Nephrology Fellowship Training Program

​Welcome!

The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has a long and notable history of studying the pathophysiology of and developing potential therapies for the prevention and treatment of kidney disease.  With over 70 active faculty comprised of innovative, internationally recognized basic and clinical researchers and active clinicians working in state-of-the-art facilities, our contributions are validated through high-impact publications, strong federal and non-federal grant funding, and a robust clinical program that provides cutting-edge comprehensive care across the spectrum of kidney disease.

Our training program aims to and has historically provided excellent training that is tailored to the path the fellow chooses including medical education, basic science, clinical science, private practice, healthcare administrative leadership, or nephrology government service. Our basic and clinical research programs are enriched by the Vanderbilt O’Brien Kidney Center, Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease, Vanderbilt Center for Matrix Biology, Vanderbilt Integrated Program for Acute Kidney Injury, Vanderbilt Transplant Center and Vanderbilt Nephrology Clinical Trials Center. The Vanderbilt Nephrology and Hypertension Fellowship Program recruits seven general nephrology fellows and two advanced transplant fellows per year. We provide extended educational opportunities and offer enrollment in the Vanderbilt Master of Public Health, Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, and the Master of Education in the Health Professions programs. Some of our nephrology program highlights are listed below:

1. Robust outpatient and inpatient clinical services, comprising over 3,000 outpatient clinic visits per year, 250 kidney transplants per year, over 100 home dialysis patients, over 200 in-center hemodialysis patients, and four separate inpatient consultative services (Acute Kidney Injury, End-Stage Kidney Disease, Kidney Transplant, Non-kidney Transplant and Veterans Affairs services).
2. Availability of and instruction in all inpatient dialytic procedures including peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, sustained low efficiency dialysis, continuous renal replacement therapy, plasmapheresis and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
3. Wide-ranging clinical and research expertise in faculty across the spectrum of molecules to populations, including but not limited to acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, end-stage kidney disease, transplantation, and pediatrics
4. Specialized procedural services with dedicated faculty for Point-of-Care Ultrasound, renal biopsies, and dialysis access placement
5. An opportunity to rotate with Interventional Radiology colleagues
6. A dedicated rotation with our world-renowned Renal Pathology program (evaluating over 2000 biopsy specimens per year)
7. An educationally-enriched program with protected time for daily noon didactics, access to educational funds, extensive elective rotations with exposure to subspecialty clinics (hypertension, vascular access, nephrolithiasis), interventional radiology, pathology, and palliative care
8. Protected time and funds to attend national conferences, including the American Society of Nephrology and National Kidney Foundation, and to attend other educational conferences such as Home Dialysis University
9. Outpatient clinics with dedicated faculty expertise in nephrolithiasis, kidney disease in pregnancy, glomerular disease, cystic disease, and other rare disorders
10. A robust outpatient dialysis program that is Vanderbilt nephrology-owned and has over 300 patients, 40% of whom utilize home therapies (including continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis, and home hemodialysis). Our graduating fellows are well-prepared to become medical directors of dialysis units and care for patients on home dialysis therapies and/or in-center hemodialysis.
11. An active urgent start peritoneal dialysis program
12. Extensive Clinical and Basic Research opportunities during either six months of dedicated research time in the 2-year Clinical Track or 2 or more years of dedicated research time in the Research Track
13. The opportunity for fellows to earn a Master of Public Health, Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, or a Master of Education in the Health Professions.