disease specialists, pharmacists, and histocompatibility laboratory staff work collaboratively to provide dedicated care for patients in need of abdominal organ transplantation. Our clinical education program offers specialized training in transplant medicine that is certified by the American Society of Nephrology/American Society of Transplantation (ASN/AST) credentialing program. The program includes at least 8 months of hands-on clinical experience during which the trainee learns to independently manage kidney and pancreas transplant recipients as the primary transplant care provider in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The transplant fellow also develops clinical expertise in donor and recipient evaluations, kidney allograft biopsy procedures and histopathology interpretation, and all prominent features of the regulatory aspects of solid organ transplantation. Our transplant nephrology fellowship program also includes a rigorous educational requirement with weekly biopsy rounds, interactive didactic lectures, multidisciplinary journal clubs to discuss both landmark studies and recently published impactful papers, and many other learning opportunities. We offer a 1-year clinical track as well as a unique 2-year combined clinical/research track. The 2-year track provides opportunities for formal scientific education and to undertake basic science or clinical science research projects with an option for obtaining an advanced degree (Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, MSCI) from the University of Utah.
Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia, Division of Nephrology, Transplant Nephrology fellowship is an ASN/AST-accredited fellowship. Our transplant center is the only Comprehensive Transplant Center in Virginia. We perform 300-350 solid organ transplant per year with nearly 60% of the volume from either kidney, kidney-pancreas and pancreas transplants. Our patient and allograft survival rates are equivalent or exceed national standards.
The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship training main track provides clinical training in kidney and kidney-pancreas transplantation over the course of 1 year. For selected qualifying candidates, a longer T32NIH grant sponsored research training track combined with clinical training, may be available. During fellowship, trainees will gain expertise managing kidney, kidney-pancreas and pancreas transplant candidates and recipients, as well as providing nephrology care to non-kidney solid organ transplant recipients. During their training, fellows will learn to manage immunosuppressive therapies across a wide spectrum of transplant conditions (i.e. induction and maintenance therapy, rejection, desensitization, disease recurrence management, etc), become competent managing medical and surgical complications after transplantation, as well as long-term care issues of transplant recipients. Fellows will also learn to select appropriate living kidney donors and familiarize with their work up, outcomes and short- and long-term implications of living kidney donation. Fellows will be exposed to desensitization protocols as well as kidney pair donation. The training time is spent as follows: approximately 6 months of inpatient care and 6 months of outpatient care, elective rotations and scholarly activities.
Our transplant faculty members participate of a variety of clinical research activities (both, industry sponsored and NIH funded) and closely collaborate with other solid organ transplant groups in clinical research. We have monthly research meetings to discuss active research projects and polish each other's proposals. Transplant nephrology fellows are expected to develop their own scholarly activity during their training. Our transplant faculty are also actively involved in a variety of national societies , including participating or chairing committees at UNOS, AST and ASN. The ideal transplant nephrology fellowship candidate should be a board eligible or board-certified nephrologist.
Virginia Commonwealth University
The transplant fellowship involves one year of training. Each fellow will participate in clinical training, teaching and scholarly activities. The training experience includes involvement in all aspects of pre-transplant care including list management, kidney donor evaluations and assessment and acceptance of deceased donor organs, as well as post-transplant care including performing biopsies and management of immunosuppression. The fellows get hands-on training in immunology through rotations in the HLA lab and transplant kidney biopsy assessments with pathology. Dedicated teaching in transplant infectious disease is also provided. Under faculty mentorship, each fellow is expected to participate in at least one research project. After one year of clinical training, our goal is for each fellow to have confidence in independently evaluating and managing patients with a wide variety of kidney transplant issues.
Washington
University of Washington Medical Center
The goal of our transplant nephrology program is to provide in-depth experience in transplant patient care, education, and patient-centered research. Specifically, fellows will gain expertise in inpatient and outpatient management of kidney and pancreas transplant recipients. They will acquire extensive knowledge related to the evaluation of candidates for kidney and pancreas transplants and living donation. Fellows will perform consultation and care of non-kidney transplant recipients with kidney disease. Additionally, fellows will engage in mentored research in a transplant-related field.
Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin
Formal one-year clinical training in Transplant Nephrology was initiated in July 2004. This was formally approved by the American Society of Nephrology and the American Society of Transplantation. The Transplant Nephrology Fellowship training involves exposure to kidney and pancreas transplantation in the outpatient and inpatient settings. It covers the management of kidney and pancreas transplant recipients, understanding and managing immunosuppressive therapies, handling of the medical and surgical complications early post transplantation as well as long-term care of kidney and pancreas transplant recipients. The training encompasses formal exposure and instruction in donor-recipient evaluation, performing renal transplant biopsy, nephropathology, non-renal solid organ transplantation including liver, heart, and lung transplants, living and deceased kidney procurement, ABO incompatible kidney transplant, HLA laboratories, formal transplant infectious disease rotation, as well as clinical or basic science research in kidney transplantation.
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
The Nephrology Division at the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a one-year Transplant Nephrology Fellowship (two positions/year). This fellowship provides a comprehensive experience in all aspects of kidney transplantation care including six months of inpatient, four months of outpatient along with HLA laboratory experience, and research opportunities. Fellows are trained in early post-transplant, late post-transplant management principles, recipient/donor selection, as well as pancreas transplantation and consultation for kidney disease in non-kidney solid organ transplant recipients. Our program performs around 450 kidney transplant biopsies annually in which fellows perform and collaborate with our esteemed renal pathology colleagues. In addition to bedside teaching, fellows participate in a year-long transplant core curriculum series, attend journal clubs, and grand rounds presentations. Moreover, they give grand rounds and morbidity/mortality conferences. Fellows actively participate in scholarly activity with research projects and opportunities to present at national meetings.
The University of Wisconsin consistently ranks among the top 10 most active transplant programs in the country in terms of kidney and pancreas transplantation. With over 13,000 organs transplanted since 1966 and a rich history and tradition in the field, solid organ transplantation is integral to the academic and clinical activities and mission of UW Health.