Nephrology Fellowship Tracks

We owe much of what we understand about the etiology and treatment of renal diseases to the efforts of basic scientists bringing their findings from cell culture, micropuncture and animal models into the clinical realm. Your experience in this track will be defined by an immersion into this world, as an understanding of basic science techniques is required for translational research. This will be guided by one of our successful researchers as your mentor, bringing you into their labs and encouraging you to develop your own research focus. Their guidance will help you attain both early success (i.e. publication) while laying the groundwork for a rich career in research by helping you write grants and securing funding to support your own independent lab.

The future of kidney disease research lies in the exploration of the interface between our genetics and kidney diseases. The discovery of ApoL1 has changed the landscape of kidney disease, helping to explain the higher prevalence of CKD among those of African ancestry. Drs. Martin Pollak and David Friedman, the investigators who identified the ApoL1 high risk genotype and continue to study its biology, will help guide your work in the genetics of kidney diseases. As a member of the genetics track, your research will lead you to a greater understanding of how one might apply methods in gene sequencing and other specialized techniques in the laboratory setting. Fascinating work in genomics, proteomics and metabolomics is occurring throughout BIDMC and the Boston scientific community, and we can help facilitate collaborative projects with other mentors as well.

Mentors: Seth Alper, Eli Khankin, Martin Pollak, Robert Stanton, Martin Pollak, David Friedman

Clinical research consists of many different types of research involving human subjects, from data mining via large datasets to clinical trials. We are fortunate to be able to offer our fellows the breadth of this experience, though we recommend you focus on one type of clinical research. For those interested in further training in epidemiologic methods and study design, the Program in Clinical Effectiveness course is offered on a yearly basis through the Harvard School of Public Health and may be supported by the division. Our faculty offers a wide variety of options in terms of a focus with access to numerous large datasets to help answer important clinical questions retrospectively as well as access to a burgeoning prospective clinical study portfolio in glomerulonephritis and renal replacement therapies. You will be paired with a mentor who will integrate you into his or her team and help focus your research to prepare you for a future career in clinical research.

Mentors: Nikhil Agrawal, Robert Brown, Brad Denker, John Danziger, Sylvia Rosas, Ted Steinman, Mark Williams

While all fellows will spend four months on the inpatient transplant service (with a weekly outpatient clinic experience), a member of the transplant track will gain a well-rounded, intensive experience into the world of renal transplantation. The Transplant Institute at BIDMC is an interdisciplinary group of nephrologists, surgeons, researchers, physician extenders, social workers, dietitians and nurses. These medical professionals will all be a part of your academic work in transplantation, which will supplement additional outpatient clinical work with transplant-related quality improvement projects for both recipients and donors, ongoing clinical research and basic science work in immunology, as desired.

Mentors: Amtul Aala, Nikhil Agrawal, Martha Pavlakis

Education is among BIDMC's greatest strengths as an institution. In addition to the many educational efforts occurring within the Renal Division, there is a wealth of resources within this hospital-wide culture of education and education research. The Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research houses a number of organizations and opportunities for further training, including the BIDMC Academy of Medical Educators and a Clinician Educator Track for Fellows. Additionally, Harvard Medical School provides additional training in medical education research through their own Medical Education Research fellowship. As a second-year fellow, we will help facilitate your entry into the program that is most appropriate for you and pair you with a mentor who most closely aligns with your educational interests, either within the division or hospital-wide.

Mentors: Robert Cohen, Melanie Hoenig, Stewart Lecker, Jeffrey William

BIDMC has gained a national reputation for its work in the realm of quality improvement. In addition to the multitude of QI projects occurring within the Renal Division, there are numerous opportunities to engage in this hospital-wide culture of QI work and a spirit of continuous improvement in the delivery of patient care. All of our fellows will be involved in a small QI project, as the ACGME requires. As a member of this track, however, your training in QI will go well beyond this, taking advantage of the resources available to us through the Silverman Institute for Healthcare Quality and Safety and numerous mentors within the division and BIDMC as a whole.

Mentors: Brad Denker, Philip Kemp, Stewart Lecker, Mark Williams

Procedural training is quickly becoming a niche specialty within nephrology. From the technical aspects of dialysis access (AV fistulas, graft and central venous catheters) to ICU-related procedures (bedside ultrasound, central line placement) to point-of-care ultrasound, nephrologists are now taking on these responsibilities from other specialties. Since we work closely with our colleagues from surgery, interventional radiology, and pulmonary/critical care in our clinical practices, we will help arrange for members of this track to identify a mentor and design an experience that focuses on the procedural training that may be an eventual part of a future nephrology practice.

Mentors: Nikhil Agrawal, Yael Vin