Nephrology Fellowship

• Boot Camp: Daily lectures during the first five weeks of fellowship prepare new fellows for clinical service and overnight on-call coverage. Read a list of bootcamp topics.
• Core Lecture Series: Two-year, once-weekly didactic lectures on various topics in clinical nephrology. View our core lecture list.
• Renal Pathology: Monthly conference with renal pathologists focused on gaining competency in reading renal biopsies.
• Boards Review: Monthly sessions with nephrology faculty reviewing knowledge and practicing boards-style questions to prepare fellows for taking the nephrology specialty board examination
• Home Therapies Conference: Monthly series on topics in home dialysis (peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis).
• Quality Improvement: Quarterly meetings to discuss cases of near-miss or suboptimal outcomes and learn how and where changes in individual decisions or systems can be made to improve patient care.
• Renal Grand Rounds: Weekly conference with cutting-edge research presented by leading researchers and clinicians within nephrology from around the world.

Additionally, fellows learn by preparing presentations for: 

• Journal Club: Fellows learn to critically read the current nephrology literature by presenting a recently published article, in conjunction with faculty guidance. 
• Clinical Case Conference: Fellows present clinically relevant patient cases to the division, with attention to review of the literature, differential diagnosis, diagnostic tests and therapy.

First Year

Inpatient Rotations

ICU (MICU, SICU, CCU & Neurosurgical ICUs)

Fellows gain expertise in managing complex patients, including those on continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and mechanical support devices such as ventricular assist devices and intra-aortic balloon pumps.

Acute Care

Fellows encounter diverse pathologies at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Prentice Women’s Hospital, including acute kidney injury (AKI), glomerular diseases/vasculitides and electrolyte disorders.

End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)

Fellows manage dialysis and related complications for patients admitted to NMH.

Transplantation

Fellows co-manage kidney, kidney-liver and kidney-pancreas transplant patients with nephrologists and surgeons, providing care from pre-operative stages through discharge and rehospitalization when necessary.

Outpatient Continuity Clinic

Fellows see their own patients in a weekly general nephrology clinic at Northwestern, with cases discussed alongside a dedicated faculty preceptor assigned for the duration of the two-year fellowship.

Elective Weeks

Fellows spend six to eight weeks exploring various outpatient settings such as glomerulonephritis clinic, transplant clinic and home dialysis clinic. An additional four to six weeks are allocated for research, scholarly activities and areas such as pathology or pediatric nephrology.

Second Year

Inpatient Rotations

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (6 weeks)

Fellows manage a broad spectrum of renal conditions, including ICU patients requiring CRRT, dialysis for ESKD patients and those needing new initiation of hemodialysis. Fellows consult for AKI, glomerular, electrolyte, or hypertensive disorders from general medicine, surgical or rehabilitation units.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital (6 weeks)

Fellows rotate through the same four services described in the first year.

Outpatient Clinics

Fellows continue following their patients in the Northwestern general nephrology clinic and rotate through the weekly VA nephrology clinic.

Outpatient Dialysis

Each fellow manages a cohort of in-center hemodialysis patients and rotates through the Home Dialysis clinic, overseeing a cohort of peritoneal and home hemodialysis patients monthly.

Elective Rotations

Fellows spend one to two weeks in each of the following ambulatory settings: glomerulonephritis clinic, transplant clinic, apheresis, interventional nephrology/vascular access clinic and renal pathology. Additional electives are available in palliative care, critical care medicine, interventional radiology and pediatric nephrology, based on the fellow’s interests.

Scholarly Activity

Second-year fellows are expected to develop a scholarly concentration through one of three tracks:

Clinical Research

Fellows conduct clinical research projects in their area of interest under the mentorship of a divisional faculty member.

Basic Science Research

Fellows participate in a basic science research project guided by a divisional faculty member.

Clinical Focus Area

Fellows choose a clinical area of focus (e.g., home dialysis, transplantation, glomerular diseases) and engage in enhanced clinical experiences and curricula with a faculty mentor, leading to a scholarly project.

Scholarly Expectations

Poster Presentation

Fellows present their research at the annual National Kidney Foundation, American Society of Nephrology or other national meetings.

Group Quality-Improvement Project

Second-year fellows initiate and lead a quality-improvement project, presenting their findings to the division at the end of the second year.

Publications

Fellows are strongly encouraged to publish a paper in a peer-reviewed journal.

Nephrology fellows have many opportunities to get involved in research and lead scholarly projects. Examples include:

• Working with faculty on existing or new clinical, basic or translational research projects
• Getting involved with recruitment and study visits for clinical studies
• Authoring a case report or a case series
• Leading quality improvement projects with the support of Academy for Quality and Safety Improvement (AQSI)
• Obtaining advanced training in clinical research through Masters in Clinical Investigation Program

Fellows interested in protected time for additional mentored research training can apply for a position on the Chicago KUH FORWARD TL1 training grant.

Our nephrology fellowship graduate, Rupal C. Mehta, MD, has gone on to receive career development awards to advance her research. 

Leading the way in the discovery of kidney diseases, their pathogenetic mechanisms, and in the relentless pursuit of therapies to better the lives of the millions of worldwide CKD patients, many of our faculty are engaged in cutting-edge research, funded by the NIH and other sources.  

In recognizing the interconnectedness and overlapping nature of nephrology and critical care medicine, we have collaborated with the Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine to create a combined training track in Nephrology-Critical Care. Our innovative training program is one of only a few across the country. In this integrated three-year track, fellows will complete two years of clinical nephrology training followed by one year of critical care training. Upon completion of the three-year program, fellows will be eligible for both nephrology and critical care medicine board certification.

Applicants interested in this training pathway should apply through the Nephrology program on ERAS and indicate interest in the Nephrology-Critical Care track. During interviews, invited applicants will meet with both nephrology and critical care medicine faculty. Applicants should preferentially rank the Nephrology-Critical Care track in their National Residency Matching Program Rank List, while also ranking the Clinical Fellowship track separately if they remain interested in the two-year general nephrology program.

• Applicant qualifications include successful completion of an ACGME-accredited residency and eligibility for the American Board of Internal Medicine's certification exam before the start of fellowship training.
• All applicants must be eligible for an unrestricted medical license before beginning training.
• If applicable, applicants must have valid ECFMG certification and a valid visa.

For the academic fellowship year, applications for the Nephrology Fellowship are accepted exclusively through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). To apply, please go to the ERAS website and follow the directions for fellowship applicants. Applications and related documents submitted without the use of ERAS for this year will not be considered.

Interviews will begin at the end of August and extend through the first week of November. 

To complete your application, the following documents are required:

1. A letter of recommendation from your Internal Medicine Residency program director or department chairperson.
2. Two to four additional letters of recommendation. These should be from clinical faculty and/or research mentors who know you and your work well. Ideally, at least one letter should be from a senior member of the faculty at your institution.
3. A personal statement describing who you are, why you have chosen to pursue training in nephrology and your current thoughts about your future path.
4. Your curriculum vitae.
5. Original reports of your USMLE scores.
6. Medical School dean's letters and transcripts are not required.

Since we participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Medical Specialties Matching Program, fellowship applicants must also register with NRMP and plan to participate in the NRMP match.

Pabitra Adhikari, MBBS
MD: Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University
Residency: St. Francis Hospital

Awsse Al-Ani, MBBS
MD: University of Medical Science and Technology
Residency: Medstar

Alexander Lanes, MD
MD: Boston University
Residency: University of Miami

Akanksh Ramanand, MD
DO: University of Queensland
Residency: Ochsner Clinic Foundation

Prasanti Ravipati, MD
MD: Drexel University
Residency: Tufts University

Luke Barr, MD
MD: Northwestern University
Residency: Loyola University

Sherida Edding, MD
MD: University of the East/Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center
Residency: Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center

Aju Jose, MBBS
MD: Maulana Azad Medical College
Residency: St. Elizabeth's Medical College

Zachary Thomas Kisley, DO
MD: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
Residency: Saint Louis University

Carlos Andres Rueda Mantilla
MD: Universidad Industrial de Santander Escuela de Medicina
Residency: Weiss Memorial Hospital