The Division of Nephrology offers several training pathways that are designed to prepare postdoctoral fellows for careers in clinical or academic nephrology.
• Clinical Pathway: The clinical Nephrology program at UVA involves 2 years of training at the University of Virginia Hospital.
• Clinical/Research Pathway. The clinical/research fellowship is of three (or more) years in duration and includes one year of full-time clinical training and two (or more) years of clinical or laboratory research.
• Research Pathway. Research training is designed for individuals who are interested in pursuing only research training. These individuals have advanced degrees including MD, PH.D or MD PHD. Candidates for positions in the research pathway may have completed nephrology clinical training at another institution. Research training is supported by a training grant from the National Institutes of Health. Fellows may participate in either basic research or clinical investigation. In addition, fellows in this pathway have the opportunity to pursue advanced degrees in basic or clinical investigation (e.g., MPH, etc).
Our clinical activities include but not limited to: in patient consultation service, outpatient longitudinal care, out patient hemo- and peritoneal dialysis, and nocturnal home hemodialysis with over 700 dialysis patients, renal replacement therapies (IHD, CAPD and variations, CRRT) therapeutic apheresis, acute renal failure, electrolyte and acid-base abnormalities, hypertension, kidney, kidney-pancreas, and liver transplantation, parenchymal kidney disease and vascular access complications. We have one of the largest nocturnal home hemodialysis facilities in the country. Our clinical faculty members are recognized nationally and maintain positions on editorial boards for peer-reviewed journals, on clinical practice guidelines committee for the NKF/KDOQI and for the Renal Physicians Association. Clinical faculty write chapters in the most authoritative textbooks and educational materials available. Our faculty have received distinguished awards at the University of Virginia including Robley Dunglison Award, Department of Medicine Teaching Award, Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching and are members of the UVA Academy of Distinguished Educators.
Research training is provided by nationally and internationally recognized leaders in biomedical investigation. Nephrology faculty members are leaders in the field of inflammation and kidney injury. They participate on national and international committees that establish priorities in research activities and are members of NIH study sections, steering committees and editorial boards. In addition to core NIH-funded nephrology faculty, trainees may also work directly with faculty mentors in various departments at the University of Virginia. The faculty of this training program are located on the University of Virginia School of Medicine campus in Charlottesville and were selected on the following criteria: 1) training record, 2) funding record 3) established interaction with other faculty, and 4) ability to integrate with the central focus of the program, i.e. Kidney Disease and Inflammation. The current program consists of twenty-six faculty members in nine Departments: Medicine, Pediatrics, Pharmacology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Biomedical Engineering, Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Surgery and Health Evaluation Science.
If you have an interest in our program please feel free to discuss opportunities with us at the Division of Nephrology at the University of Virginia.
Fellowship Training
Mitchell H. Rosner, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director, Fellowship Program
mhr9r@virginia.edu
Research Training
Mark D. Okusa, M.D., FASN
John C. Buchanan Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine
Vice Chief and Director of Research Director Center for Immuity, Inflammation and Regenerative Medicine
mdo7y@virginia.edu
Nephrology Division
W. Kline Bolton, M.D.
Professor and Chief Division of Nephrology
Director, Nephrology Clinical Research Center
wkb5s@virginia.edu
Clinical Curriculum
The 24-month curriculum consists of 5 months of acute inpatient consultation, 3 months of chronic inpatient service, 3-4 months of outpatient dialysis training, 3 months of transplantation, 6-7 months of research, 3 months elective and 1 month of satellite dialysis. One month is spent as a consultative nephrologist at a private hospital (Augusta Medical Center ) in Fishersville , Virginia . The fellows have 2 months of vacation. During the elective months fellows may receive additional training and experience in the areas of Pediatric Nephrology, renal histopathology, radiology, ultrasonography, urology, transplantation and interventional techniques.
Typically our teaching activities include several conferences held throughout the week. Our conference schedule is outlined here.
Combined adult and pediatric Renal Grand Rounds is held on Mondays at Noon . This conference is coordinated jointly by the Nephrology fellows and faculty. Interesting cases encountered in the hospital and clinic are presented and the evaluation and treatment plans are researched and discussed. The first Monday of each month is reserved for the presentation of faculty-sponsored research projects within the Division and from other institutions. A list of recent invited speakers can be found here.
Journal Club is held on Tuesday at Noon . The purpose of journal club is to develop the ability to critically analyze data reported in the literature. In general, papers are presented and discussed from high quality clinical journals (New England Journal of Medicine, Kidney International, Annals of Internal Medicine, Lancet, Transplantation), and basic science journals (Nature, J. Biol. Chem., Cell, Science, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci., J. of Clin. Invest. Am. J. Physiol.). Once a month Dr. Frank Harrell, Professor and Director of Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Health Evaluations Sciences participates in the analysis of study designs and biostatistics.
Medical Grand Rounds is held on Tuesdays at 8:00 AM. Faculty from UVA, as well as other institutions are invited to discuss clinical topics in medicine. Several times a year, nephrology faculty are asked to present at Grand Rounds. Moreover, internationally recognized nephrology faculty are invited as visiting professors (see list under Visiting Professors).
Wednesdays from 8:00-9:00 am are reserved for a research in progress seminar where principal investigators, fellows, graduate students present their ongoing research work.
Wednesday from 4:00-5:00pm are reserved for a rotating series of conferences that cover hypertension, renal physiology (and its clinical application), core topics in nephrology and a core teaching series in renal pathology. The hypertension series is in conjunction with the endocrinology division and features discussion of difficult cases as well as a review of current literature.
The 4th Thursday of each month is reserved for Renal Biopsy Conference. This conference is arranged by the faculty and attended jointly by adult and pediatric Nephrology, as well as pathology (Dr. Helen Cathro). Renal biopsies performed during the month are reviewed and discussed.
Transplantation Conference is held on Friday at 8:00 AM . Members attend this conference from multiple subspecialties including Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Surgery and Nephrology. Topics in transplantation are presented and discussed by faculty and fellows.
Fellow's Conference is held on Friday at 12:00 p.m. Various topics in clinical Nephrology, theoretical and practical aspects of dialysis, electrolyte, fluid and acid-base disorders, and transplantation Nephrology are discussed. Over a period of two years major topics on the Nephrology Subspecialty Board will have been covered.
Summer Core Curriculum. A core nephrology curriculum is provided at the beginning of each academic year. This 2-month curriculum is intended to provide fundamental practical concepts in various topics in nephrology early in the training program. This will permit the accelerated acquisition of core information used in management of outpatients and inpatients. Topics may vary from year to year but include: evaluation of renal function, hemodialysis (including continuous hemodialysis), peritoneal dialysis, evaluation and management of patients with acute and chronic renal failure, evaluation and management of acid-base and electrolyte disorders, evaluation and management of renal transplant patients and others.
Following two years of training, the trainee will have confidence in evaluating and managing patients with a wide variety of kidney disorders, and have had in-depth training in acute and chronic hemodialysis, continuous renal replacement therapy (CVVHD), renal biopsy, apheresis, dialysis catheter placement, ultrasound and renal biopsies. Each fellow performs approximately 20 renal biopsies during his/her training period.
At the end of the first year of training, our fellows take a mock board examination in order to determine their level of knowledge acquisition during the first year of training. The results of the examination are used to focus their education on any deficiencies.