Nephrology Fellowship Training Programs
Since its founding in the 1950s, the Fellowship Training Program in Nephrology at Tufts Medical Center has prepared more than 200 physicians for careers in clinical nephrology, clinical research, and laboratory research. The strengths of the Training Program are a solid foundation in inpatient and outpatient nephrology consultation, kidney transplantation, and dialysis, provided in a setting of high-quality clinical and basic science research. Individualized mentorship ensures that all fellows achieve the training they seek.
Fellowship training at Tufts Medical Center is divided into a Clinical Program and a Research Program.
Clinical Program
The Clinical Program is two years in duration, and designed to orient fellows towards a career in clinical nephrology. Drawing on the strengths of Tufts Medical Center as a tertiary referral center, fellows are exposed to the vast spectrum of nephrology consultations including acute kidney injury, electrolyte and acid/base disorders, chronic kidney disease, and dialysis. Active kidney, liver, bone marrow, and heart transplantation programs provide fellows the opportunity to care for a variety of issues associated with the transplantation process and chronic immunosuppression. Continuity programs in all stages of chronic kidney disease including outpatient hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis complete a unique and comprehensive experience in clinical nephrology.
Fellows participate in a wide range of clinical activities. During their first year of training, fellows rotate through the inpatient Nephrology Consult Service, the Transplant Service, the Dialysis Service, and Caritas-St. Elizabeth's Medical Center. Working closely with faculty members in our outpatient Kidney and Blood Pressure Center, fellows develop a panel of patients that they follow longitudinally throughout their training. Fellows also manage a cohort of patients in our on-site outpatient hemodialysis unit, DCI Boston, and participate in the care of our peritoneal dialysis patients in DCI's regional peritoneal dialysis program. Four to five weekly conferences are scheduled throughout the year to introduce topics, review the literature, explore areas of research, and discuss clinical cases.
In the second year, fellows will have additional rotations on the inpatient services. During these blocks, they will assume more responsibility for the care of the patients and be expected to lead the health care team. In addition, fellows in the Clinical Program will have a six-month period designated for research, where they work with a faculty mentor on various projects. Fellows will continue to manage their outpatient panel in the Kidney and Blood Pressure Center, perform percutaneous kidney biopsies, and teach Renal Pathophysiology and Physical Diagnosis to Tufts University medical students.
Research Program
The Research Program is two- to three-years in duration and funded by an institutional NIH grant. It is designed to provide a solid grounding in research methodology and launch fellows on a career of productive investigation in epidemiology, clinical trials, outcomes analysis, and database research. The training involves course work in statistics, epidemiology, study design, grant writing, ethics, and a variety of electives at the Sackler School of Graduate of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University leading to a Master of Science degree in Clinical Care Research. Fellows also perform thesis work to develop mastery of a field, and mentored research with a team of statisticians and domain experts. World-renowned experts in the fields of chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease in kidney disease, guideline development and implementation, kidney transplantation, polycystic kidney disease, hypertension, acute kidney injury, and kidney stones are strengths of the Program. The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) is also available for clinical investigation. Two years of clinical-research may be combined with a year of clinical training for subspecialty board eligibility in nephrology.
To apply to our Fellowship Training Programs, please visit Fellowship Applications.