Academic Training

Investigation Pathway

Fellows on the Investigation Pathway aim to pursue careers as physician investigators, advancing the field of nephrology through research, from Basic Science, to Translational and Clinical Science. Some fellows on the Investigation Pathway enter the program with an area of research or even a project in mind while others identify their research focus from a formative clinical experience during the first year. By winter of the first year, fellows have had ample opportunity to meet with faculty to discuss their interests and choose a mentor whose scientific and career guidance will help them launch their promising academic career.

During their second and third years, fellows on the Investigation Pathway conduct original research under the mentorship of a faculty member at BWH, MGH or one of our affiliated institutes. As part of the research years, fellows participate in didactics and other formal opportunities to learn research techniques and methods and develop the skills they will need for success as an investigator. Fellows are expected to write grants early in the second year, a valuable experience that requires them to develop expertise in their area of investigation, construct the case for their project’s scientific merit, and learn the art of grant writing and grantsmanship under the tutelage of their scientific mentor. Fellow research years are supported by a combination of institutional grants and funds as well as individual fellowship grants to fellows. Our fellows have been remarkably successful in obtaining individual fellowship grants from the NIH (F32), the VA, from foundations such as the American Society of Nephrology, American Heart Association, American Kidney Fund and American Society of Transplantation, and from industry. During their research years, fellows are supported to attend ASN Kidney Week, an invaluable opportunity to learn from their peers and others in their chosen space, network, and of course compete in the FIT Bowl!

Fourth Year

An optional fourth year of fellowship training is available depending on the fellow’s interests, training needs, and career goals. Fourth year of fellowship can include additional clinical training (for example, transplant or interventional nephrology fellowship) or allow more time to publish their work and enhance their candidacy for, and write, a career development grant. Fourth year of training is funded through an individual fellowship grant (e.g. NIH-F32, AKF, ASN, AHA, AST) or through bridge funding provided by the respective renal division where the fellow will be joining the faculty. Many fellows extend their fellowship time beyond 3 years to pursue additional training or devote more time to research in preparation for joining our faculty or the faculty of other medical schools.

Areas of Investigation

Basic and Translational Science

Opportunities for basic and translational science research abound. Fellows can choose to work with faculty at either the BWH or MGH renal divisions or with affiliated institutions such as Children’s Hospital Boston, the Broad Institute, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, the MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, as well as faculty throughout Harvard and MIT. Fellows pursuing basic or translational science participate in division-sponsored summer programs to learn the techniques employed in basic and translational research such as ELISA, Western Blot, PCR, and working with animals. They also often attend the Models of Disease Boot Camp  sponsored by the Harvard Catalyst geared toward fellows embarking on their basic and translational science research years and the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory Origins of Renal Physiology Course. Fellows also attend and present at division basic science research conferences, learning from other investigators and benefiting from the peer mentorship and support of other trainees.

Research Areas

Clinical Science and Epidemiology

Nearly every possible area of clinical research is represented across our institutions, with opportunities to work with mentors at BWH, MGH, the VA, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), data scientists at MIT, and beyond. Fellows pursuing clinical science learn biostatistics and epidemiologic methods and other skills required to pursue clinical research. In addition to regular meetings with their mentor, fellows participate in laboratory meetings and division clinical research conferences where they present their work and learn from faculty and peers in a collaborative and supportive environment.

Research Areas

Academic Clinician-Educator (ACE) Pathway

The Academic Clinician-Educator (ACE) Pathway aims to prepare fellows to assume leadership roles in academic medical centers as clinical experts and medical educators. In addition to 8 weeks of inpatient rotations at BWH or MGH, ACE Pathway fellows identify an area of clinical expertise in which they wish to gain more specialized experience while simultaneously pursuing scholarly activity to build their academic portfolio. Scholarly activity can include writing chapters and reviews, conducting clinical research within their identified area of clinical expertise, or pursuing medical education scholarship, from curriculum development to medical education research. ACE Pathway fellows have ample opportunities to develop and hone their teaching skills, including formal teaching of medical students and residents, attending opportunities on teaching services alongside dedicated academic clinician-educator faculty, and in formal didactics offered by Centers of Excellence at both institutions as well as the Harvard Macy Institute.

Areas of Clinical Expertise