Renal Fellowship Program Overview

Thank you for your interest in the Nephrology Fellowship Program of the University of Pennsylvania Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division. Ours is a diverse and comprehensive training program that offers extensive clinical experience in virtually all aspects of nephrology and a virtually endless opportunity to engage in exciting clinical, epidemiologic, and bench laboratory research.

Briefly, we typically accept six fellows each year. First year fellows spend time on each of the various in-patient clinical services at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) including the Renal Transplant Service, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC), and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center (PVAMC). First year fellows also spend ½ day each week in a continuity ambulatory experience in the new Perelman Center fpr Advamced Medicine.

The second year experience varies depending on whether the fellow is planning to do a two-year “clinical track” fellowship or a three-year or longer “research track” fellowship.

Clinical track fellows spend the second year gaining extensive additional exposure to clinical nephrology, including ambulatory experience in caring for patients with complex hypertension, kidney stones, chronic kidney disease, and general clinical nephrology, including glomerular disease, interstitial renal diseases, genetic renal diseases, and fluid-electrolyte disorders.  Elective rotations include pediatric nephrology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and GU and Interventional Radiology at HUP.

Clinical fellows also have a continuity ambulatory clinic session each week and two to four 2-week blocks on an inpatient service usually at PPMC or PVAMC. Second year clinical fellows are expected to participate in at least one research project and show evidence of scholarship productivity, such as publication or presentation of abstracts at national meetings. The clinical track is designed for those fellows who are most interested in pursuing careers in clinical nephrology, including full-time academic positions.

Research track fellows spend at least two years following the first clinical year actively immersed in clinical, epidemiologic, or basic science research under the direct mentorship of a faculty member of the Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division or others within the Penn medical and scientific community.  Specific research areas of Division faculty members include basic and applied immunology and immunobiology, podocyte biology, renal genetics and cancer, transplantation, epidemiology and biostatistics, kidney development and structural biology, the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, hypertension, cardiovascular disease in CKD, and renal cystogenesis.  Research fellows spend ½ day each week in a continuity ambulatory experience at HUP and one or two 2-week blocks on an in-patient service. The research track is designed for those fellows who are most interested in pursuing academic careers in nephrology and related disciplines.

An extensive series of conferences begins with a two day seminar at the beginning of July for the incoming renal fellows which includes fellows from most of the Philadelphia regions Nephrology training programs.  Additional Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Histopathology lectures run from July through early September. Other conferences include Renal Grand Rounds, Physiology Conference, Core Topics, Research Conference, Journal Club, Fellow’s Case Conference, and Transplant Conference, as well as Department of Medicine Grand Rounds.